Pakistani police have arrested over 1,100 members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, including the radical Islamist party's chief who had given a protest call for Sunday against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi on blasphemy charges.

Last month, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) disrupted daily life across Pakistan by staging widespread protests following Bibi's acquittal in a blasphemy case by the apex court.

Among the 1,135 people arrested is TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who has been detained under three sections of the MPO ordinance, said a notification issued here earlier today.

Ninety-five people were arrested from Lahore alone, the home department said.&nbsp;

The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 province-wide which will be in effect till December 1. Rallies, demonstrations as well as any congregations of five or more people are banned under the section.

The use or display of any kind of weapons is also prohibited.

A senior police officer told PTI that a team comprising government officials and clerics tried to persuade Rizvi in Lahore late on Friday night to defer its November 25 protest, but he refused to budge.

"On this police arrested him and other leaders," the officer said.

"Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police from Lahore. The action was prompted by TLP's refusal to withdraw its call for protest on

November 25. It is to safeguard public life, property and order," Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.

The minister, however, clarified that the "arrest has nothing to do with Asia Bibi case".

"The TLP has become a continuous threat to the life and properties of the citizens and is doing politics under the guise of religion... The situation is fully under control, people should remain peaceful and fully cooperate with authorities," Chaudhry said.

He said the government did its best to convince the party against staging the protest, but they refused every offer and started to incite violence.

There were reports of TLP workers clashing with police in Lahore following Rizvi's arrest. Three policemen and seven workers are reported to have been injured.

The apex court, in a three-member bench led by chief justice Saqib Nisar, issued the landmark verdict last month.&nbsp;

Following the verdict, the TLP had termed the chief justice and other judges in the bench "liable to be killed" and had called Army chief General Qmar Javed Bajwa a non-Muslim and urged Muslim generals to revolt against him.

Bibi was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

She has been released from the jail and the government says is in a 'safe' house. The government says she cannot leave the country till decision on the review petition against her acquittal. Chief Justice Nisar has ordered full protection to Bibi.&nbsp;

TLP is an Islamist political party with Islamic ideology. It is known for widespread street power and massive protests in opposition to any change to Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Pakistani police have arrested over 1,100 members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, including the radical Islamist party's chief who had given a protest call for Sunday against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi on blasphemy charges.

Pakistani police have arrested over 1,100 members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, including the radical Islamist party's chief who had given a protest call for Sunday against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi on blasphemy charges. Last month, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) disrupted daily life across Pakistan by staging widespread protests following Bibi's acquittal in a blasphemy case by the apex court. Among the 1,135 people arrested is TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who has been detained under three sections of the MPO ordinance, said a notification issued here earlier today. Ninety-five people were arrested from Lahore alone, the home department said. The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 province-wide which will be in effect till December 1. Rallies, demonstrations as well as any congregations of five or more people are banned under the section. The use or display of any kind of weapons is also prohibited. A senior police officer told PTI that a team comprising government officials and clerics tried to persuade Rizvi in Lahore late on Friday night to defer its November 25 protest, but he refused to budge. "On this police arrested him and other leaders," the officer said. "Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police from Lahore. The action was prompted by TLP's refusal to withdraw its call for protest on November 25. It is to safeguard public life, property and order," Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted. The minister, however, clarified that the "arrest has nothing to do with Asia Bibi case". "The TLP has become a continuous threat to the life and properties of the citizens and is doing politics under the guise of religion... The situation is fully under control, people should remain peaceful and fully cooperate with authorities," Chaudhry said. He said the government did its best to convince the party against staging the protest, but they refused every offer and started to incite violence. There were reports of TLP workers clashing with police in Lahore following Rizvi's arrest. Three policemen and seven workers are reported to have been injured. The apex court, in a three-member bench led by chief justice Saqib Nisar, issued the landmark verdict last month. Following the verdict, the TLP had termed the chief justice and other judges in the bench "liable to be killed" and had called Army chief General Qmar Javed Bajwa a non-Muslim and urged Muslim generals to revolt against him. Bibi was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement. She has been released from the jail and the government says is in a 'safe' house. The government says she cannot leave the country till decision on the review petition against her acquittal. Chief Justice Nisar has ordered full protection to Bibi. TLP is an Islamist political party with Islamic ideology. It is known for widespread street power and massive protests in opposition to any change to Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Pakistan arrests over 1,100 members of Tehreek-i-Labbaik party

Pakistan on Saturday detained scores of protesters in a continuing crackdown against followers of a hardline Islamic cleric who led three days of protests over blasphemy laws and whose arrest overnight triggered violent clashes with police.

Members of cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi's Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party had shut down major cities in protest earlier this month at the acquittal of a Christian woman who had spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges.

At least five people were wounded in last night's clashes between Rizvi's supporters and police in the eastern city of Lahore after police arrested the cleric on Friday night.

A spokesman for the Punjab chief minister's office said Rizvi's second-in-command, Afzal Qadri, had also been detained.

"Afzal Qadri and Khadim Rizvi have been sent to jail. Qadri has been admitted to the jail's hospital. A crackdown is underway across Punjab against TLP activists," Shahbaz Gill told Reuters.

Information Minister Fawwad Chaudhry said on Twitter that Rizvi had been placed in protective custody after he refused to withdraw a call for further protests on Sunday.

"It's to safeguard public life, property and order," he said.

Rizvi had urged his supporters to take to the streets if he was arrested. Late on Friday his son said he had been taken away in a raid on his religious school, or madrassa, in Lahore.

A police document seen by Reuters listed 10 other leaders of Rizvi's group who had also been detained.

TLP leaders had threatened the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi - urging their cooks and servants to kill them.

But the group called off protests following negotiations with the government and an agreement to open a review of the court's decision on Bibi.

It is unclear whether Rizvi will appear before a court to face charges. Pakistan has detained Islamist leaders in the past but failed to keep them in custody.

Bibi and her family are in hiding after her release. She was convicted in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She has always denied committing blasphemy.

In 2011, a bodyguard assassinated Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer after he began pushing for Bibi's acquittal. The TLP was founded out of a movement that supported the assassin, Mumtaz Qadri.

Pakistan on Saturday detained scores of protesters in a continuing crackdown against followers of a hardline Islamic cleric who led three days of protests over blasphemy laws and whose arrest overnight triggered violent clashes with police.

Pakistan on Saturday detained scores of protesters in a continuing crackdown against followers of a hardline Islamic cleric who led three days of protests over blasphemy laws and whose arrest overnight triggered violent clashes with police. Members of cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi's Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party had shut down major cities in protest earlier this month at the acquittal of a Christian woman who had spent eight years on death row on blasphemy charges. At least five people were wounded in last night's clashes between Rizvi's supporters and police in the eastern city of Lahore after police arrested the cleric on Friday night. A spokesman for the Punjab chief minister's office said Rizvi's second-in-command, Afzal Qadri, had also been detained. "Afzal Qadri and Khadim Rizvi have been sent to jail. Qadri has been admitted to the jail's hospital. A crackdown is underway across Punjab against TLP activists," Shahbaz Gill told Reuters. Information Minister Fawwad Chaudhry said on Twitter that Rizvi had been placed in protective custody after he refused to withdraw a call for further protests on Sunday. "It's to safeguard public life, property and order," he said. Rizvi had urged his supporters to take to the streets if he was arrested. Late on Friday his son said he had been taken away in a raid on his religious school, or madrassa, in Lahore. A police document seen by Reuters listed 10 other leaders of Rizvi's group who had also been detained. TLP leaders had threatened the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi - urging their cooks and servants to kill them. But the group called off protests following negotiations with the government and an agreement to open a review of the court's decision on Bibi. It is unclear whether Rizvi will appear before a court to face charges. Pakistan has detained Islamist leaders in the past but failed to keep them in custody. Bibi and her family are in hiding after her release. She was convicted in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She has always denied committing blasphemy. In 2011, a bodyguard assassinated Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer after he began pushing for Bibi's acquittal. The TLP was founded out of a movement that supported the assassin, Mumtaz Qadri.

Pakistan: 5 injured in clashes following Tehreek-e-Labbaik cleric detention

Khadim Rizvi arrested for protest call over Asia Bibi's acquittal

Pakistani police late Friday detained a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed the country with violent protests over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.

Firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who is the leader of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, was detained ahead of a scheduled rally on Saturday in Islamabad, the country's information minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.

"Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police and shifted to a guest house," Chaudhry tweeted, adding that the move was not linked to the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was on death row for eight years before the Supreme Court overturned her blasphemy conviction last month.

"It's to safeguard public life, property and order and has to do nothing with (the) Asia Bibi case," Chaudhry tweeted.

"Law shall take its course and it cannot be left to individuals," he added.

The court's decision sparked furious demonstrations led by the hardline TLP, with protesters calling for Bibi's execution as they blocked major roads, leaving large swathes of the country paralysed.

In response, the government made a deal with the Islamists to impose a travel ban on Bibi, who was released from jail earlier this month as she awaits the outcome of a final review of her case. &nbsp;

The TLP has vowed to return to the streets if she is allowed to leave the country.

In a video message released on Friday, another TLP leader Pir Afzal Qadri called for fresh protests, saying police had arrested dozens of party workers in the port city of Karachi and in parts of central Punjab province including Lahore.

Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed can lead to lynchings and murders.

Bibi's conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when she was asked to fetch water while she was out working in the fields.

Muslim women labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim, and a fight reportedly erupted.

A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures.

Pakistani police late Friday detained a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed the country with violent protests over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.

Pakistani police late Friday detained a hardline cleric whose party recently paralysed the country with violent protests over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. Firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who is the leader of the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, was detained ahead of a scheduled rally on Saturday in Islamabad, the country's information minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted. "Khadim Hussain Rizvi has been taken into protective custody by police and shifted to a guest house," Chaudhry tweeted, adding that the move was not linked to the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was on death row for eight years before the Supreme Court overturned her blasphemy conviction last month. "It's to safeguard public life, property and order and has to do nothing with (the) Asia Bibi case," Chaudhry tweeted. "Law shall take its course and it cannot be left to individuals," he added. The court's decision sparked furious demonstrations led by the hardline TLP, with protesters calling for Bibi's execution as they blocked major roads, leaving large swathes of the country paralysed. In response, the government made a deal with the Islamists to impose a travel ban on Bibi, who was released from jail earlier this month as she awaits the outcome of a final review of her case. The TLP has vowed to return to the streets if she is allowed to leave the country. In a video message released on Friday, another TLP leader Pir Afzal Qadri called for fresh protests, saying police had arrested dozens of party workers in the port city of Karachi and in parts of central Punjab province including Lahore. Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed can lead to lynchings and murders. Bibi's conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when she was asked to fetch water while she was out working in the fields. Muslim women labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim, and a fight reportedly erupted. A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures.

Pakistan detains hardline cleric behind blasphemy protests: Information minister

Chief Justice of Pakistan on Wednesday said that Asia Bibi should not be&nbsp;given asylum in the UK as it is "duty of the state to protect the life and property of its citizens.", local media reported.

