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PAKISTAN-COURT-RELIGION-BLASPHEMY
Hardliners threaten judges as Pakistan awaits blasphemy ruling
ISLAMABAD, Oct 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Religious hardliners in Pakistan
Wednesday threatened judges and announced protests as the country awaits a
Supreme Court ruling on the fate of a Christian woman who faces becoming the
first person to be executed for blasphemy.
Asia Bibi, who has been on death row since 2010, is at the centre of the
high-profile case which has divided Pakistan and drawn prayers from the
Vatican.
Successive appeals against her conviction have failed.
On Monday the Supreme Court heard her last appeal and said it had
reached a judgement, but refused to announce it immediately “for reasons to
be recorded later”.
On Wednesday Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a hardline religious
political party — which had a strong showing in nationwide elections earlier
this year — said in a press conference aired via YouTube that if she was
freed the justices responsible would meet a “horrible” end.
The group’s leaders also called for mass protests on Friday.
TLP, founded in 2015, blockaded the capital Islamabad for several weeks
last year calling for stricter enforcement of Pakistan’s controversial
blasphemy laws.
That protest forced the resignation of the federal law minister and
paved the way for the group to poll more than 2.23 million votes in the July
25 general election, in what analysts called a “surprisingly” rapid rise.
Separately on Wednesday, a former spokesman for Islamabad’s notorious
Red Mosque moved to prevent Bibi from leaving the country by petitioning the
capital’s High Court to put her on the no-fly list.
That case will be heard on Friday.
“Western forces are trying to get Asia Bibi out of the country but she
should be hanged,” the petitioner, Hafiz Ihtesham Ahmed, told AFP.
– Dangerous accusations –
If the court upholds Bibi’s conviction, the only recourse she will have
will be a mercy petition to the president.
Freedom in Pakistan, however, means a life under threat by extremists.
The mere accusation of blasphemy is so explosive in the conservative
Muslim country that anyone even accused of insulting Islam risks a violent
and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes.
The allegations against Bibi date back to 2009, when she was working in
a field and was asked to fetch water. Muslim women she was labouring with
allegedly objected, saying that as a non-Muslim she was unfit to touch the
water bowl.
The women went to a local cleric and accused Bibi of blasphemy against
the Prophet Mohammed.
The charge is punishable by death under legislation that rights groups
say is routinely abused to settle personal vendettas.
But calls for reform have regularly been met with violence and rejected.
Pope Benedict XVI joined in international calls for Bibi’s release in
2010.
In 2015 her daughter met with Pope Francis, who as the head of the
Catholic Church offered prayers for her mother.
Politicians including new Prime Minister Imran Khan invoked blasphemy
during this summer’s election, vowing to defend the laws.
Khan met with bishops from various churches in Pakistan on Tuesday, and
“stated that the constitution… provides equal rights to all citizens
irrespective of cast, colour or creed and the government will continue to
protect rights of the minorities”, a statement from his office said.
BSS/AFP/RY/1910 hrs