The high court has yet to set a new trial date for Asia and that means she may languish in prison for possibly many more months (or years) while this case drags on.
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But as this gives Asia, her family, and Pakistani Christians new hope, let’s not rush to judgement for Bibi and the future of the church in Pakistan.
A three-member Supreme Court bench on Wednesday stopped execution of Asia Bibi – a blasphemy convict – and ordered for all records pertaining to the case to be presented before it. “I am now hopeful that my wife, my children and I will get justice from the Supreme Court of Pakistan”. Post the row, she was charged with blasphemy and was handed the death sentence subsequently.
Ms Bibi was arrested in 2009 after being involved in a dispute over a vessel of water with a group of Muslim women she was working with. She had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in November 2014 as her final legal recourse one month after the Lahore High Court upheld her death sentence. The two stalwarts of Pakistan People’s Party Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti were murdered after asking for reforms to the blasphemy law and describing Bibi’s trail as defective.
Mr Masih expressed gratitude to all the human rights organisations who had supported his wife’s case, and felt confident that she would be proved innocent.
He added that he will challenge the credibility of the witnesses, who testified against her, as they did not fulfill the criteria of Tazkiatul Shuhood.
Pakistan has never executed anyone for blasphemy but some people accused of the offence in the past have been lynched by crowds. The book includes a letter she wrote to her family urging them to have faith in God.
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Continue to pray for Pakistan’s minority Christian community. “Finally, we pray that Asia Bibi’s ordeal comes to an end this Wednesday”.