Justice Nisar who is in London for a nine-day trip to raise funds for the Diamer-Bhasha dam, made the comments while he was interacting with media after the event.&nbsp;

He was asked whether Asia Bibi, a Pakistan Christian acuitted of capital blasphemy charges, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/asia-bibi-unable-to-leave-pakistan-without-asylum-offer-lawyer-178426">should be given asylum in London</a> to which he responded saying, "As far as the protection is concerned, I don’t think she should be given asylum … because it’s the duty of the state to protect the life and property of its citizens and if she is sent abroad it means that the state of Pakistan has failed," Geo tv quoted him as saying.

"She should be given maximum protection in Pakistan," Justice Nisar added.

The CJP further said that the government of Pakistan has to act strong or there will be no end of such cases which will show the failure of the state.

He further said that safeguarding Asia Bibi is the responsibility of the government.

Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. The Supreme Court acquitted her last month.

She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada. 
&nbsp;

Chief Justice of Pakistan on Wednesday said that Asia Bibi should not be given asylum in the UK as it is "duty of the state to protect the life and property of its citizens.

Chief Justice of Pakistan on Wednesday said that Asia Bibi should not be given asylum in the UK as it is "duty of the state to protect the life and property of its citizens.", local media reported. Justice Nisar who is in London for a nine-day trip to raise funds for the Diamer-Bhasha dam, made the comments while he was interacting with media after the event. He was asked whether Asia Bibi, a Pakistan Christian acuitted of capital blasphemy charges, should be given asylum in London to which he responded saying, "As far as the protection is concerned, I don’t think she should be given asylum … because it’s the duty of the state to protect the life and property of its citizens and if she is sent abroad it means that the state of Pakistan has failed," Geo tv quoted him as saying. "She should be given maximum protection in Pakistan," Justice Nisar added. The CJP further said that the government of Pakistan has to act strong or there will be no end of such cases which will show the failure of the state. He further said that safeguarding Asia Bibi is the responsibility of the government. Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. The Supreme Court acquitted her last month. She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada.

Asia Bibi should be given maximum protection in Pakistan: Chief Justice of Pakistan on asylum row

The lawyer for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges, appealed on Tuesday to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe.

Saiful Mulook told a news conference in Frankfurt that Bibi was now free but she and her family needed a passport to leave the country.

Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. The Supreme Court acquitted her last month.

"The whole world is asking why she's not coming," Mulook told reporters. "The answer is first that to leave a country you need a visa or you require a passport of another country."

"If the German chancellor directs her ambassador to give a passport to her, her husband and her two daughters conferring German nationality, nobody can stop her for one second because she is no longer Pakistani," he added.

"So far, no government has come forward in such an open and free manner," he said.

It was unclear why citizenship, rather than a visa, was necessary for her to leave Pakistan, though Mulook said pressure from religious extremists was making it harder for Islamabad to arrange her departure.

She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada.

Mulook said the status of a friend of Bibi's husband, who has a wife and five daughters, whom he would like to join them, was a sticking point. Another wife of Bibi's husband and her three daughters were not seeking to leave Pakistan with Bibi, he added.

German officials have said that they and a number of other countries are in talks with Bibi's family and the Pakistani government to find a way of rehousing her.

Mulook, who has himself sought refuge in the Netherlands after being threatened for taking on Bibi's case, said Bibi had no preference as to which country she would travel to for asylum.

The German government had no immediate comment on the request for a passport.

The lawyer for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges, appealed on Tuesday to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe.

The lawyer for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges, appealed on Tuesday to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe. Saiful Mulook told a news conference in Frankfurt that Bibi was now free but she and her family needed a passport to leave the country. Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. The Supreme Court acquitted her last month. "The whole world is asking why she's not coming," Mulook told reporters. "The answer is first that to leave a country you need a visa or you require a passport of another country." "If the German chancellor directs her ambassador to give a passport to her, her husband and her two daughters conferring German nationality, nobody can stop her for one second because she is no longer Pakistani," he added. "So far, no government has come forward in such an open and free manner," he said. It was unclear why citizenship, rather than a visa, was necessary for her to leave Pakistan, though Mulook said pressure from religious extremists was making it harder for Islamabad to arrange her departure. She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada. Mulook said the status of a friend of Bibi's husband, who has a wife and five daughters, whom he would like to join them, was a sticking point. Another wife of Bibi's husband and her three daughters were not seeking to leave Pakistan with Bibi, he added. German officials have said that they and a number of other countries are in talks with Bibi's family and the Pakistani government to find a way of rehousing her. Mulook, who has himself sought refuge in the Netherlands after being threatened for taking on Bibi's case, said Bibi had no preference as to which country she would travel to for asylum. The German government had no immediate comment on the request for a passport.

Asia Bibi's lawyer says she needs German passport to leave Pakistan

The lawyer for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-denies-forcing-asia-bibis-lawyer-to-leave-for-netherlands-175962">Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges</a>, appealed on Tuesday (November 20) to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe.

Saiful Mulook told a news conference in Frankfurt that Bibi was now free but she and her family needed a passport to leave the country.

Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim.

The Supreme Court acquitted her last month.

It was unclear why citizenship, rather than a visa, was necessary for her to leave Pakistan, though Mulook said pressure from religious extremists was making it harder for Islamabad to arrange her departure.

She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada.

Mulook said the status of a friend of Bibi's husband, who has a wife and five daughters, whom he would like to join them, was a sticking point. Another wife of Bibi's husband and her three daughters were not seeking to leave Pakistan with Bibi, he added.

German officials have said that they and a number of other countries are in talks with Bibi's family and the Pakistani government to find a way of rehousing her.

Mulook, who has himself sought refuge in the Netherlands after being threatened for taking on Bibi's case, said Bibi had no preference as to which country she would travel to for asylum.

The German government had no immediate comment on the request for a passport.

The lawyer for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges, appealed on Tuesday (November 20) to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe.

The lawyer for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian acquitted of capital blasphemy charges, appealed on Tuesday (November 20) to Germany to give her whole family citizenship to start a new life in Europe. Saiful Mulook told a news conference in Frankfurt that Bibi was now free but she and her family needed a passport to leave the country. Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. The Supreme Court acquitted her last month. It was unclear why citizenship, rather than a visa, was necessary for her to leave Pakistan, though Mulook said pressure from religious extremists was making it harder for Islamabad to arrange her departure. She and her family are staying at a safe house in Pakistan, despite offers of asylum from countries including Canada. Mulook said the status of a friend of Bibi's husband, who has a wife and five daughters, whom he would like to join them, was a sticking point. Another wife of Bibi's husband and her three daughters were not seeking to leave Pakistan with Bibi, he added. German officials have said that they and a number of other countries are in talks with Bibi's family and the Pakistani government to find a way of rehousing her. Mulook, who has himself sought refuge in the Netherlands after being threatened for taking on Bibi's case, said Bibi had no preference as to which country she would travel to for asylum. The German government had no immediate comment on the request for a passport.

Asia Bibi unable to leave Pakistan without asylum offer: Lawyer

A top Republican Senator has urged US President Donald Trump to grant asylum and refugee status to Pakistani national Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned.

Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail earlier this month after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges.

Senator Rand Paul said that he was worried that Bibi won't survive and he personally took up the matter with President Trump last week.

"I've been fighting for them to free Asia Bibi. I've talked to the President about granting her asylum and refugee status here," Paul told CNN in an interview.

A senior member from an American think-tank has also suggested that Bibi should request asylum.&nbsp;

"President Trump should invite Ms Bibi to come to America and request asylum. To do so would be just, moral and wise," Clifford D May, president of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said in an op-ed in The Washington Times this week.

A top Republican Senator has urged US President Donald Trump to grant asylum and refugee status to Pakistani national Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned.

A top Republican Senator has urged US President Donald Trump to grant asylum and refugee status to Pakistani national Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned. Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail earlier this month after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges. Senator Rand Paul said that he was worried that Bibi won't survive and he personally took up the matter with President Trump last week. "I've been fighting for them to free Asia Bibi. I've talked to the President about granting her asylum and refugee status here," Paul told CNN in an interview. A senior member from an American think-tank has also suggested that Bibi should request asylum. "President Trump should invite Ms Bibi to come to America and request asylum. To do so would be just, moral and wise," Clifford D May, president of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said in an op-ed in The Washington Times this week.

US Senator seeks political asylum for Asia Bibi

In the wake of the wave of opposition and resignations from the government and the Parliament over the volatile issue of Brexit, British ruling Conservative Party suffered another jolt on Thursday (November 15) when its Vice Chairman and Prime Minister`s Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Rehman Chishti, resigned from both portfolios.

Chishti is a Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham constituencies.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Theresa May on November 15, Rehman Chishti openly opposed her policy on Brexit and termed it absolute contradiction to the promises made to public in the election manifesto.

"At the outset, this, for me is about delivering on the promises that we made to the British people at the General Election last year in our manifesto, that leaving the European Union (EU) means leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union, that the UK will be taking back, control over our laws, our borders and our money...The terms of the backstop, in effect, amount in my view to a hybrid membership of the EU Customs Union and Single Market and further the EU would hold a veto over our ability to exit. The UK in effect will be part of a system where it will be a rule taker without any say on the rules," he stated.

The second point of his resignation letter was Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi`s case. He complained that the government has dealt with the case inappropriately.

"This is a case that I have worked on passionately since 2012, alongside Bishop Michael Nazir Ali (former Bishop of Rochester) to ensure that justice is done which was handed down by the Pakistan Supreme Court only recently", he wrote.

Rehman Chishti added, "What I found shocking, is that the British Government is failing to put into practice the core values that our country stands for; religious freedom, justice, morally doing the right thing and that when we see injustice where an individual`s life is in clear danger and they have been persecuted for their faith, we do all that we can to help them. The Government should not wait to see if another country offers sanctuary, we should have had the conviction to lead on this matter and offer sanctuary ourselves straight away".

Rehman Chishti aka `Ray Chishti` drew the attention of Prime Minister Theresa May towards his letter sent to her on November 13 and said the letter has now the support of 124 British Parliamentarians of both Houses.

He once again requested for her personal intervention in this case and to ensure that a morally right decision is finally made which takes into account of British core values, irrespective of the position that any other country may take on this.

Referring to his appointment as PM`s Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Chishti said that he enjoyed this responsibility for the past 14 months for a country that he passionately cares about.

He added that the UK-Pakistan Trade Team has done fantastic work and the trade between the two countries has increased by over 10 per cent in the last year alone and now stands at £2.9 billion.&nbsp;

In the wake of the wave of opposition and resignations from the government and the Parliament over the volatile issue of Brexit, British ruling Conservative Party suffered another jolt on Thursday (November 15) when its Vice Chairman and Prime Minister`s Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Rehman Chishti, resigned from both portfolios.

