Supreme Court of Pakistan acquits Aasia Bibi, orders her release

The Supreme Court has acquitted Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case on Wednesday, 31st of October and ordered her release from prison. Aasia Bibi, 51 years old Christian, mother of five, had been on death row since 2010. She was accused of blasphemy during a row over drinking water with women with whom she was working in a field in Sheikhupura.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, comprising Judge Asif Saeed Khosa and Judge Mazhar Alam Khan, resumed the hearing today. As the local media reports, announcing the bench’s verdict, the CJP said that Bibi should be released from prison if there was no other case against her.

A separate opinion was added in the verdict by Justice Khosa, “The appeal is allowed. She has been acquitted. The judgement of the high court as well as the trial court is reversed. Her conviction is set aside”.

Her case gained prominence after that time Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer pleaded for a retrial of her case and he was subsequently shot dead in January 2011, by one of his guards, Mumtaz Qadri.

In October 2014, Aasia Bibi challenged the verdict, however, the LHC upheld the death sentence. The apex court had stayed the execution in July 2015.

Protests have broken out through out the country since the verdict came out. Social media is exploding with the comments made by people on this recent judgment.