Pakistan's top court has rejected a challenge to the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges.

The Supreme Court upheld its decision to overturn Asia Bibi's conviction and death sentence.

She was originally convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with her neighbours.

Asia Bibi has always maintained her innocence in a case that has polarised Pakistan.

The original ruling set off violent protests by religious hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws.

Asia Bibi spent eight years on death row before the Supreme Court quashed her sentence last October.

Hardliners had petitioned to overturn this ruling.

"Based on merit, this petition is dismissed," Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosar said in court on Tuesday. </s> Asia Bibi was spared the death penalty in 2018 over charges of Blasphemy. Mrs Bibi was saved from the hangman by a ruling of the Pakistan's Supreme Court. The court ordered her release in October 2018 after she spent eight years on death row.

She was originally convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with her neighbours. The petition was filed by cleric Qari Mohammed Salam, who had lodged the original blasphemy complaint in 2009. But following various challenges to her acquital of charges of blasphemy, the Supreme Court in Islamabad upheld its decision to overturn Asia Bibi's conviction and death sentence on Tuesday. On Tuesday, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosar said: "Based on merit, this petition is dismissed,"

The original ruling set off violent protests by religious hardliners against her conviction, who support Pakistan's strict anti-lasphemy laws. Days of nationwide chaos followd as a result of the judge's original verdict. Ms Bibi has always maintained her innocence in a case that sent ripples through the country. Acording to Church in Need UK, Ms Bibi's family were being hunted by extremists in Pakistan in November.

Vigilantes reportedly went door-to-door with photographs of the farm worker in an attempt to track her down. Ms Bibi was held in protective custody following her accquital. According to Al Jazeera, she is currently protected under guard at a secret location in the country, for her own safety. The far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party said it would hold further protests if Bibi's acquittal was not reversed today.

Her lawyer, Saiful Malook, was granted temporary asylum in the Netherlands after facing death threats while Ms Bibi’s husband pleaded for asylum. But Mr Mallook, who returned to the country over the weekend, dismissed the petition as "frivilous" as he walked into the Supreme Court on Monday morning. He said: “It’s neither in accordance with supreme court’s former verdicts nor in accordance with law, it will be dismissed Allah willing, As of Tueday morning, Ms Bibi is now free to leave the country. </s> Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan last week, has been freed from prison, her lawyer says.

"I have been told that she is on a plane, but nobody knows where she will land," lawyer Saiful Mulook said on November 7 in a message sent to the AFP news agency.

The Associated Press quoted unidentified government officials as saying Bibi left a detention facility in Punjab Province, where she was detained, and was flown to an undisclosed location in the capital, Islamabad.

Bibi had spent eight years on death row for allegedly insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad before Pakistan's Supreme Court overturned her conviction on October 31, triggering violent protests by hard-line Islamists calling for her execution.

In a deal with the hard-line Tehrik-e Labaik (TLP) party that ended the protests, the Pakistani government on November 3 indicated that it will bar Bibi from traveling abroad pending a "review" of the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit her.

Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, has pleaded for asylum from Western countries, saying his family is in great danger in Pakistan.

Mulook, her lawyer, fled to The Netherlands.

Bibi, a mother of five, has denied the blasphemy charges against her.

Insulting Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere rumor of blasphemy can lead to lynchings by mobs.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP </s> A Pakistani Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row has been freed from prison, her lawyer said.

Some reports say Asia Bibi has boarded a plane but its destination was not known, BBC reported on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court ruling sparked protests from Islamists and the government had said it would bar her from leaving Pakistan.

Her husband had said they were in danger and pleaded for asylum.

Also Read: Pakistani Christian woman in limbo despite acquittal by top court

Asia Bibi, a mother-of-five, was released from prison in the city of Multan, her lawyer Saif Mulook said.

Also known as Asia Noreen, she was convicted in 2010 of insulting the Prophet Muhammad during a row with neighbours.

Several countries have offered her asylum.

The Pakistani government has said it will start legal proceedings to prevent her going abroad after agreeing the measure to end the violent protests.

Many of the protesters were hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws and called for Asia Bibi to be hanged.

One Islamist leader said all three Supreme Court judges also “deserved to be killed”.

Also Read: Fearing for life, Asia Bibi’s lawyer flees Pakistan, requests government to protect family

A spokesman for the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party said Asia Bibi’s release was in breach of their deal with the government.

“The rulers have showed their dishonesty,” TLP spokesman Ejaz Ashrafi said.

The deal also saw officials agree not to block a petition for the Supreme Court to evaluate Asia Bibi’s acquittal in the light of Islamic Sharia law.

The trial stems from an argument Asia Bibi had with a group of women in June 2009.

They were harvesting fruit when a row broke out about a bucket of water. The women said that because she had used a cup, they could no longer touch it, as her faith had made it unclean.

