Islamabad
Pakistan’s Supreme Court will decide on January 29 whether to allow an appeal against its acquittal of a Christian woman who was on death row for eight years for blasphemy.

Aasia, a 47-year-old mother of four, who is now in protective custody, 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.

The protests were called off after the religio-political party reached an agreement with the government, the foremost condition of which was the placement of Aasia’s name on the Exit Control List.

The government, however, had only agreed to “initiate the legal process” to place her name on the list, while also agreeing that it would not oppose any review petitions being filed against the court judgment.

After her release from Multan’s women prison on November 7, Aasia was flown to Islamabad on board a special aircraft. She was then taken to an undisclosed place amid tight security.

Qari filed the review petition in the case on November 1, 2018 at the Lahore registry of the apex court, urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.In the petition, it has been argued that the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Aasia did not meet the standards of jurisprudence as well as Islamic provisions and the “normal principle of justice with reference to application in blasphemy laws”.

It has also asked that a member of the Appellate Shariat Court be included in the bench that reviews the judgment “because this matter needs detailed in-depth consideration and due to the peculiar circumstances of the case as well as Application of Section 295-C in its time letter and spirit”.

It has also challenged the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the alleged “confession” that Aasia was forced to make by the people of her village and argued that the Supreme Court should have applied the Law of Evidence differently in this case.Her case has been deeply divisive in Pakistan where there is strong support for the controversial blasphemy laws.