Asia Bibi, Christian woman in decade-long blasphemy row, finally leaves Pakistan
- She had spent eight years on death row over an incident in 2009 when a local imam claimed she had insulted the Prophet Mohammed
- Her departure is the latest chapter in a saga that has sparked violent demonstrations and high-profile assassinations
Asia Bibi, the Christian woman at the centre of a decade-long blasphemy row, has left Pakistan, a senior government source said on Wednesday, months after her death sentence was overturned sparking mass protests by Islamist hardliners.
Her departure is the latest chapter in a saga that has sparked violent demonstrations and high-profile assassinations while spotlighting religious extremism across wide sections of Pakistani society.
“Asia Bibi has left Pakistan of her own free will,” said the government source on condition of anonymity.
It was not clear when Bibi may have left or where she may have gone. Her lawyer, Saif ul Mulook, said he had not spoken to Bibi directly but understood from “sources” that she was in Canada, where her daughters are believed to have already fled.
There was no immediate announcement from Pakistani officials or the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad.