Asia Bibi blasphemy case: Pakistan’s top court upholds acquittal, completing her escape from death row
- In 2009, Bibi brought water to fellow farmhands who refused to drink from the same container as a Christian woman
- Two of her fellow farmworkers argued with Bibi and later accused her of insulting Islam’s prophet
Pakistan’s top court on Tuesday upheld its acquittal of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, clearing the last legal hurdle and freeing Asia Bibi to leave the country in a move that dealt a blow to radical Islamists who had demanded her execution.
Following the landmark decision, Bibi will finally be able to join her daughters who earlier fled to Canada where they have been given asylum.
Bibi’s lawyer, Saiful Malook, who returned to Islamabad after fleeing the country amid death threats, called the decision a victory for Pakistan’s constitution and rule of law.
The three-judge Supreme Court panel had “insisted on very strict proofs of blasphemy” and found none, Malook said, expressing hope that Bibi’s acquittal will deter false blasphemy allegations in the future.
From her secret location, Bibi watched the decision reported live on local television, according to a friend who spoke to her as it was being announced. Bibi’s first thoughts were for her daughters, the friend said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he fears reprisals from radical religious militants.
