Despite her ordeal, Aasia Bibi wants to see the day when she can go back to Pakistan

"It was my country that freed me. That makes me proud," says the freed Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy

The Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, blasphemy accused who was acquitted by the Supreme Court on October 31 2018, says she always believed she would be freed.

Before leaving for Canada due to security reasons last year, Aasia had spent years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy.

She is visiting France where she is promoting her new book Enfin Libre! (Finally Free) written with French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet.

Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman who spent years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy, tells the BBC's @MishalHusain she always believed she would be freedhttps://t.co/TvaHGQl4Ui pic.twitter.com/gTkJyWxDIe

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 28, 2020

Aasia told the BBC that she hoped she would be able to return to Pakistan one day.

She recalled how, in 2009, a dispute with her neighbours culminated in a group of local women accusing her of insulting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

"My husband was at work, my kids were in school, I had gone to pick fruit in the orchard," she said. "A mob came and dragged me away. They made fun of me, I was very helpless."

Aasia said she was happy that the whole world was praying for her.

"I found out from my husband that the whole world was praying for me. And that even the Pope had prayed for me. That made me happy. And I found out the whole world was praying for my misery to end.”

"That made me feel that their prayers would definitely free me."

Aasia called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to free anyone unjustly accused or convicted of blasphemy and to ensure that the charges are investigated properly.

"Innocents should not be punished for no reason and people who are innocent, in prison, should be freed," she said.



"During the investigation, both parties should be questioned properly because there are a lot of problems in our investigative procedures. And it is hard to tell who is on whose side."

Despite her ordeal, Aasia said she still felt positive about Pakistan and hoped to return there one day.

"It was my country that freed me. That makes me proud," she said.

"I left of my own volition because I was in danger there. Anything could have happened to me at any point. So that's why I left my country. But I have the same love for my country in my heart now. I still respect my country and I want to see the day when I'm able to go back."

She also recalled the time when she heard that the two politicians who were helping her - Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti - had been murdered.

"I cried a lot. I cried for more than a week for them. Even today, my heart is full of sadness for them and I miss them," she said.

However, Aasia says she feels no bitterness to those who wanted to see her dead.

"I'm not angry at all, I've forgiven everyone from my heart and there is no hardness in me, there is patience in me because I learned how to be patient after having to leave my children behind," she said.

 

This story originally appeared on the BBC.