Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – Asia Bibi, from her isolation cell in jail in Sheikhupura, Punjab, expresses her “pain and concern for the death of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti”. Her lawyer, seeing her yesterday, reported this to Fides. Asia is saddened by the death of a person who “like Governor Taseer, defended her publicly, and paid with his life”. The lawyer, contacted through the Masihi Foundation, who is providing Asia's legal support, tells Fides: “Asia says that part of her hope died with Bhatti, but there are other things that give her hope: the support of all Christians in Pakistan and around the world; the visit of her children, made possible recently after bureaucratic problems.”
Asia is still afraid, given that she could be the next target of radical Islamic groups: inside the jail in Sheikhupura posters have appeared with images of Taseer and Bhatti with a large question mark and the phrase meant to intimidate: “Who will be next?”.
Asia's lawyers tell Fides that, given current tensions, it would be preferable to stall things before starting the appeal process. And they reassert, together with all Christian lawyers of Punjab, the urgency to defend religious minorities in Pakistan and to protect the “rule of law”.
Yesterday, the Christian Lawyers Association in Pakistan (CLAP) organised a public demonstration in Lahore, marching from the Palace of the High Court to the Palace of the Parliament in Punjab. Asma Jahangir, the female President of the Bar Association at the Supreme Court participated in the march.
The President of CLAP, Akbar Munawar Durrani said that Bhatti's murder is a tragic testimony of the terrorism and extremism that is raging throughout the country and called for: the abolition of all discriminatory laws; the ban on publications that feed hatred against religious minorities; the legal prosecution of radical Islamic leaders who have publicly called people to kill members of religious minorities, because they are in favour of revising the blasphemy law.
“It's obvious that the root of such persecution is the blasphemy law: we will continue to seek its repeal,” said the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), based in London, which defends many innocent victims accused of blasphemy in Pakistan. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 8/3/2011)
