OFFICIALS DELAY RELEASE OF ACQUITTED CHRISTIAN

The release of a Christian woman in Pakistan, acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, was delayed Friday when authorities agreed to bar her from flying abroad after talks with radical Islamists who want her hanged. The agreement between the government and the Tehreek-e-Labbaik party was reached in Lahore where Islamists have been rallying since Wednesday, when the Supreme Court overturned the 2010 conviction of Asia Bibi for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Pakistani authorities will now not allow Bibi to leave the country until the Supreme Court reviews its verdict.

The court has not been known to reverse its decisions but reviews typically take years. Bibi is being held in a secret facility for her safety.