Govt caves in to extremist demands by ‘signing Aasia Bibi's death warrant’: Jemima

PM Imran's ex-wife criticises govt for reaching an agreement with TLP following premier's defiant and brave speech

Following the five points pact with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to end the three-day countrywide protests, one of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ardent supporters has come out to criticise the government’s decision.

Jemima Goldsmith, former wife of PM Imran, took to Twitter assailing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government for "signing Aasia Bibi's death warrant by caving in to extremist demands".

On October 30, the Supreme Court acquitted Aasia Bibi – a Christian woman accused of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to death – and set aside an earlier judgment passed by the Lahore High Court.

The 51-year-old woman had been on the death row since November 2010 after she was convicted of committing blasphemy during an argument with two Muslim women at a village in the Sheikhupura district of Punjab.



Jemima’s tweet came a day after the government struck a deal with TLP protesters to end the three-day nationwide protest sit-ins.

Not the Naya Pakistan we’d hoped for. 3 days after a defiant & brave speech defending the judiciary, Pakistan’s gov caves in to extremist demands to bar #AsiaBibi from leaving Pak, after she was acquitted of blasphemy- effectively signing her death warrant https://t.co/YwUpRM8cnu

— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) November 3, 2018

In the tweet, she also referred to the prime minister's address to the nation following the top court’s verdict whereby he warned protesters against "challenging the writ of the state".

The prime minister has also said “the Constitution of Pakistan is subordinate to the Quran and Sunnah,” and had added that Pakistan stands on the basis of faith in the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

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Jemima, however, also hoped that the government ‘has some other plan afoot’.

Still hoping there’s some plan afoot which we don’t know about.

— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) November 3, 2018

On November 2, the Punjab and federal government reached an agreement with the TLP top leaders, including Khadim Hussain Rizvi, which led the three-day long sit-ins concluded.



The five-point agreement said that a review petition against the Supreme Court judgment has already been filed which is a constitutional right of the complainants – and the government has no objection to it.



According to the deal, the government would take steps to immediately place the name of Aasia Bibi on the Exit Control List (ECL) till the adjudication of the review petition.

The agreement also reads that legal action would be taken if any TLP worker was killed during the dharna against the acquittal of Bibi.

The government also promised to take steps to redress the consequences borne by the people while protestors resorted to arson and vandalism, thereby bringing routine life to a halt.