The court’s decision on the future of Asia Bibi on 31 October was never going to provide a peaceful ending, whichever way it went.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court decided to release her, rejecting calls for the death penalty for the mother, imprisoned for over nine years on a false charge of blasphemy. Unsurprisingly, this led to unrest in Pakistan, then government capitulation to extremists, and the innocent forced to flee the country.
Holding vigils
Over the years groups of Christians holding vigils – to ensure no-one forgot the woman imprisoned because she dared to offer some Muslim women a drink of water – have remained quietly constant. They continued to meet in the three weeks between the verdict being concluded and being announced: quiet, candle-lit gatherings, outside churches; outside the Pakistan High Commission; opposite Downing Street. Compare those to the protests in Pakistan where the announcement by the judges led to demonstrations, of smaller numbers than expected but that still managed to paralyse Islamabad, which was in lock-down due to threats to topple the government. The calls of the protestors led the judges themselves to fear for their lives.