In the wake of the wave of opposition and resignations from the government and the Parliament over the volatile issue of Brexit, British ruling Conservative Party suffered another jolt on Thursday (November 15) when its Vice Chairman and Prime Minister`s Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Rehman Chishti, resigned from both portfolios. Chishti is a Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham constituencies. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Theresa May on November 15, Rehman Chishti openly opposed her policy on Brexit and termed it absolute contradiction to the promises made to public in the election manifesto. "At the outset, this, for me is about delivering on the promises that we made to the British people at the General Election last year in our manifesto, that leaving the European Union (EU) means leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union, that the UK will be taking back, control over our laws, our borders and our money...The terms of the backstop, in effect, amount in my view to a hybrid membership of the EU Customs Union and Single Market and further the EU would hold a veto over our ability to exit. The UK in effect will be part of a system where it will be a rule taker without any say on the rules," he stated. The second point of his resignation letter was Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi`s case. He complained that the government has dealt with the case inappropriately. "This is a case that I have worked on passionately since 2012, alongside Bishop Michael Nazir Ali (former Bishop of Rochester) to ensure that justice is done which was handed down by the Pakistan Supreme Court only recently", he wrote. Rehman Chishti added, "What I found shocking, is that the British Government is failing to put into practice the core values that our country stands for; religious freedom, justice, morally doing the right thing and that when we see injustice where an individual`s life is in clear danger and they have been persecuted for their faith, we do all that we can to help them. The Government should not wait to see if another country offers sanctuary, we should have had the conviction to lead on this matter and offer sanctuary ourselves straight away". Rehman Chishti aka `Ray Chishti` drew the attention of Prime Minister Theresa May towards his letter sent to her on November 13 and said the letter has now the support of 124 British Parliamentarians of both Houses. He once again requested for her personal intervention in this case and to ensure that a morally right decision is finally made which takes into account of British core values, irrespective of the position that any other country may take on this. Referring to his appointment as PM`s Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Chishti said that he enjoyed this responsibility for the past 14 months for a country that he passionately cares about. He added that the UK-Pakistan Trade Team has done fantastic work and the trade between the two countries has increased by over 10 per cent in the last year alone and now stands at £2.9 billion.

British MP Rehman Chishti resigns from UK top portfolios over Brexit, Asia Bibi case

A week after being freed from jail, Asia Bibi -- a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy -- remains in limbo, with negotiations apparently under way to allow her to leave the country despite objections from Islamist hardliners demanding her execution.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Bibi's conviction last month, Pakistan has been rattled by violent protests from Islamists calling for her beheading, for mutiny in the armed forces and for the murder of the country's top judges.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed can lead to lynchings and murders.

Earlier this month, the government struck a deal with the demonstrators after days of street protests saw large swathes of the country paralysed.

But questions remain over Bibi's whereabouts, the court's decision, and how hardliners may react to further developments.

Here's a brief rundown of where things stand and what might happen next.

Rumours are rife in Pakistan that she has already left the country, with fake reports claiming she met with Pope Francis in the Vatican. 
AFP has debunked the reports of Bibi meeting the pontiff.

The Pakistani government has repeatedly stated that Bibi is being held in a secure location in Pakistan after being released from a prison in central Multan last week, though her exact whereabouts are unknown.

She is not being allowed to leave the country as her case is subjected to a final review.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated the government's position again in Islamabad on Wednesday, saying: "We have clarified earlier and we clarify it again. She has not gone abroad. She is here. There is no controversy."&nbsp;

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan initially spoke forcefully against the protests, and vowed to confront any violence.

Since then he has stayed largely quiet about Bibi's fate.

The ruling from the Supreme Court is in the process of being reviewed following a petition request.

The petition essentially checks to see if any procedural or clerical errors were made by the court during its final ruling.

If there were not, then the decision will stand. The chances of the apex court's acquittal being overturned are slim, according to Bibi's lawyer. 
Where will she go next?

No one knows. However, it does appear that a deal may be in the works to move Bibi out of the country.

Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum.

"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," Trudeau told AFP.

The Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which led the violent demonstrations after Bibi's release, slammed Trudeau's comments.

"We strongly oppose even her release. And this is a view of millions of Pakistani Muslims," said TLP spokesman Ijaz Ashrafi.

Of course a big concern for any country that opens its doors to Bibi will be the potential blowback from hardliners in Pakistan.

Earlier this week, the Netherlands embassy pulled staff members from Pakistan over persistent threats, reportedly from hardliners angry over anti-Islam tweets by the far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

A week after being freed from jail, Asia Bibi -- a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy -- remains in limbo, with negotiations apparently under way to allow her to leave the country despite objections from Islamist hardliners demanding her execution.

A week after being freed from jail, Asia Bibi -- a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy -- remains in limbo, with negotiations apparently under way to allow her to leave the country despite objections from Islamist hardliners demanding her execution. Since the Supreme Court overturned Bibi's conviction last month, Pakistan has been rattled by violent protests from Islamists calling for her beheading, for mutiny in the armed forces and for the murder of the country's top judges. Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed can lead to lynchings and murders. Earlier this month, the government struck a deal with the demonstrators after days of street protests saw large swathes of the country paralysed. But questions remain over Bibi's whereabouts, the court's decision, and how hardliners may react to further developments. Here's a brief rundown of where things stand and what might happen next. Rumours are rife in Pakistan that she has already left the country, with fake reports claiming she met with Pope Francis in the Vatican. AFP has debunked the reports of Bibi meeting the pontiff. The Pakistani government has repeatedly stated that Bibi is being held in a secure location in Pakistan after being released from a prison in central Multan last week, though her exact whereabouts are unknown. She is not being allowed to leave the country as her case is subjected to a final review. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated the government's position again in Islamabad on Wednesday, saying: "We have clarified earlier and we clarify it again. She has not gone abroad. She is here. There is no controversy." Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan initially spoke forcefully against the protests, and vowed to confront any violence. Since then he has stayed largely quiet about Bibi's fate. The ruling from the Supreme Court is in the process of being reviewed following a petition request. The petition essentially checks to see if any procedural or clerical errors were made by the court during its final ruling. If there were not, then the decision will stand. The chances of the apex court's acquittal being overturned are slim, according to Bibi's lawyer. Where will she go next? No one knows. However, it does appear that a deal may be in the works to move Bibi out of the country. Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum. "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," Trudeau told AFP. The Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which led the violent demonstrations after Bibi's release, slammed Trudeau's comments. "We strongly oppose even her release. And this is a view of millions of Pakistani Muslims," said TLP spokesman Ijaz Ashrafi. Of course a big concern for any country that opens its doors to Bibi will be the potential blowback from hardliners in Pakistan. Earlier this week, the Netherlands embassy pulled staff members from Pakistan over persistent threats, reportedly from hardliners angry over anti-Islam tweets by the far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

Asia Bibi: Pakistani Christian woman in limbo after blasphemy verdict

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani made a phone call to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday thanking him for ensuring safety and security for Asia Bibi and her family.

Tajani also informed the Pakistan&nbsp;prime minister&nbsp;that the debate on Asia Bibi in the EU parliament has been postponed and also assured EU Parliament's cooperation with the government.

PM Imran Khan reaffirmed the government’s resolve to respect the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, adding that as citizens of Pakistan, Asia Bibi and her family were&nbsp;entitled to all rights as guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan.&nbsp;

Imran Khan also conveyed serious concerns of the government&nbsp;on the issue of blasphemous cartoons and caricatures of the holy prophet, underscoring the need to redouble efforts in European countries to avoid such provocative incidents and emphasised the need to raise greater awareness about religious sensitivities of Muslims, particularly the respect of prophet Muhammad and promote inter-faith harmony.&nbsp;

Khan stressed the need for respecting each other’s religious sentiments while calling for enhanced dialogue as well as cooperation for promoting inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony.&nbsp;

Khan welcomed the European Court's recent decision&nbsp;on human right’s&nbsp;which decided&nbsp;not to allow acts of blasphemy under the cloak of right to freedom of expression.

The Pakistan prime minister also expressed the hope that European countries would follow the decision of the European Court and take steps to enhance respect for each other’s religions and inter-faith harmony.&nbsp;

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani made a phone call to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday thanking him for ensuring safety and security for Asia Bibi and her family.

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani made a phone call to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday thanking him for ensuring safety and security for Asia Bibi and her family. Tajani also informed the Pakistan prime minister that the debate on Asia Bibi in the EU parliament has been postponed and also assured EU Parliament's cooperation with the government. PM Imran Khan reaffirmed the government’s resolve to respect the judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, adding that as citizens of Pakistan, Asia Bibi and her family were entitled to all rights as guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan. Imran Khan also conveyed serious concerns of the government on the issue of blasphemous cartoons and caricatures of the holy prophet, underscoring the need to redouble efforts in European countries to avoid such provocative incidents and emphasised the need to raise greater awareness about religious sensitivities of Muslims, particularly the respect of prophet Muhammad and promote inter-faith harmony. Khan stressed the need for respecting each other’s religious sentiments while calling for enhanced dialogue as well as cooperation for promoting inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony. Khan welcomed the European Court's recent decision on human right’s which decided not to allow acts of blasphemy under the cloak of right to freedom of expression. The Pakistan prime minister also expressed the hope that European countries would follow the decision of the European Court and take steps to enhance respect for each other’s religions and inter-faith harmony.

Debate on Asia Bibi postponed in EU parliament: Antonio Tajani informs PM Imran Khan

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday talks are underway with the Pakistani government over a Pakistani Christian woman whose acquittal on blasphemy charges against Islam last month sparked mass protests in the South Asian country.

Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan before being released, is in protective custody because her life is in danger from those who disagree with the acquittal. Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy and the United States.&nbsp;

"We are in discussions with the Pakistani government," Trudeau said in an interview with Agence France Presse in Paris, where he attended a ceremony marking the end of World War One. His comments were confirmed by a spokesman in Ottawa.

"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 added.

While AFP said the discussions were about potentially offering Bibi and her family asylum, this was not confirmed by the spokesman in Ottawa.

Islamists have threatened to escalate protests in Pakistan if Bibi is permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.

Last week, Canada urged Pakistan to ensure Bibi's well-being and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government was "extremely engaged in this issue".

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after neighbours said she made derogatory remarks about Islam when they objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She is a Protestant and denies committing blasphemy.

Islamists shut down roads in major cities in Pakistan during three days of demonstrations against Bibi's acquittal at the end of last month.

Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands earlier this week because of fears for the safety of his family.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday talks are underway with the Pakistani government over a Pakistani Christian woman whose acquittal on blasphemy charges against Islam last month sparked mass protests in the South Asian country.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday talks are underway with the Pakistani government over a Pakistani Christian woman whose acquittal on blasphemy charges against Islam last month sparked mass protests in the South Asian country. Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan before being released, is in protective custody because her life is in danger from those who disagree with the acquittal. Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy and the United States. "We are in discussions with the Pakistani government," Trudeau said in an interview with Agence France Presse in Paris, where he attended a ceremony marking the end of World War One. His comments were confirmed by a spokesman in Ottawa. "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 added. While AFP said the discussions were about potentially offering Bibi and her family asylum, this was not confirmed by the spokesman in Ottawa. Islamists have threatened to escalate protests in Pakistan if Bibi is permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad. Last week, Canada urged Pakistan to ensure Bibi's well-being and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government was "extremely engaged in this issue". Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after neighbours said she made derogatory remarks about Islam when they objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She is a Protestant and denies committing blasphemy. Islamists shut down roads in major cities in Pakistan during three days of demonstrations against Bibi's acquittal at the end of last month. Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands earlier this week because of fears for the safety of his family.

Canada in talks with Pakistan over Asia Bibi: Justin Trudeau

The Netherlands resumed visa and passport services in Pakistan on Monday following a brief suspension, denying that its embassy had closed over security concerns after the country gave shelter to the lawyer of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case.

Hard-line Islamists in Pakistan have blocked streets and called for the killing of judges after the Supreme Court overturned on October&nbsp;31 the conviction of Asia Bibi, a mother of five, who had been on death row for eight years.

Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands soon after the verdict, citing death threats. The Dutch government said on Thursday that it had offered him temporary shelter.

On Friday the Dutch government said in a statement that its embassy in Pakistan, which is in a tightly guarded "diplomatic enclave", had temporarily halted issuing visas "due to circumstances beyond our control".

On Monday evening, the embassy updated the statement: "The Netherlands embassy in Pakistan has resumed all consular/visa related services."

Pakistani media reported that the embassy had been forced to close because of threats. But the Dutch Foreign Ministry said reports of the embassy's closure were mistaken.

"The Dutch embassy in Pakistan is open," the ministry said. "I can add that we take the security of the embassy and our employees very seriously. This is also the subject of consultations between the Netherlands and Pakistan," an official at the Dutch foreign office said.

No one answered the telephone at the Dutch embassy after office hours on Monday.

Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam, which is punishable by death in Pakistan. She always denied having committed blasphemy.

The militant Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party, which has made blasphemy a rallying cry, took to the streets after the Supreme Court ruling and blocked main cities and highways for three days.

The protests ended after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the TLP that the state would not block a petition to review Bibi's acquittal in light of sharia Islamic religious law and ensure she wouldn't leave country until that was decided.

Pakistani government officials have said Bibi is in a secure location while the court considers her case.

The Netherlands resumed visa and passport services in Pakistan on Monday following a brief suspension, denying that its embassy had closed over security concerns after the country gave shelter to the lawyer of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case.

The Netherlands resumed visa and passport services in Pakistan on Monday following a brief suspension, denying that its embassy had closed over security concerns after the country gave shelter to the lawyer of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case. Hard-line Islamists in Pakistan have blocked streets and called for the killing of judges after the Supreme Court overturned on October 31 the conviction of Asia Bibi, a mother of five, who had been on death row for eight years. Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands soon after the verdict, citing death threats. The Dutch government said on Thursday that it had offered him temporary shelter. On Friday the Dutch government said in a statement that its embassy in Pakistan, which is in a tightly guarded "diplomatic enclave", had temporarily halted issuing visas "due to circumstances beyond our control". On Monday evening, the embassy updated the statement: "The Netherlands embassy in Pakistan has resumed all consular/visa related services." Pakistani media reported that the embassy had been forced to close because of threats. But the Dutch Foreign Ministry said reports of the embassy's closure were mistaken. "The Dutch embassy in Pakistan is open," the ministry said. "I can add that we take the security of the embassy and our employees very seriously. This is also the subject of consultations between the Netherlands and Pakistan," an official at the Dutch foreign office said. No one answered the telephone at the Dutch embassy after office hours on Monday. Bibi, 53, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 over allegations she made derogatory remarks about Islam, which is punishable by death in Pakistan. She always denied having committed blasphemy. The militant Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party, which has made blasphemy a rallying cry, took to the streets after the Supreme Court ruling and blocked main cities and highways for three days. The protests ended after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the TLP that the state would not block a petition to review Bibi's acquittal in light of sharia Islamic religious law and ensure she wouldn't leave country until that was decided. Pakistani government officials have said Bibi is in a secure location while the court considers her case.

Netherlands resumes visa service in Pakistan after brief halt

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned.

"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.

Bibi has been blocked from leaving Pakistan after the overturning of her conviction prompted a wave of protests among Islamist hard-liners.

She has since been flown to a "safe place" in the country as several governments have offered to grant her family asylum.

Her husband has appealed in particular to Britain, Canada and the United States, claiming that Bibi's life would be in danger as long as she lived in Pakistan.

Bibi's conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.

Muslim labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim. A fight reportedly erupted, and a local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

Bibi has consistently denied the charges and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Asia Bibi, a Christian woman recently freed from prison after her blasphemy conviction was overturned. "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. Bibi has been blocked from leaving Pakistan after the overturning of her conviction prompted a wave of protests among Islamist hard-liners. She has since been flown to a "safe place" in the country as several governments have offered to grant her family asylum. Her husband has appealed in particular to Britain, Canada and the United States, claiming that Bibi's life would be in danger as long as she lived in Pakistan. Bibi's conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. Muslim labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim. A fight reportedly erupted, and a local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi has consistently denied the charges and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures.

Canada in talks with Pakistan over possibly taking in Asia Bibi

The Pakistan government Monday rejected the reports claiming Aasia Bibi has fled abroad, saying the images on the social media showing the recently-acquitted Christian woman being greeted overseas are "fake".

Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail last week after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges.

She was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. Bibi always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

"Fake news is a big challenge. Aasia Bibi is in Pakistan and images of her leaving the country and greeted abroad are fake," Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told PTI.

He said some media outlets showed irresponsibility by reporting that Bibi had left the country after her release from the jail.

Chaudhry said the government was considering to introduce a law to regulate the social media.

"There is a need to check the unchecked social media and bring it within the ambit of law," he said, adding that fake news and fake notifications come up from fake accounts on social media on almost daily basis and needed to be checked.

Bibi's acquittal sparked violent protests from radical Islamists across Pakistan.

The Imran Khan-led government had agreed to their demand to stop her from leaving Pakistan and extend its help to place her name on no-fly list.

The BBC Urdu's report that she had been taken to another country created a lot of confusion and the Foreign Office had to issue a clarification that Bibi was in the country.

Earlier, Bibi's husband had appealed to US President Donald Trump and premiers of the UK and Canada to help her and other family members leave Pakistan as their lives were in danger. Italy had offered asylum to Bibi.

Reacting to the uproar over Aasia's acquittal, Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) said it had "some reservations over the

Aasia Bibi acquittal" but respects the national institutions including the judiciary.

The Pakistan government Monday rejected the reports claiming Aasia Bibi has fled abroad, saying the images on the social media showing the recently-acquitted Christian woman being greeted overseas are "fake".

The Pakistan government Monday rejected the reports claiming Aasia Bibi has fled abroad, saying the images on the social media showing the recently-acquitted Christian woman being greeted overseas are "fake". Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was release from Multan jail last week after the Supreme Court in its landmark decision acquitted her of blasphemy charges. She was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. Bibi always maintained her innocence, but spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement. "Fake news is a big challenge. Aasia Bibi is in Pakistan and images of her leaving the country and greeted abroad are fake," Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told PTI. He said some media outlets showed irresponsibility by reporting that Bibi had left the country after her release from the jail. Chaudhry said the government was considering to introduce a law to regulate the social media. "There is a need to check the unchecked social media and bring it within the ambit of law," he said, adding that fake news and fake notifications come up from fake accounts on social media on almost daily basis and needed to be checked. Bibi's acquittal sparked violent protests from radical Islamists across Pakistan. The Imran Khan-led government had agreed to their demand to stop her from leaving Pakistan and extend its help to place her name on no-fly list. The BBC Urdu's report that she had been taken to another country created a lot of confusion and the Foreign Office had to issue a clarification that Bibi was in the country. Earlier, Bibi's husband had appealed to US President Donald Trump and premiers of the UK and Canada to help her and other family members leave Pakistan as their lives were in danger. Italy had offered asylum to Bibi. Reacting to the uproar over Aasia's acquittal, Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) said it had "some reservations over the Aasia Bibi acquittal" but respects the national institutions including the judiciary.

Reports of Asia leaving Pakistan 'fake': Minister

The Netherlands <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/eu-politicians-demand-safe-passage-for-asia-bibi-176542">government announced today </a>that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website.

The embassy won't be issuing any visa applications nor offer consular services, it said.

A Pakistan interior ministry letter revealed that&nbsp;Tehreek-e-Labaik(TLP) planned to target Dutch ambassador Ardi Stoios-Bracken to "seek revenge for uploading blasphemous caricatures by great Wilders, Dutch Parliamentarian, on his personal account."

The letter ordered a security survey of the area around the embassy and sought to reinforce fencing in the diplomatic enclave.

<img alt="Letter by Pak interior ministry" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fcb4b4cc-9e90-4102-a882-3cecd0b04526" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Letter.jpg" />

The embassy move comes after&nbsp;Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook fled to the Netherlands last week seeking temporary asylum after his client's conviction was overturned by the Pakistan Supreme Court. 
&nbsp; 
Asia was lodged in jail since 2010 after being convicted by a Pakistan court under blasphemy law but was set free by the country's top court leading to large-scale&nbsp;protests by the Islamists.

Thousands of Islamists protested in Karachi last Thursday after Asia Bibi was released from prison.

Security officials quickly took her to a secret location amid rumours that she had fled the country. Pakistani officials dismissed reports of Asia fleeing the country.

The Italian government had said last week that Asia should leave her country because her life was in danger.

"I want women and children whose lives are at risk to be able to have a secure future, in our country or in other Western countries, so I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee that (for Bibi)," deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini had said.

"It is not permissible that in 2018 someone can risk losing their life for a&nbsp;hypothesis of blasphemy," Salvini added while asserting that it had nothing against the Pakistan government.

&nbsp;"The enemy is violence, extremism and fanaticism," he said.

(TLP) had called off the protests on November 3rd after striking a deal with the government to put Bibi on 'exit control list' barring her from leaving the country.

"There will be a war if they send Asia out of the country," TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi said after the deal was reached with the government.

The Netherlands government announced today that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website.

