Bhatti presents report on Aasia to Zardari
* Minorities minister concludes that Christian woman is innocent, case against her made on grounds of personal enmityBy Mahtab Bashir
ISLAMABAD: Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti on Thursday called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency and presented a comprehensive report on the Aasia Bibi case, who was convicted and sentenced to death under sections 295 B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The report, accompanied with supporting documents, has concluded that the blasphemy case against Aasia had been registered on grounds of personal enmity and the story narrated in the first information report was concocted and malafide. The report recommended pardoning Aasia and the suspension of the sentence. It also recommended providing security to Aasia in jail and also to her family.
The minister, while presenting the report, said the people belonging to minorities, as a marginalised community, knew fully well the consequences of blasphemy and could never think of committing the offence. He said that minorities had great respect for all prophets and holy books.
He said that before the introduction of the blasphemy law in its present form by Ziaul Haq, not a single case of blasphemy had ever surfaced in Pakistan against minorities, but after the promulgation of the law by Zia, hundreds of non-Muslims had been wrongly involved in blasphemy cases. Many of them had been killed without recourse to judicial process and while many fled the country, but no action has been taken against the culprits.
The president asked Bhatti to propose names for a committee of scholars and experts to recommend reformed procedures so as to effectively prevent the misuse of the blasphemy law for personal and political reasons.
The committee, to be headed by Bhatti, should draw up its recommendations in consultation with political parties and stakeholders for the consideration of the government, he said.
The president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, quoted the president as saying that the government would not allow anyone to misuse the blasphemy law and would take all appropriate measures, whether administrative, procedural or legislative, to stop the increasing incidents of misuse of the blasphemy law.
Later, Bhatti told journalists that the president would not immediately pardon Aasia, but may do so later if an appeals court delays her case too long.
The committee, to be headed by Bhatti, should draw up its recommendations in consultation with political parties and stakeholders for the consideration of the government, he said.
The president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, quoted the president as saying that the government would not allow anyone to misuse the blasphemy law and would take all appropriate measures, whether administrative, procedural or legislative, to stop the increasing incidents of misuse of the blasphemy law.
Later, Bhatti told journalists that the president would not immediately pardon Aasia, but may do so later if an appeals court delays her case too long.
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