Pakistan Supreme court upholds
acquittal of Asia Bibi
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| Asia Bibi. |
Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Jan. 29 pointed to
discrepancies in testimonies against Asia Bibi, saying she had been convicted
on the basis of false evidence.
By Robin Gomes
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld
the acquittal of Asia Bibi, the Catholic woman who had been on
death row on charges of blasphemy, dismissing a petition filed by Islamists who
have called for her execution.
"On merit, this petition is dismissed," Chief
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said in court, saying the petition had failed
to point out any mistake in the original judgement nearly 3 months ago.
False evidence
The petition was filed by Muhammad Salam, a Lahore-based
cleric. Salam had also sought the placement of Asia's name on the Exit
Control List (ECL), putting her exit from Pakistan on hold until the review.
In remarks in court, Khosa was severely critical of the
petitioners' attempt to have the judgment reversed and said Bibi had been
convicted on the basis of false evidence, pointing to discrepancies in
testimony presented in the original case.
"You think we give the death sentence to someone on the
basis of false evidence?" Khosa said. "Such lies were
told that one statement doesn't match with another," the chief justice
said. "Please point out any error in our judgement and we're ready
to rectify it," he said. "You start declaring someone deserves
to be killed just on the basis of false evidence."
8 years on death row
Bibi, a mother of four, had been held in solitary
confinement on death row since 2010 after being convicted of blasphemy. She was
jailed after a row with her co-workers in June 2009 after accusations that she
had made offensive remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, an offence punishable by
death in Pakistan.
She and her supporters say she was punished for drinking
from a glass meant for Muslims.
In a historic ruling on October 31, Chief Justice Mian
Saquib Nisar of Pakistan acquitted Asia Bibi, ordering her release. Nisar
retired on January 17.
That acquittal triggered violent protests from religious
hardliners calling for her death and demanding that the government prevent her
from leaving the country until the review of the Supreme Court verdict.
After her release from prison on Nov. 7, Bibi was flown to
Islamabad and taken to an undisclosed location amid tight security for her
safety.
Hours before the Supreme Court dismissed the review
petition, hardliners who led the protests last year, issued a new warning to
the court not to rule in favour of the "blasphemer".
Bibi and her family can now leave Pakistan for any country
offering them asylum.
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