The Netherlands government announced today that it was shutting down its embassy in Pakistan due to security concerns. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the issuing of visa has been halted temporarily, the government informed in its website. The embassy won't be issuing any visa applications nor offer consular services, it said. A Pakistan interior ministry letter revealed that Tehreek-e-Labaik(TLP) planned to target Dutch ambassador Ardi Stoios-Bracken to "seek revenge for uploading blasphemous caricatures by great Wilders, Dutch Parliamentarian, on his personal account." The letter ordered a security survey of the area around the embassy and sought to reinforce fencing in the diplomatic enclave. The embassy move comes after Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook fled to the Netherlands last week seeking temporary asylum after his client's conviction was overturned by the Pakistan Supreme Court. Asia was lodged in jail since 2010 after being convicted by a Pakistan court under blasphemy law but was set free by the country's top court leading to large-scale protests by the Islamists. Thousands of Islamists protested in Karachi last Thursday after Asia Bibi was released from prison. Security officials quickly took her to a secret location amid rumours that she had fled the country. Pakistani officials dismissed reports of Asia fleeing the country. The Italian government had said last week that Asia should leave her country because her life was in danger. "I want women and children whose lives are at risk to be able to have a secure future, in our country or in other Western countries, so I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee that (for Bibi)," deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini had said. "It is not permissible that in 2018 someone can risk losing their life for a hypothesis of blasphemy," Salvini added while asserting that it had nothing against the Pakistan government. "The enemy is violence, extremism and fanaticism," he said. (TLP) had called off the protests on November 3rd after striking a deal with the government to put Bibi on 'exit control list' barring her from leaving the country. "There will be a war if they send Asia out of the country," TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi said after the deal was reached with the government.

The Netherlands shuts embassy in Pakistan over threat to Dutch ambassador

By Steve Pinkerton

The citizens of Ireland voted recently, in a nationwide referendum, to remove a clause from their constitution that had made blasphemy a criminal offence.

Ireland’s now-defunct Defamation Act of 2009 prohibited the “publication or utterance of blasphemous matter.” Just last year, in fact, Irish police opened a brief investigation into whether comedian Stephen Fry had broken the law when he described God as “capricious, mean-minded, stupid” and “an utter maniac” during a televised interview. The case was closed, however, as the police said they had been “unable to find a substantial number of outraged people.”

The overturning of Ireland’s blasphemy law stands in stark contrast to recent news out of Pakistan – where the release from prison of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, accused of blasphemy, has led to widespread protests. In Indonesia, too, many people have been jailed for speaking irreverently against Islam.

Despite its recent defeat, Ireland’s 2009 blasphemy law is an important reminder that laws against blasphemy have hardly been unique to the Muslim world – even in the 21st century.

Understanding the Muslim world

As of 2014, according to the Pew Research Center, nearly one-fifth of European countries and a third of countries in the Americas, notably Canada, have laws against blasphemy.

In my research for a literary study of blasphemy, I found that these laws may differ in many respects from their more well-known counterparts in Muslim nations, but they also share some common features with them.

In particular, they’re all united in regarding blasphemy as a form of “injury” – even as they disagree about what, exactly, blasphemy injures.

In the Muslim world, such injured parties are often a lot easier to find. Cultural anthropologist Saba Mahmood said that many devout Muslims perceive blasphemy as an almost physical injury: an intolerable offence that hurts both God himself and the whole community of the faithful.

For Mahmood that perception was brought powerfully home in 2005, when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Interviewing a number of Muslims at the time, Mahmood was “struck,” she wrote, “by the sense of personal loss” they conveyed. People she interviewed were very clear on this point:

“The idea that we should just get over this hurt makes me so mad.”

“I would have felt less wounded if the object of ridicule were my own parents.”

The intensity of this “hurt,” “wounding” and “ridicule” helps to explain how blasphemy can remain a capital offence in a theocratic state like Pakistan. The punishment is tailored to the enormity of the perceived crime.

Blasphemy and Christians

That may sound like a foreign concept to secular ears. The reality, though, is that most Western blasphemy laws are rooted in a similar logic of religious offence.

As historians like Leonard Levy and David Nash have documented, these laws – dating, mostly, from the 1200s to the early 1800s – were designed to protect Christian beliefs and practices from the sort of “hurt” and “ridicule” that animates Islamic blasphemy laws today. But as the West became increasingly secular, religious injury gradually lost much of its power to provoke. By the mid-20th century, most Western blasphemy laws had become virtually dead letters.

That’s certainly true of the US, where such laws remain “on the books” in six states but haven’t been invoked since at least the early 1970s. They’re now widely held to be nullified by the First Amendment.

Yet looking beyond the American context, one will find that blasphemy laws are hardly obsolete throughout the West. Instead, they’re acquiring new uses for the 21st century.

Religious offence in a secular world

Consider the case of a Danish man who was charged with blasphemy, in February 2017, for burning a Quran and for posting a video of the act online.

In the past, Denmark’s blasphemy law had only ever been enforced to punish anti-Christian expression. (It was last used in 1946.) Today it serves to highlight an ongoing trend: In an increasingly pluralist, multicultural West, blasphemy laws find fresh purpose in policing intolerance between religious communities.

In other words, the real question for the 21st century has not been whether blasphemy counts as a crime. Instead, it’s been about who, or what – God or the state, religion or pluralism – is the injured party. Instead of preventing injury to God, these laws now seek to prevent injury to the social fabric of avowedly secular states.

That’s true not only of the West’s centuries-old blasphemy laws but also of more recent ones. Ireland’s Defamation Act, for instance, targeted any person who “utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion.”

With its emphasis on the “outrage” blasphemy may cause among “any religion,” the measure was clearly aimed less at protecting the sacred than at preventing intolerance among diverse religious groups.

The law itself caused outrage of a different sort, however. Advocacy organisations, such as Atheist Ireland, mounted fierce opposition to the law and to the example it set internationally. In late 2009, for instance, Pakistan borrowed the exact language of the Irish law in its own proposed statement on blasphemy to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council.

Thus, Atheist Ireland warned on its website that “The Islamic States can now point to a modern pluralist Western State passing a new blasphemy law in the 21st century.”

Blasphemy in modernity

That warning resonates with the common Western view of blasphemy as an antiquated concept, a medieval throwback with no relevance to “modern,” “developed” societies. Atheist Ireland’s chairperson, Michael Nugent, drew on this tradition when he touted the significance of the recent referendum victory:

“It means that we’ve got rid of a medieval crime from our constitution that should never have been there.”

As Columbia University professor Gauri Viswanathan puts it, blasphemy is often used “to separate cultures of modernity from those of premodernity.” Starting from the assumption that blasphemy can exist only in a backward society, critics point to blasphemy as evidence of the backwardness of entire religious cultures.

I would argue, however, that this Eurocentric view is growing increasingly difficult to sustain. If anything, blasphemy has in recent years enjoyed a resurgence in many corners of the supposedly secular West – including prosecutions in Austria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and Turkey. Perhaps the fate of Ireland’s Defamation Act forecasts a broader reversal of that trend.

(Steve Pinkerton is Lecturer in English, Case Western Reserve University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/blasphemy-law-is-repealed-in-ireland-enforced-in-pakistan-and-a-problem-in-many-christian-and-muslim-countries-106487">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

 
&nbsp;

By Steve Pinkerton The citizens of Ireland voted recently, in a nationwide referendum, to remove a clause from their constitution that had made blasphemy a criminal offence.

By Steve Pinkerton The citizens of Ireland voted recently, in a nationwide referendum, to remove a clause from their constitution that had made blasphemy a criminal offence. Ireland’s now-defunct Defamation Act of 2009 prohibited the “publication or utterance of blasphemous matter.” Just last year, in fact, Irish police opened a brief investigation into whether comedian Stephen Fry had broken the law when he described God as “capricious, mean-minded, stupid” and “an utter maniac” during a televised interview. The case was closed, however, as the police said they had been “unable to find a substantial number of outraged people.” The overturning of Ireland’s blasphemy law stands in stark contrast to recent news out of Pakistan – where the release from prison of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, accused of blasphemy, has led to widespread protests. In Indonesia, too, many people have been jailed for speaking irreverently against Islam. Despite its recent defeat, Ireland’s 2009 blasphemy law is an important reminder that laws against blasphemy have hardly been unique to the Muslim world – even in the 21st century. Understanding the Muslim world As of 2014, according to the Pew Research Center, nearly one-fifth of European countries and a third of countries in the Americas, notably Canada, have laws against blasphemy. In my research for a literary study of blasphemy, I found that these laws may differ in many respects from their more well-known counterparts in Muslim nations, but they also share some common features with them. In particular, they’re all united in regarding blasphemy as a form of “injury” – even as they disagree about what, exactly, blasphemy injures. In the Muslim world, such injured parties are often a lot easier to find. Cultural anthropologist Saba Mahmood said that many devout Muslims perceive blasphemy as an almost physical injury: an intolerable offence that hurts both God himself and the whole community of the faithful. For Mahmood that perception was brought powerfully home in 2005, when a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Interviewing a number of Muslims at the time, Mahmood was “struck,” she wrote, “by the sense of personal loss” they conveyed. People she interviewed were very clear on this point: “The idea that we should just get over this hurt makes me so mad.” “I would have felt less wounded if the object of ridicule were my own parents.” The intensity of this “hurt,” “wounding” and “ridicule” helps to explain how blasphemy can remain a capital offence in a theocratic state like Pakistan. The punishment is tailored to the enormity of the perceived crime. Blasphemy and Christians That may sound like a foreign concept to secular ears. The reality, though, is that most Western blasphemy laws are rooted in a similar logic of religious offence. As historians like Leonard Levy and David Nash have documented, these laws – dating, mostly, from the 1200s to the early 1800s – were designed to protect Christian beliefs and practices from the sort of “hurt” and “ridicule” that animates Islamic blasphemy laws today. But as the West became increasingly secular, religious injury gradually lost much of its power to provoke. By the mid-20th century, most Western blasphemy laws had become virtually dead letters. That’s certainly true of the US, where such laws remain “on the books” in six states but haven’t been invoked since at least the early 1970s. They’re now widely held to be nullified by the First Amendment. Yet looking beyond the American context, one will find that blasphemy laws are hardly obsolete throughout the West. Instead, they’re acquiring new uses for the 21st century. Religious offence in a secular world Consider the case of a Danish man who was charged with blasphemy, in February 2017, for burning a Quran and for posting a video of the act online. In the past, Denmark’s blasphemy law had only ever been enforced to punish anti-Christian expression. (It was last used in 1946.) Today it serves to highlight an ongoing trend: In an increasingly pluralist, multicultural West, blasphemy laws find fresh purpose in policing intolerance between religious communities. In other words, the real question for the 21st century has not been whether blasphemy counts as a crime. Instead, it’s been about who, or what – God or the state, religion or pluralism – is the injured party. Instead of preventing injury to God, these laws now seek to prevent injury to the social fabric of avowedly secular states. That’s true not only of the West’s centuries-old blasphemy laws but also of more recent ones. Ireland’s Defamation Act, for instance, targeted any person who “utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion.” With its emphasis on the “outrage” blasphemy may cause among “any religion,” the measure was clearly aimed less at protecting the sacred than at preventing intolerance among diverse religious groups. The law itself caused outrage of a different sort, however. Advocacy organisations, such as Atheist Ireland, mounted fierce opposition to the law and to the example it set internationally. In late 2009, for instance, Pakistan borrowed the exact language of the Irish law in its own proposed statement on blasphemy to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Thus, Atheist Ireland warned on its website that “The Islamic States can now point to a modern pluralist Western State passing a new blasphemy law in the 21st century.” Blasphemy in modernity That warning resonates with the common Western view of blasphemy as an antiquated concept, a medieval throwback with no relevance to “modern,” “developed” societies. Atheist Ireland’s chairperson, Michael Nugent, drew on this tradition when he touted the significance of the recent referendum victory: “It means that we’ve got rid of a medieval crime from our constitution that should never have been there.” As Columbia University professor Gauri Viswanathan puts it, blasphemy is often used “to separate cultures of modernity from those of premodernity.” Starting from the assumption that blasphemy can exist only in a backward society, critics point to blasphemy as evidence of the backwardness of entire religious cultures. I would argue, however, that this Eurocentric view is growing increasingly difficult to sustain. If anything, blasphemy has in recent years enjoyed a resurgence in many corners of the supposedly secular West – including prosecutions in Austria, Finland, Germany, Greece, Switzerland and Turkey. Perhaps the fate of Ireland’s Defamation Act forecasts a broader reversal of that trend. (Steve Pinkerton is Lecturer in English, Case Western Reserve University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Blasphemy law is repealed in Ireland, enforced in Pakistan - and a problem in many other countries

Watch: WION Dispatch, 8th November, 2018

A Pakistani Christian woman who spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday.

Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum. Her lawyer fled to the Netherlands on Saturday under threat to his life.

Bibi's conviction was overturned by the country's highest court last Wednesday, but she remained in prison as the government negotiated with hardliners who blockaded major cities and demanded her immediate execution.

"She has been freed," lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook said in a text message. "I have been told that she is on a plane but nobody knows where she will land."&nbsp;

According to a civil aviation official, the aircraft that collected Bibi from jail would be required to land in Islamabad but it was unclear if she may have had a connecting flight.

Following protests at last week's ruling, the government agreed in a deal with Islamists to impose a travel ban on Bibi, and not to challenge an appeal in the Supreme Court.

An order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told.

"Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament.

Another civil aviation official, in Multan, said a small plane arrived in the city with "a few foreigners and some Pakistanis" on board to fetch Bibi.

Her case has underscored deep divisions between traditionalists and modernisers in the devoutly Muslim country.

The conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when Bibi was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.

Muslim women labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim, and a fight reportedly erupted.

A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politician, and religious figures.

Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while his successor, Pope Francis, met her daughter in 2015.

Incendiary charge - 
Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih has appealed for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum and several governments including those if Italy and France have offered to help.

Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted: "I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee this young woman's future."

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands of mobs.

Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, by his own bodyguard in Islamabad in 2011.

Taseer had called for Bibi's release, and his son Shahbaz tweeted "Pakistan Zindabad" ("Long live Pakistan") following last week's ruling.

Thousands of Islamist hardliners poured onto the streets in protest after Supreme Court judges overturned Bibi's conviction last Wednesday.

Demonstrations broke out in major cities across the country in the wake of the ruling, with club-wielding protesters blocking Islamabad's main highway and barricading roads in Karachi and Lahore.

One of the most vocal groups in the protests -- &nbsp;the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) -- called for "mutiny" against the army's top brass and the assassination of the top court's justices.

In a statement, the TLP termed Bibi's release "against the government agreement".

"The entire atmosphere of Pakistan is in pain and grief after hearing the news about the blasphemer of the holy prophet Asia," it said.&nbsp;

One resident in Multan, Rizwan Khan, told AFP that Bibi would not be safe wherever she went, while another, Qari Muneer, said the decision should be reversed and called for her to receive "strict punishment". 
&nbsp;

A Pakistani Christian woman who spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday.

A Pakistani Christian woman who spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday. Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum. Her lawyer fled to the Netherlands on Saturday under threat to his life. Bibi's conviction was overturned by the country's highest court last Wednesday, but she remained in prison as the government negotiated with hardliners who blockaded major cities and demanded her immediate execution. "She has been freed," lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook said in a text message. "I have been told that she is on a plane but nobody knows where she will land." According to a civil aviation official, the aircraft that collected Bibi from jail would be required to land in Islamabad but it was unclear if she may have had a connecting flight. Following protests at last week's ruling, the government agreed in a deal with Islamists to impose a travel ban on Bibi, and not to challenge an appeal in the Supreme Court. An order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told. "Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament. Another civil aviation official, in Multan, said a small plane arrived in the city with "a few foreigners and some Pakistanis" on board to fetch Bibi. Her case has underscored deep divisions between traditionalists and modernisers in the devoutly Muslim country. The conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when Bibi was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. Muslim women labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim, and a fight reportedly erupted. A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed. Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politician, and religious figures. Pope Benedict XVI called for her release in 2010, while his successor, Pope Francis, met her daughter in 2015. Incendiary charge - Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih has appealed for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum and several governments including those if Italy and France have offered to help. Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted: "I will do everything humanly possible to guarantee this young woman's future." Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands of mobs. Mere calls to reform the law have provoked violence, most notably the assassination of Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, by his own bodyguard in Islamabad in 2011. Taseer had called for Bibi's release, and his son Shahbaz tweeted "Pakistan Zindabad" ("Long live Pakistan") following last week's ruling. Thousands of Islamist hardliners poured onto the streets in protest after Supreme Court judges overturned Bibi's conviction last Wednesday. Demonstrations broke out in major cities across the country in the wake of the ruling, with club-wielding protesters blocking Islamabad's main highway and barricading roads in Karachi and Lahore. One of the most vocal groups in the protests -- the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) -- called for "mutiny" against the army's top brass and the assassination of the top court's justices. In a statement, the TLP termed Bibi's release "against the government agreement". "The entire atmosphere of Pakistan is in pain and grief after hearing the news about the blasphemer of the holy prophet Asia," it said. One resident in Multan, Rizwan Khan, told AFP that Bibi would not be safe wherever she went, while another, Qari Muneer, said the decision should be reversed and called for her to receive "strict punishment".

Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi leaves jail, flies out of Multan

Italy said on Tuesday it will help a Pakistani Christian woman leave her country because her life is in danger following charges of blasphemy against Islam that put her on death row for eight years.

Pakistan's Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi last month but the decision sparked mass protests and her husband, Ashiq Masih, says they could be killed by Islamists. Authorities have indicated they will bar Bibi from travelling abroad.

In February 2018, Masih and his daughter attended a ceremony in Italy to show solidarity with persecuted Christians where Rome's ancient Colosseum was lit in red.

Asia Bibi's case has galvanized Christian and human rights groups outraged by the country's treatment of religious minorities including its tiny Christian population.

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told a radio station that Italy is working discreetly on the case with other Western countries.

Marta Petrosillo, a spokesperson for the international Catholic agency Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said her organisation had spoken to someone close to the family earlier in the morning.

Petrosillo said Asia Bibi was in the same security complex as her family but still separated from them.

"So far as we know she was able only to speak with her husband and she didn't meet her daughters yet but they are finally all together and they are waiting to go out of Pakistan but this morning they were still in Pakistan," she said.

Bibi's case has prompted groups such as ACN, which has close ties to the Vatican, to demand protection for Christians in countries where they are a minority.

Italy said on Tuesday it will help a Pakistani Christian woman leave her country because her life is in danger following charges of blasphemy against Islam that put her on death row for eight years.

Italy said on Tuesday it will help a Pakistani Christian woman leave her country because her life is in danger following charges of blasphemy against Islam that put her on death row for eight years. Pakistan's Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi last month but the decision sparked mass protests and her husband, Ashiq Masih, says they could be killed by Islamists. Authorities have indicated they will bar Bibi from travelling abroad. In February 2018, Masih and his daughter attended a ceremony in Italy to show solidarity with persecuted Christians where Rome's ancient Colosseum was lit in red. Asia Bibi's case has galvanized Christian and human rights groups outraged by the country's treatment of religious minorities including its tiny Christian population. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told a radio station that Italy is working discreetly on the case with other Western countries. Marta Petrosillo, a spokesperson for the international Catholic agency Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said her organisation had spoken to someone close to the family earlier in the morning. Petrosillo said Asia Bibi was in the same security complex as her family but still separated from them. "So far as we know she was able only to speak with her husband and she didn't meet her daughters yet but they are finally all together and they are waiting to go out of Pakistan but this morning they were still in Pakistan," she said. Bibi's case has prompted groups such as ACN, which has close ties to the Vatican, to demand protection for Christians in countries where they are a minority.

Pakistan blasphemy case: Italy says will help Asia Bibi leave her country

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters.&nbsp;

Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

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Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia was acquitted last month by the Pakistan Supreme Court in a blasphemy case. <a href="https://t.co/QBdIAqkYyx">pic.twitter.com/QBdIAqkYyx</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1060470727638441984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Asia spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday.

Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum.&nbsp;

The order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told.

"Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

The Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said. Dutch government has offered lawyer of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi temporary asylum in the Netherlands, reports Reuters. Asia was acquitted last month by the Pakistan Supreme Court in a blasphemy case. pic.twitter.com/QBdIAqkYyx — ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2018 × Asia spent eight years on death row for blasphemy has been freed from jail and is believed to have already flown out of the city of Multan where she was being held, heading for an unknown destination, her lawyer said Thursday. Asia Bibi's release comes a week after her acquittal in a landmark case that triggered angry Islamist protests in Muslim-majority Pakistan and following appeals from her husband for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum. The order for her release arrived Wednesday at the jail in the central city of Multan where she was held, a prison official told. "Asia Bibi has left the prison and has been transferred to a safe place!" tweeted Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament. (With inputs from agencies)

Dutch government offers temporary asylum to Asia Bibi's lawyer in the Netherlands

Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar on Tuesday sought a report from the central and federal governments over the damage caused to public and private property by the demonstrators during the nationwide protests against the verdict in the Asiya Bibi case last week.

According to a statement by the Pakistan Supreme Court, Justice Nisar took notice of the vandalism for the sake of compensating the affected citizens, Geo News reported.

On October 31, mass protests had erupted in various parts of Pakistan after the country's top court announced its verdict acquitting Asiya, a Christian woman in a blasphemy case. The demonstrations, led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and other religious parties, blocked roads and vandalised public and private property.

A three-judge special bench headed by Justice Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel had heard Asiya's 2014 appeal against her conviction and death sentence and overturned the ruling in favour of her.

Even after rejecting reports of putting Asiya on the Exit Control List (ECL), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government succumbed to pressure and reached an agreement with the TLP for taking legal actions to not allow Asiya and her family to leave the country.

Asiya was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly insulting Islam during an argument with three Muslim women.

The Pakistan government, however, decided to take action against miscreants involved in vandalism, torture and arson during the demonstrations, leading to a crackdown on rioters across the country.

