Seeking reprieve: Papal representative expresses concern over Christian woman’s sentencing

ISLAMABAD: A papal representative expressed concern over the death sentence awarded to Aasia Bibi by a lower court.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, called on President Asif Ali Zardari on November 25 and was quoted as saying that blasphemy laws were being misused against minorities in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Norway has also expressed its concern over Aasia Bibi’s sentence. Its envoy is reported to have told the ministry of foreign affairs that the sentence has sparked unrest among the people in Europe and other part of the world.

Several Pakistani diplomatic missions in Europe have also received protest notes from host countries.

President Zardari is said to have assured the Vatican representative that he would ensure justice is meted out to Aasia, adding that efforts were being made to ensure that blasphemy laws were not misused.

Stressing the need for genuine co-operation and understanding for inter-faith harmony, President Zardari said it was necessary to neutralise elements trying to create misperceptions among them.

Meanwhile, the ministry of foreign affairs told Norwegian diplomats that an appeal against the lower court’s judgment has to be heard by a superior court and ultimately by the Supreme Court in due course of time .

On Thursday night, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told a private TV news channel that the Punjab governor’s remarks regarding a presidential pardon for Aasia Bibi contradicted the facts. He said that under the law and procedure, she would have to avail other legal options before filing a mercy petition.

The prime minister said that the mercy petition would have to be forwarded to the president by him and not the Punjab governor. Lawyers familiar with blasphemy cases contend that there was a possibility that the Lahore High Court might overturn the lower court’s ruling.

Human rights groups say that more than 20 men have been sentenced to death under the blasphemy law, most of them Christians. None have been executed.

Some of those convicted remain on death row awaiting appeals to the high court, they say. Some Muslims have also been charged with blasphemy, according to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Even if Aasia is pardoned, there are concerns about her safety. Many people acquitted on blasphemy charges continue to be hounded and are forced to move, change their identities or go into hiding, the commission says.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2010.