Aasia bibi has been facing execution since 2010 on charges of blasphemy, the mere accusation of which is enough to put an individual’s life in mortal peril. The evidence against her is untenable, but opposition from the religious right has prevented the state from securing her release. The Lahore High Court upheld her death sentence in October 2014, but this is hardly surprising given the real threat of murder that befalls anyone who is given her case if the decision is not according to the wishes of those who want to see her executed. However, the Supreme Court of Pakistan decided to suspend her execution on July 22, 2015, and it was expected to hear her appeal this week, but on Thursday, the court adjourned the appeal indefinitely. The reason behind this was Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rahman’s decision to not be part of the bench to hear Aasia’s case because of his involvement in Mumtaz Qadri’s case, the person who was executed for killing the former governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer.
Aasia bibi was alleged to have committed blasphemy during a row with a group of women over a bowl of water in the village Ittan Wali in Punjab in 2009. The testimonies of the women involved conflict with the accounts of other witnesses. Even the accusation was made by the imam of the local mosque in a sermon who was not present during the incident. While Aasia has been in jail ever since, her husband Ashiq Mashih and their children have been in hiding. For Aasia the mental trauma that she must be under for the past seven years is unimaginable, and the way the lives of her family have been affected through this ordeal is deplorable. Hence, the adjournment by the Supreme Court for hearing her appeal is further delaying Aasia’s suffering, who should have been freed long before.