On Monday, around 1,800 people were arrested by law enforcement agencies. Pakistan's Interior Ministry had said that the demonstrators were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar on Tuesday sought a report from the central and federal governments over the damage caused to public and private property by the demonstrators during the nationwide protests against the verdict in the Asiya Bibi case last week.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar on Tuesday sought a report from the central and federal governments over the damage caused to public and private property by the demonstrators during the nationwide protests against the verdict in the Asiya Bibi case last week. According to a statement by the Pakistan Supreme Court, Justice Nisar took notice of the vandalism for the sake of compensating the affected citizens, Geo News reported. On October 31, mass protests had erupted in various parts of Pakistan after the country's top court announced its verdict acquitting Asiya, a Christian woman in a blasphemy case. The demonstrations, led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and other religious parties, blocked roads and vandalised public and private property. A three-judge special bench headed by Justice Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel had heard Asiya's 2014 appeal against her conviction and death sentence and overturned the ruling in favour of her. Even after rejecting reports of putting Asiya on the Exit Control List (ECL), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government succumbed to pressure and reached an agreement with the TLP for taking legal actions to not allow Asiya and her family to leave the country. Asiya was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly insulting Islam during an argument with three Muslim women. The Pakistan government, however, decided to take action against miscreants involved in vandalism, torture and arson during the demonstrations, leading to a crackdown on rioters across the country. On Monday, around 1,800 people were arrested by law enforcement agencies. Pakistan's Interior Ministry had said that the demonstrators were booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

Asia Bibi verdict protests: Pakistan CJ seeks report on vandalism

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country.

Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row.

"The UN in Pakistan extended its assistance to Mr. Malook at his request and did not force him to leave the country against his wishes, nor can the UN force someone to leave Pakistan against his or her will," said UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko.

At a news conference in The Hague on Monday, the lawyer said he was "put on a plane against my wishes" even though he had refused to leave the country without ensuring that his client was out of prison.

Malook said he contacted a UN official in Islamabad after the outbreak of clashes.

"And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," he said.

Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy following a dispute with fellow villagers over drinking from the same bowl of water. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests to bar her from leaving until a final court appeal is heard.

The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan".&nbsp;

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country. Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row.

The United Nations on Tuesday denied that it had forced the Pakistani lawyer of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy to leave the country. Saif-ul-Malook fled to the Netherlands from Pakistan after violence erupted over the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision to overturn the conviction of Asia Bibi who was on death row. "The UN in Pakistan extended its assistance to Mr. Malook at his request and did not force him to leave the country against his wishes, nor can the UN force someone to leave Pakistan against his or her will," said UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko. At a news conference in The Hague on Monday, the lawyer said he was "put on a plane against my wishes" even though he had refused to leave the country without ensuring that his client was out of prison. Malook said he contacted a UN official in Islamabad after the outbreak of clashes. "And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," he said. Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy following a dispute with fellow villagers over drinking from the same bowl of water. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan. But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests to bar her from leaving until a final court appeal is heard. The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan".

UN denies forcing Asia Bibi's lawyer to leave for Netherlands

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to prepare a compensation package for the people whose properties were damaged in the recent violent protests by religious extremists against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi.&nbsp;

Khan was briefed by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry about violent protests and the sufferings it caused for common people.&nbsp;

The prime minister ordered that those suffered losses should be compensated, his office said.

He also "directed the Punjab government to prepare a package for this purpose."

It was not known how much ordinary people lost during violence but the government said that net financial losses of the state were between Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 17,000 crore.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to prepare a compensation package for the people whose properties were damaged in the recent violent protests by religious extremists against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to prepare a compensation package for the people whose properties were damaged in the recent violent protests by religious extremists against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi. Khan was briefed by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry about violent protests and the sufferings it caused for common people. The prime minister ordered that those suffered losses should be compensated, his office said. He also "directed the Punjab government to prepare a package for this purpose." It was not known how much ordinary people lost during violence but the government said that net financial losses of the state were between Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 17,000 crore.

Pakistan: Imran Khan asks Punjab government to prepare compensation package for victims of recent protests

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/a-week-after-acquittal-asia-bibi-still-in-prison-176073">Asia Bibi still in prison a week after Pakistan Supreme Court orders her acquittal</a>

One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom.

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&nbsp;

Asia Bibi still in prison a week after Pakistan Supreme Court orders her acquittal One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom.

Asia Bibi still in prison a week after Pakistan Supreme Court orders her acquittal One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom. Kremlin says it sees no prospects for better Russia-US ties The Kremlin on Wednesday said it saw no bright prospects for an improvement in ties between Russia and the United States any time soon, as Moscow braced for a new raft of US sanctions. Pakistan gets a boost of confidence but IMF bailout still on cards The Pakistani finance minister's bullish comments declaring the end of an economic crisis have bolstered confidence ahead of crunch talks with the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday, but the country is still likely to need a bailout. HAL not contending to be offset partner of any firm: Chairman Amid a political slugfest over the Rafale fighter jet deal, state-run HAL's Chairman and Managing Director R Madhavan Wednesday said the aircraft manufacturing company is contending not to be an offset partner of any original equipment manufacturer. Loss of US House leaves Republicans more tied to Trump than ever: Report Republicans' loss of control of the US House of Representatives will leave the party with a more conservative congressional caucus that is even more bound to President Donald Trump and more united around his provocative rhetoric and hardline agenda.

News brief: Big stories of the day

One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom.

Thousands of Islamists poured onto the streets in protest after Supreme Court judges overturned Asia Bibi's conviction, in a case that has laid bare the divisions between traditionalists and modernisers in the devoutly Muslim nation.

Ultra-conservative Islamists blockaded major cities to demand her immediate execution, in a three-day stand-off that ended when Prime Minister Imran Khan's administration agreed to allow a review of the Supreme Court's ruling.

Critics blasted the climbdown -- which came just days after Khan vowed to confront the protesters -- as another capitulation to religious conservatives.

The deal has left Bibi in legal limbo -- and languishing in jail for a crime of which she has been acquitted.

"Asia Bibi is in Multan jail and has not been released yet. We have not received orders to release her so far," Zawar Hussain Warraich, minister for prisons in Punjab province, told AFP.

"Normally we receive orders in two days after court judgement and if relatives and lawyers of a prisoner are very active, they can bring it even within a day, but as far as Asia Bibi is concerned, it has not happened yet," Warraich added.

"Supreme Court should issue a directive to send us her release orders. We will release her as soon as we get it."

He denied reports that extra security had been laid on for Bibi, saying "she is already well protected by the jail staff".

An appeal has been filed with the court against Bibi's release and the party that headed the protests demanding her execution, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, has warned its hardliners were prepared to take to the streets again.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands of mobs.

The case stems from an incident in 2009 when Bibi was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl, and reportedly a fight erupted.

A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed -- a charge she has consistently denied.

Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih has appealed for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum, while her lawyer has fled to the Netherlands.

Masih said the delay in releasing his wife, a mother of five, was adding to the family's agony.

"The daughters are weeping. They still haven't seen their mother. The family is totally shattered," he said.

One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom.

One week after the country's highest court ordered her release, Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian who has spent eight years on death row for blasphemy was still in prison Wednesday, with no immediate prospect of freedom. Thousands of Islamists poured onto the streets in protest after Supreme Court judges overturned Asia Bibi's conviction, in a case that has laid bare the divisions between traditionalists and modernisers in the devoutly Muslim nation. Ultra-conservative Islamists blockaded major cities to demand her immediate execution, in a three-day stand-off that ended when Prime Minister Imran Khan's administration agreed to allow a review of the Supreme Court's ruling. Critics blasted the climbdown -- which came just days after Khan vowed to confront the protesters -- as another capitulation to religious conservatives. The deal has left Bibi in legal limbo -- and languishing in jail for a crime of which she has been acquitted. "Asia Bibi is in Multan jail and has not been released yet. We have not received orders to release her so far," Zawar Hussain Warraich, minister for prisons in Punjab province, told AFP. "Normally we receive orders in two days after court judgement and if relatives and lawyers of a prisoner are very active, they can bring it even within a day, but as far as Asia Bibi is concerned, it has not happened yet," Warraich added. "Supreme Court should issue a directive to send us her release orders. We will release her as soon as we get it." He denied reports that extra security had been laid on for Bibi, saying "she is already well protected by the jail staff". An appeal has been filed with the court against Bibi's release and the party that headed the protests demanding her execution, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, has warned its hardliners were prepared to take to the streets again. Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands of mobs. The case stems from an incident in 2009 when Bibi was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl, and reportedly a fight erupted. A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed -- a charge she has consistently denied. Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih has appealed for Britain or the United States to grant the family asylum, while her lawyer has fled to the Netherlands. Masih said the delay in releasing his wife, a mother of five, was adding to the family's agony. "The daughters are weeping. They still haven't seen their mother. The family is totally shattered," he said.

Asia Bibi still in prison a week after Pakistan Supreme Court orders her acquittal

The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk.

Saif-ul-Malook, who has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/pakistan/asia-bibis-lawyer-flees-to-the-netherlands-facing-threat-to-life-in-pakistan-175708">fled to the Netherlands</a>, said he contacted a United Nations official in Islamabad after Islamist violence erupted following the Pakistani Supreme Court's acquittal of Asia Bibi on Wednesday.

"And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," the lawyer told a press conference in The Hague.

"I pressed them that I would not leave the country unless I get Asia out of the prison... I am not happy to be here without her but, but everybody said that you are the prime target at the moment and the whole world is taking care of Asia Bibi.

"They were of the view that I was the prime target to be killed, and that my life was in imminent danger. For three days they did not let me open the door, one day I called the French ambassador and said I do not want to be here."&nbsp;

The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan".

Saif-ul-Malook arrived in The Hague at the weekend after a short stopover in Rome, with the help of the HVC Foundation, a Dutch group that focuses on the human rights of Christian minorities.

Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy after a dispute with fellow villagers. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests.

Saif-ul-Malook dismissed the deal as a "face-saving" exercise for the hardliners from the Tehreek-e-Labaik party and insisted that Asia Bibi would "100 per cent" be freed soon.

"This compromise is nothing but a piece of paper that can be thrown in the dustbin," he said.

It was not clear whether Bibi had had any firm offers of asylum if she does leave Pakistan, added the lawyer, who said he was "legally authorised" to choose a country for her.

The lawyer said a UN official in Pakistan told him "we are taking care of her" but that "when I said which country, they said we can't say.

"I asked the French ambassador 'would your country be willing to offer asylum to Asia Bibi. He said if you request us legally, I said 'OK I request her'."&nbsp;

The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk.

