SC to announce verdict in Asia Bibi case tomorrow

LAHORE - The Supreme Court will announce its judgement on Wednesday (tomorrow) on a 2014 appeal filed by Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy. She had her final appeal heard on October 8.

Aasia Bibi, a 51-year-old mother of five, has been in prison since 2009.

The Supreme Court, on October 8, had reserved judgment in the appeal filed by Asia Bibi against her death sentence in a blasphemy case.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar heard the appeal.

The Chief Justice had barred the media from discussing the case.

Asia Bibi had filed an appeal to the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court verdict of death sentence to her for committing blasphemy in 2009.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, which introduced the laws in 1985. These laws have been often alleged to have been misused to settle personal scores.

Punjab’s liberal governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 when he termed the regulations “black law” after meeting Asia Bibi after her conviction.