Pakistan Supreme Court to review Christian woman’s blasphemy acquittal
Three-judge panel to reconsider ruling on farm worker Asia Bibi’s derogatory remarks about Islam
Islamabad — Pakistan’s supreme court will on Tuesday begin a review of its acquittal of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, a verdict that sparked days of Islamist protests over a case that has divided society and sparked killings. Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row, has been in hiding since the court freed her in October. Hardliners are calling for her death and demanding that the government stop her leaving the country. Most reviews of Supreme Court verdicts are dismissed at once, but the controversy, anger and fear in this case have added a layer of uncertainty. A three-judge panel, including the new chief justice, Asif Saeed Khosa, is due to hear the case. Bibi’s lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, who fled to Europe in fear last year, said he expected the case to be dismissed. “They have filed the petition on flimsy grounds. They haven’t attempted to counter her release on constitutional grounds,” said Malook, who returned to Pakistan this week and will represent Bibi in c...
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