PAKISTAN TO REVIEW BLASPHEMY ACQUITTAL AFTER MASS PROTESTS
Deal ends countrywide rallies against verdict for Christian woman who was on death row
Hardliners angered by the acquittal of a Christian woman jailed for blasphemy in Pakistan ended their mass protests yesterday after the government agreed to review the decision.
Ijaz Qadri, spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, which has mainly led the demonstrations, said the sitins that blocked major roads across the country for three days were over.
The demonstrations erupted after the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday overturned a blasphemy conviction for Christian mother Asia Bibi, ending her eight-year ordeal on death row but infuriating conservatives.
“The party leaders have announced to end protest sit-ins across the country,” Mr Qadri said after the deal was reached with the government late on Friday. Workers were asked to disperse peacefully, he said.
Blasphemy is an inflammatory charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed can lead to death at the hands of vigilantes.
Mobile services in major cities across the country were shut down on Friday as religious parties took to the streets.
But later the same day Religious Affairs Minister Noor Ul Haq Qadri and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary confirmed a deal had been struck.
A five-point agreement, signed by both parties, said the government would not object to an appeal of the verdict, which was filed earlier in the Supreme Court.
“This is a big achievement that they agreed to approach the court and end their protest,” Mr Chaudhary told the Dunya TV channel.
Under the agreement, which came after a failed first round of talks, a travel ban has been imposed on Ms Bibi to prevent her from leaving the country.
Her lawyer, Saiful Mulook, who said he would defend her during the appeal, left the country yesterday saying he feared for his life.
“In the current scenario, it’s not possible for me to live in Pakistan,” said Mr Mulook, 62, before boarding a plane to Europe. “I need to stay alive as I still have to fight the legal battle for Asia Bibi.”
Earlier on Friday Pakistan’s powerful military warned that its patience had been thoroughly tested as hardliners called for a mutiny against its top command and thousands joined protests.
“We are tolerating remarks against us but action can be taken according to the law and constitution,” the spokesman said, warning the protesters not to “force us into taking action”.
Since Wednesday’s verdict, the demonstrations have blocked roads, causing gridlock and school closures in cities including Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.
Major roads, including the motorway connecting Lahore and Islamabad, were also blocked, effectively paralysing large areas of the country.
The ruling party, founded in 2015, blockaded the capital Islamabad for several weeks last year calling for stricter enforcement of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.
That protest forced the resignation of the federal law minister and paved the way for the party to win more than 2.23 million votes in the July 25 general election, in what analysts called a surprisingly rapid rise.
The protests continued despite Prime Minister Imran Khan warning in a nationally televised address on Wednesday that the government would not tolerate violent protests.