The Supreme Court's decision to acquit Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who had been condemned to death on blasphemy charges, is positive, but Pakistan needs procedural changes to amend controversial laws, says Anis Haroon.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kahn
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Rights groups had expected that Asia Bibi would get some kind of relief from Pakistan's Supreme Court. We had been quite optimistic since the Supreme Court judges reserved their judgment on Bibi's appeal case earlier this month. But we were not sure what the final verdict would be. So, when we heard the ruling today, we were truly ecstatic. We thought that we won the battle for justice.
I have been working as a human rights activist for decades. I was also chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women at the time when Bibi was arrested on blasphemy accusations, so I experienced the whole issue very closely. At the time, Bibi was writing letters to the government, parliament and other officials for her release. But things worsened by the day, and human rights lawyer Rashid Rahman was gunned down. No lawyer was ready to take up Bibi's case. We definitely went through a tough time but did not give up on our struggle. We kept demanding that Bibi needs to be released.
Bibi's acquittal, however, does not diminish her ordeal. Not only she, but her entire family suffered for nine years. Many lawyers and activists lost their lives in the struggle against blasphemy laws.
And we are still very much concerned about the judgment's focus on the blasphemy law. Women's rights groups have been demanding procedural changes to the law for decades. I think the time has come that lawmakers must do something about it and liberate people from fear and vulnerability.
Anis Haroon is a leading women's rights activist in Pakistan Image: Privat
The way the verdict has been written demands our attention. At the same time, I understand that the judges also needed some protection, so they also had to pacify religious groups.
But the best thing now would be to look at the laws and make it impossible for anyone to go to a police station and register a blasphemy case against anyone.
Writ of the government
The violent reaction from religious groups following Bibi's acquittal is worrisome. Where is the writ of the state? Why are these people not being controlled? They are agitating in many cities, stopping the traffic, attacking citizens.
The government must also provide security to judges and lawyers, Bibi's family, as well as human rights defenders, who could be targeted after this verdict.
In contrast, when peaceful people — like students, professors and doctors — rally for their rights, they are beaten up by authorities.
It is a good decision but a lot more needs to be done to deal with real issues facing Pakistan.
Anis Haroon is a veteran Pakistani women's rights activist and former chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women. She is also a senior official of the Aurat Foundation, a women's rights NGO.
Asia Bibi case highlights Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws
Asia Bibi, a Pakistani-Christian woman, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court on blasphemy charges in 2010. Who is Bibi, and why has her case attracted international attention?
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Leaving 'for Canada'
A decade after being accused of blasphemy, Asia Bibi left Pakistan with her husband Ashiq Masih for Canada. A family member told DW that Bibi's two daughters were waiting for her in Calgary. Her departure was delayed six months, reportedly due to extreme pressure from the deep state not to speak out against the state when she leaves the country.
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A dispute over water
In 2009, Asia Bibi was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad while she was working in a field in Punjab's Sheikhupura district. The Muslim women who were working with Bibi objected to her fetching water, saying that as a non-Muslim she was not allowed to touch the water bowl. The women then complained to a local cleric and leveled blasphemy charges against Bibi.
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A sensitive matter
According to local media, the argument in the field led to a mob attack on Bibi's house. Later, police took Bibi into custody and launched an investigation into the blasphemy accusations. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 percent of the population is Muslim.
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Controversial law
The blasphemy law was introduced by General Zia-ul-Haq, a military dictator, in the 1980s. Activists say they are often implemented in cases that have little to do with blasphemy and are used to settle petty disputes and personal vendettas. Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis — a minority Islamic sect — are often victimized as a result.
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The Pakistani state vs. Bibi
In 2010, a lower court convicted Bibi of blasphemy. Although the defense lawyer argued that the blasphemy allegations were made to settle personal scores, the court sentenced Bibi to death by hanging. Bibi's family has been living under constant fear since 2010. Her husband, Ashiq Masih (R), says he has been fighting a battle for his wife's freedom ever since.
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Assassination of critics
In 2010, Salman Taseer (R), the then governor of Punjab province, backed Bibi and demanded amendments in the blasphemy laws. Taseer's anti-blasphemy law position angered extremists. In 2011, Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard in Islamabad. The same year, Shahbaz Bhatti, the then minister for minorities and a prominent blasphemy law critic, was also assassinated by unidentified gunmen.
Image: AP
Celebration of killings
After Taseer's murder, Qadri became a hero for Pakistani Islamists. Qadri was showered with rose petals by right-wing groups as he was taken to jail by the authorities. Qadri was sent to the gallows in 2016. Thousands of people – mostly supporters of Islamic groups – attended Qadri's funeral. Local media reported that Qadri's supporters built a shrine after his death to honor him.
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Fear in the judicial community
After the killings of blasphemy law critics, many lawyers refused to take up Bibi's case in the higher courts. In 2014, the Lahore High Court upheld her death sentence. Pakistan's top court, the Supreme Court, was scheduled to hear Bibi's appeal against the conviction in 2016, but one judge refused to be a part of the judicial bench, citing personal reasons.
Image: Reuters/F. Mahmood
Victims of blasphemy law
According to the American Centre for Law and Justice, at least 40 Pakistanis were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in 2016. The law is often used to target religious minorities and secular Muslims. Although there hasn't been any legal execution under the blasphemy law, there have been instances where angry mobs have lynched alleged blasphemers.
Image: APMA
Persecution of religious minorities
Pakistan's Christians and other religious minorities complain of legal and social discrimination in their country. In the past few years, many Christians and Hindus have been brutally murdered over unproven blasphemy allegations.
Image: RIZWAN TABASSUM/AFP/Getty Images
Threats from Islamists
Religious extremists in Pakistan, particularly the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) group, have warned the authorities against reversing Bibi's blasphemy verdict. The country's Christian minority fears that if the judges decide to reverse the death sentence, they could face a violent backlash from the country's hardline Islamic groups.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. K. Bangash
International support for Bibi
Rights groups and Western governments demand a fair trial in Bibi's case. In 2015, Bibi's daughter met with Pope Francis, who offered prayers for her mother at the Vatican. In 2014, Amnesty International dubbed the Lahore High Court's verdict against Bibi a "grave injustice." The American Centre for Law and Justice also condemned Bibi's sentence and urged Islamabad to protect religious minorities.
