Asia Bibi’s husband appeals to Trump for refuge

ISLAMABAD: The husband of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted after spending eight years on death row on charges of blasphemy has appealed to US President Donald Trump for refuge, citing danger to family members’ lives.

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Ashiq Masih, the husband of Asia Bibi, whose case has outraged Christians worldwide and been a source of division within Pakistan, also appealed to the United Kingdom and Canada for assistance.

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The ultra-right Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) called off the protests late on Friday after striking a deal with the government that could see authorities seek to put Bibi on an ‘exit control list’ barring her from leaving the country and open a review of the verdict in the courts.

“I am requesting the President of the United States Donald Trump to help us exit from Pakistan,” Masih said in a video recorded by the British Pakistani Christian Association and seen by Reuters.

“I also request the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to help us, I also request the Prime Minister of Canada,” he said, while also asking for help on behalf of his brother Jospeh Nadeem who has assisted with Bibi’s case.

The U.S. Embassy and British and Canadian High Commissions in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.

On Saturday, Bibi’s lawyer Saiful Mulook told Reuters he had left Pakistan “to save (my) life from angry mob” and because of fears for the safety of his family.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam after neighbours objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She always denied having committed blasphemy.

Her case caught the attention of then Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer who spoke in Bibi’s defense before being assassinated by his bodyguard in 2011. The TLP was founded out of a movement to support Taseer’s assassin, who was hanged in 2016.

Federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti was also killed after calling for her release.

Bibi’s whereabouts are unknown, but the TLP has warned the authorities against taking her out of the country.

“There will be a war if they send Asia out of country,” TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi said after the deal with the government was reached.

Islamist parties have characterised Bibi’s release as Pakistan’s government caving into Western demands.