Asia Bibi, Husband urges President to Grant Blasphemy Pardon

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Photo: Catholic Herald

The husband of Asia Bibi, the Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan after being found guilty of blasphemy, has urged the country’s president to free his wife and allow her to move to France.

Pakistan’s high court recently upheld the conviction against Ms Bibi, who was accused in 2009 of insulting the Prophet Muhammad after a group of Muslim women in her home village of Itanwali refused to drink from the same glass as a Christian.

Ms Bibi’s husband Ashiq Mashi has now written an open letter in which he describes the conditions his wife is being held in as “terrible” and that her live could only be saved by a pardon from Pakistan’s president Mamnoon Hussain.

“We are convinced that Asia will only be saved from being hanged if the venerable President Mamnoon Hussain grants her a pardon. No one should be killed for drinking a glass of water,” wrote Mr Mashi.

“After my wife had spent four long years in prison in terrible conditions, we were hoping that the high court of Lahore would free my wife. She did not commit blasphemy, never. Since the court confirmed the death sentence on October 16, we do not understand why our country, our beloved Pakistan, is so against us. Our family has always lived here in peace, and we never had any disturbance.

“We are Christians but we respect Islam. Our neighbours are Muslims and we have always lived well with them in our little village. But for some years now the situation in Pakistan has changed because of just a few people, and we are afraid. Today many of our Muslim friends cannot understand why the Pakistani justice system is making our family suffer so much…Read More

Source and Original Content by Catholic Herald