Pakistan Christian woman in limbo after SC verdict
A week after being freed from jail, Asia Bibi -- a Pakistani Christian woman on death row for eight years for blasphemy -- remains in limbo, with negotiations apparently under way to allow her to leave the country despite objections from Islamist hardliners demanding her execution.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Bibi's conviction last month, Pakistan has been rattled by violent protests from Islamists calling for her beheading, for mutiny in the armed forces and for the murder of the country's top judges.
Earlier this month, the government struck a deal with the demonstrators after days of street protests saw large swathes of the country paralysed.
But questions remain over Bibi's whereabouts, the court's decision, and how hardliners may react to further developments.
Rumours are rife in Pakistan that she has already left the country, with fake reports claiming she met with Pope Francis in the Vatican. AFP has debunked the reports of Bibi meeting the pontiff.
The Pakistani government has repeatedly stated that Bibi is being held in a secure location in Pakistan after being released from a prison in central Multan last week, though her exact whereabouts are unknown.
She is not being allowed to leave the country as her case is subjected to a final review. The petition essentially checks to see if any procedural or clerical errors were made by the court during its final ruling.
If there were not, then the decision will stand. The chances of the apex court's acquittal being overturned are slim, according to Bibi's lawyer.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government was holding talks with Pakistan over potentially offering asylum to Bibi.
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