The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk. Saif-ul-Malook, who has fled to the Netherlands, said he contacted a United Nations official in Islamabad after Islamist violence erupted following the Pakistani Supreme Court's acquittal of Asia Bibi on Wednesday. "And then they (the UN) and the European nation ambassadors in Islamabad, they kept me for three days and then put me on a plane against my wishes," the lawyer told a press conference in The Hague. "I pressed them that I would not leave the country unless I get Asia out of the prison... I am not happy to be here without her but, but everybody said that you are the prime target at the moment and the whole world is taking care of Asia Bibi. "They were of the view that I was the prime target to be killed, and that my life was in imminent danger. For three days they did not let me open the door, one day I called the French ambassador and said I do not want to be here." The lawyer had previously told AFP before his departure on Saturday that he was leaving because "in the current scenario, it's not possible for me to live in Pakistan". Saif-ul-Malook arrived in The Hague at the weekend after a short stopover in Rome, with the help of the HVC Foundation, a Dutch group that focuses on the human rights of Christian minorities. Asia Bibi spent nearly a decade on death row after being accused of blasphemy after a dispute with fellow villagers. The charge is an inflammatory one in Muslim-majority Pakistan. But she remains in Pakistan after Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a deal with with the Islamist hardliners behind the protests. Saif-ul-Malook dismissed the deal as a "face-saving" exercise for the hardliners from the Tehreek-e-Labaik party and insisted that Asia Bibi would "100 per cent" be freed soon. "This compromise is nothing but a piece of paper that can be thrown in the dustbin," he said. It was not clear whether Bibi had had any firm offers of asylum if she does leave Pakistan, added the lawyer, who said he was "legally authorised" to choose a country for her. The lawyer said a UN official in Pakistan told him "we are taking care of her" but that "when I said which country, they said we can't say. "I asked the French ambassador 'would your country be willing to offer asylum to Asia Bibi. He said if you request us legally, I said 'OK I request her'."

Not happy to be here without Asia Bibi, her lawyer says in the Netherlands

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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-blasphemy-lawyer-says-eu-un-made-him-leave-against-my-wishes-175720">Asia Bibi's lawyer says EU, UN made him leave Pakistan 'against my wishes'</a>

The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk.

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US midterms: For Trump supporters, elections a battle to protect leader under siege For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s divisive persona, hard-line policies and pugnacious politics.

US midterms: For Trump supporters, elections a battle to protect leader under siege For many Americans, Tuesday's congressional midterm elections are a referendum on Republican President Donald Trump’s divisive persona, hard-line policies and pugnacious politics. Asia Bibi's lawyer says EU, UN made him leave Pakistan 'against my wishes' The Pakistani lawyer who saved a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy from death row said Monday that the UN and EU made him leave the country "against my wishes" because his life was at risk. Want to go slow on sanctions on Iran's oil, keep prices down: Trump US President Donald Trump on Monday said he wants to impose sanctions on Iran's oil gradually, citing concerns about shocking energy markets and causing global price spikes. Facebook, US networks drop Trump campaign ad judged to be racist Fox News, NBC and Facebook have pulled a Trump campaign ad branded racist, which equates a convicted Mexican murderer with Central American migrants en route to the US border. Saudi Arabia to build first nuclear reactor Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday laid the foundation stone for the kingdom's first nuclear research reactor, state media said, as the kingdom seeks to diversify its energy mix.

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday.

Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam, and had been sentenced to death. Mulook helped overturn the decision and has been threatened by angry mobs calling for the judges in the case to be killed.

Two Pakistani politicians who tried to help Bibi have been assassinated. Several parties in Dutch parliament have said they support providing temporary shelter to Bibi if she flees there.

Islamists have shut down major cities in Pakistan through days of demonstrations against Bibi's. They have said they would escalate their protests if she were permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.&nbsp;

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday.

The Pakistani lawyer who helped free a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has fled to the Netherlands, a Dutch Christian rights group said on Monday. Asia Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, left Pakistan on Saturday, due to fear that he could be attacked after Bibi's conviction was overturned on Wednesday, the Association for Persecuted Christians said. Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam, and had been sentenced to death. Mulook helped overturn the decision and has been threatened by angry mobs calling for the judges in the case to be killed. Two Pakistani politicians who tried to help Bibi have been assassinated. Several parties in Dutch parliament have said they support providing temporary shelter to Bibi if she flees there. Islamists have shut down major cities in Pakistan through days of demonstrations against Bibi's. They have said they would escalate their protests if she were permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.

Asia Bibi's lawyer flees to the Netherlands facing threat to life in Pakistan

Twitter on Sunday suspended the account of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Rizvi, following a request by the Imran Khan-led government to take action against his tweets inciting violence during the protests against the verdict of Asiya Bibi case.

On visiting his handle, a notification appears on the screen which reads - "Account Suspended".

The step was taken after Rizvi and his TLP supporters had urged people to resort to violence in the aftermath of the verdict last week. The TLP chief also criticised several state institutions by writing inflammatory statements as claimed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, The Express Tribune reported.

Earlier, Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that the social networking giant turned down the PTI government's request to pull down Rizvi's account.

On Saturday, Rizvi and senior TLP leader Afzal Qadri were among the 500 people booked for rioting and disrupting normal life in various parts of Lahore. Two cases were also booked against protestors in the nation's capital Islamabad on charges of vandalising public property.

On October 31, mass protests began after the Pakistan Supreme Court announced its verdict acquitting Asiya, a Christian woman in a blasphemy case. The demonstrations, led by TLP and other religious parties, blocked roads and vandalised public property in various parts of the country.

A three-judge special bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard Asiya's 2014 appeal against her conviction and death sentence and overturned the ruling in favour of her.

Even after rejecting reports of putting Asiya on the Exit Control List (ECL), the PTI government succumbed to pressure and reached an agreement with the TLP for taking legal actions to not allow Asiya and her family to leave the country.

Asiya was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly insulting Islam during an argument with three Muslim women.

Twitter on Sunday suspended the account of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Rizvi, following a request by the Imran Khan-led government to take action against his tweets inciting violence during the protests against the verdict of Asiya Bibi case.

Twitter on Sunday suspended the account of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Rizvi, following a request by the Imran Khan-led government to take action against his tweets inciting violence during the protests against the verdict of Asiya Bibi case. On visiting his handle, a notification appears on the screen which reads - "Account Suspended". The step was taken after Rizvi and his TLP supporters had urged people to resort to violence in the aftermath of the verdict last week. The TLP chief also criticised several state institutions by writing inflammatory statements as claimed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, The Express Tribune reported. Earlier, Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that the social networking giant turned down the PTI government's request to pull down Rizvi's account. On Saturday, Rizvi and senior TLP leader Afzal Qadri were among the 500 people booked for rioting and disrupting normal life in various parts of Lahore. Two cases were also booked against protestors in the nation's capital Islamabad on charges of vandalising public property. On October 31, mass protests began after the Pakistan Supreme Court announced its verdict acquitting Asiya, a Christian woman in a blasphemy case. The demonstrations, led by TLP and other religious parties, blocked roads and vandalised public property in various parts of the country. A three-judge special bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard Asiya's 2014 appeal against her conviction and death sentence and overturned the ruling in favour of her. Even after rejecting reports of putting Asiya on the Exit Control List (ECL), the PTI government succumbed to pressure and reached an agreement with the TLP for taking legal actions to not allow Asiya and her family to leave the country. Asiya was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly insulting Islam during an argument with three Muslim women.

Pak: Twitter suspends TLP chief Khadim Rizvi's account

Asia Bibi's husband&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/asia-bibis-husband-calls-for-her-protection-hails-courts-order-as-very-courageous-175324">Ashiq Masih</a>&nbsp;pleaded Saturday for asylum in the UK, US or Canada, news reports Sunday said.

Masih said they were in danger in Pakistan and that threats had been made to Asia's life. Asia was this week acquitted by Pakistan's Supreme Court of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.&nbsp;

Asia is Christian.&nbsp;

"The situation is dangerous for Asia. I feel that her life is not secure," AFP had earlier quoted Masih as saying. "So I appeal to government to enhance Asia's security in jail".

Asia, 47, has spent eight years on death row. She was accused&nbsp;of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in 2009, after a dispute with fellow workers, and convicted by a lower court in 2010.&nbsp;

The accusation of blasphemy had broken out over a drink of water. Asia's fellow workers — they had been harvesting fruit — said she should not have drunk from a common bucket and that she had defiled the water because she was Christian.&nbsp;

They added that she should convert to Islam.&nbsp;

France and Spain have offered her asylum, while the former bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, who is a Christian born in Pakistan, said Bibi should be granted asylum in the UK, Skynews reported.

The protesters, however, ended their action Friday night after the government reached a controversial deal to put Bibi on the no-fly list and saying it would not object to an appeal against the verdict, which was filed earlier in the Supreme Court.

"We have requested the Supreme Court to put Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List as soon as possible so that she could not fly out of the country," Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer of Qari Salam who filed the case against Bibi, told AFP.

"We fear that she would be flown out of the country so we have requested the court for an early hearing of the case," he said, adding that he would "exploit all legal remedies to make sure Asia Bibi is hanged according to the law".

Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook and Pakistani media criticised the government for caving in to the Islamist hardliners after Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier appeared to stand up to them following the court verdict.

Meanwhile, Saif-ul-Mulook, who saved Bibi from the gallows <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/asia-bibis-lawyer-leaves-pakistan-citing-threats-to-his-life-175254">left the country</a> on Saturday, saying his life was under threat.

Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke death at the hands of vigilantes. 
&nbsp;

Asia Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih pleaded Saturday for asylum in the UK, US or Canada, news reports Sunday said. Masih said they were in danger in Pakistan and that threats had been made to Asia's life.

Asia Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih pleaded Saturday for asylum in the UK, US or Canada, news reports Sunday said. Masih said they were in danger in Pakistan and that threats had been made to Asia's life. Asia was this week acquitted by Pakistan's Supreme Court of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Asia is Christian. "The situation is dangerous for Asia. I feel that her life is not secure," AFP had earlier quoted Masih as saying. "So I appeal to government to enhance Asia's security in jail". Asia, 47, has spent eight years on death row. She was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in 2009, after a dispute with fellow workers, and convicted by a lower court in 2010. The accusation of blasphemy had broken out over a drink of water. Asia's fellow workers — they had been harvesting fruit — said she should not have drunk from a common bucket and that she had defiled the water because she was Christian. They added that she should convert to Islam. France and Spain have offered her asylum, while the former bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, who is a Christian born in Pakistan, said Bibi should be granted asylum in the UK, Skynews reported. The protesters, however, ended their action Friday night after the government reached a controversial deal to put Bibi on the no-fly list and saying it would not object to an appeal against the verdict, which was filed earlier in the Supreme Court. "We have requested the Supreme Court to put Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List as soon as possible so that she could not fly out of the country," Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry, the lawyer of Qari Salam who filed the case against Bibi, told AFP. "We fear that she would be flown out of the country so we have requested the court for an early hearing of the case," he said, adding that he would "exploit all legal remedies to make sure Asia Bibi is hanged according to the law". Bibi's lawyer Saif-ul-Mulook and Pakistani media criticised the government for caving in to the Islamist hardliners after Prime Minister Imran Khan had earlier appeared to stand up to them following the court verdict. Meanwhile, Saif-ul-Mulook, who saved Bibi from the gallows left the country on Saturday, saying his life was under threat. Blasphemy is a massively inflammatory charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and its Prophet Mohammed can provoke death at the hands of vigilantes.

Asia Bibi's husband asks for asylum in UK, US or Canada

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