Pakistan: Christian woman given death sentence under blasphemy law appeals in SC

Lahore: A Pakistani Christian woman and a mother of five, convicted under the controversial blasphemy law in 2010, on Monday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging a High Court’s ruling upholding her death penalty.

“We filed an appeal today in the Supreme Court (Lahore registry) against the Lahore High Court’s verdict in the Asia Bibi case,” Asia’s counsel advocate Saiful Malook said. He said Asia Bibi, 47, had been implicated in a false blasphemy case and she would prove this in the Supreme Court.

“Supreme Court is the highest forum and Asia Bibi has not given up hope of getting justice,” he said. Malook said there had been legal defects in the judgement of the High Court in the case. Last month, a two-member Lahore High Court bench dismissed the appeal of Asia Bibi after her lawyers failed to prove her innocence in the court.

“We have raised various points in the appeal. The FIR has been registered against Asia under blasphemy laws five days after the incident. While in the Ayub Masih case 2002, the Supreme Court had taken notice of a three-hour delay in registration of FIR and given relief to the accused on this ground.

“The complainant, cleric Muhammad Salam, reported the matter to police five days after the incident which is itself a testimony of his being a lair,” Malook said while sharing the contents of the appeal.

He said two Muslim women who gave statement to police against Asia did not testify in the court. Asia Bibi, a mother of five, is a resident of Ittan Wali village district Sheikhupura, some 60 kilometers from Lahore. She was arrested in 2009 under blasphemy charges - Section 295 B and C of Pakistan Penal Code, subject to capital punishment - while working in a farm with Muslim women.

Her two fellow Muslim women - Asma and her sister - accused her of making drinking water unclean by touching the pot. Christians are prohibited to touch eating or drinking utensils used by Muslims in Pakistan. The Muslim women reported the matter to a local cleric Muhammad Salam who filed a blasphemy complaint against Asia with the police. Asia Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010.

Her case shot to prominence when Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated in January 2011. Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Taseer, in his statement to police said he killed Taseer for calling blasphemy laws “black” and pursuing the case of Asia Bibi.

Saiful Malook was a prosecution lawyer in the Taseer assassination case. During the proceedings, the trial judge left the country because of threats from extremists. Asia’s husband has also submitted a plea for clemency to the President Mamnoon Hussain.

PTI