Pakistan respects Aasia Bibi's legal rights, Qureshi tells Canadian counterpart

Canadian FM lauds top court's judgement to acquit Aasia and PM Imran's speech in her support

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has told his Canadian counterpart that Pakistan recognises Aasia Bibi's legal rights.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal spoke out via Twitter, saying that Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has called the FM Qureshi on Monday, where she lauded the Supreme Court's "courageous" decision to acquit Aasia, as well as Prime Minister Imran Khan's speech in this regard.

Canadian FM telephoned FM Qureshi yesterday. Among other issues, Asia Bibi was discussed. Canadian FM appreciated Supreme Court’s courageous decision & PM’s positive speech. (1/2)

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 13, 2018

Qureshi said that Aasia is a Pakistani national and her legal rights would be fully respected.



On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had also said that  his government is holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Aasia – a Christian woman accused of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to death but on October 30 she was acquitted by the Supreme Court.

FM Qureshi said that Asia Bibi is our national and Pakistan fully respects her legal rights (2/2)

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 13, 2018

“We are in discussions with the Pakistani government,” Trudeau said in an interview with AFP in Paris, where he was attending a peace conference organised by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don’t want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country,” he said.

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.