ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Pakistan's Supreme Court will begin a review of its own acquittal of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, a verdict that sparked days of Islamist protests and threats and chaos across the country. Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row, has been in hiding since the Supreme Court freed her in October, with religious hardliners calling for her death and putting pressure on the government to prevent her from leaving the country.
A three-judge panel, including the new Supreme Court Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, are due to hear the case.Most reviews of Supreme Court verdicts are dismissed immediately, but the politically sensitive nature of the case has added an extra layer of uncertainty. Bibi's lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, who fled to Europe due to fears for his safety last year, said he expected the case to be dismissed.
Malook was returned to Pakistan this week and will represent Bibi in court state that "They have filed the petition on flimsy grounds. They haven't attempted to counter her release on constitutional grounds," further added that "God willing, she will have the decision in her favour tomorrow. She will be a free person to go anywhere she wants to." Bibi is widely expected to seek asylum abroad due to safety concerns, with Canada among the favourites to accept her. While In November, Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau said his country was in talks with Pakistan about helping Bibi.
Bibi, a farm worker, was condemned in 2010 over allegations that she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours working in the fields with her objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She has always denied committing blasphemy. Bibi's case has irritated Christians worldwide and reignited a debate about Pakistan's draconian blasphemy law, which critics say is often abused and unfairly targets ethnic minorities.
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