Prosecutors alleged that in the row which followed, the women said Asia Bibi should convert to Islam and that she made offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad in response.

She was later beaten up at her home, during which her accusers say she confessed to blasphemy. She was arrested after a police investigation.

Acquitting her, the Supreme Court said that the case was based on unreliable evidence and her confession was delivered in front of a crowd “threatening to kill her”. </s> Asia Bibi, Pakistani Woman Acquitted Of Blasphemy, Is Freed From Jail

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted days ago of blasphemy, has been freed from jail after spending more than eight years in solitary confinement awaiting execution.

The acquittal of Bibi, who is Catholic, was announced just over a week ago by Pakistan's Supreme Court, which said her accusers had not definitively proved her guilt. She was permitted to leave jail immediately after the verdict, but her release was delayed after protests from an extremist religious group, demanding she be killed.

Citing officials, the BBC reports that Bibi left her detention facility in Punjab province under heavy security on Wednesday and was flown to a secure location in Islamabad.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to death. The conviction stemmed from an argument with her fellow Muslim farm workers. They accused her of being impure by virtue of her faith and claimed she insulted Islam.

Her case galvanized the country's religious right and sparked international concern over human rights and religious freedom in Pakistan, which is overwhelmingly Muslim.

As her conviction was reversed, "followers of a hard-line Pakistani religious group rushed onto major roads across the country to paralyze traffic in protest of the decision," according to NPR's Islamabad-based correspondent Diaa Hadid.

The mobs demanded Bibi, as well as the three Supreme Court judges who acquitted her, be killed.

The Italian government said earlier this week it would help Bibi and her family relocate. Several other Western countries have also offered her asylum. In the past, both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have advocated for her. </s> The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s highest court has upheld the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who was put on death row for eight years after being convicted of violating the nation’s blasphemy laws.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Bibi will not be retried after being found not guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad during an argument with a few Muslim colleagues.

“We are not hearing the case again, the lawyer was unable to point out a single error in the judgment,” stated Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, as reported by CNN.

“We have to look at the value of the statements by witnesses, how can we hang someone on a false witness statement.”

Rimmel Mohydin of Amnesty International said in a statement released Tuesday that with the ruling, Bibi “must finally get her freedom and an end to her ordeal.”

“After nine years behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit, it is difficult to see this long overdue verdict as justice. But she should now be free to reunite with her family and seek safety in a country of her choice,” stated Mohydin.

“This shameful delay in enforcing Asia Bibi’s rights only reinforces the need for the Pakistani government to repeal the blasphemy laws as soon as possible, as well as other laws that discriminate against religious minorities and put their lives in danger.”

In 2010, Bibi was sentenced to death after being found guilty of blasphemy against the Islamic faith, stemming from an incident with field workers in 2009 who claimed that she insulted Muhammad.

Bibi denied the charge and appealed the decision, but remained in prison for years despite international pressure and the campaigns of human rights groups.

Last October, Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted Bibi of wrongdoing, concluding that “the prosecution has categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.”

Violent protests took place in response to the news of Bibi’s acquittal, with many in the Islamic country seeking to murder her once she is freed. Not allowed to leave the country after a petition was submitted against her acquittal, Bibi has been living in hiding. Tuesday's decision allows her to finally leave.

Qari Muhammad Salam, an Islamic cleric based in the same village as Bibi, said in a statement last year that he disagreed with the Supreme Court decision and believed that Bibi “deserves the death sentence according to the law.”

“If you start forgiving people on this issue, then it will become routine that people will commit blasphemy and just ask for forgiveness,” stated Salam.

“We wish that if she had not uttered such remarks, and she had been living like before it would have been peaceful. But if someone says this, then there's no compromise on the dignity of the prophet [Muhammad]. Being Muslim, we believe that these are testing times and we should be ready for them.”

Some countries, including Canada, have offered asylum to Bibi. Many in the United States, among them former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, have called on President Donald Trump to grant Bibi and her family asylum.

“President Trump and his administration have been stalwart and vocal champions for religious freedom across the globe. And in Asia Bibi’s case, urgent action is needed RIGHT NOW,” wrote Huckabee last December. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Asia Bibi's escape from Pakistan death row

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row, has been freed from prison.

Last week's Supreme Court ruling sparked violent protests from Islamists and the government agreed to their demand to stop her leaving Pakistan.

News of her release led to some confusion, with reports she had been taken to another country.

But the foreign office later said she was still in Pakistan.

The case is highly sensitive and Information Minister Fawad Hussein said journalists had been "extremely irresponsible" in reporting she had left the country without official confirmation.

Those reports were based on comments from her lawyer, Saiful Malook, who has been granted temporary asylum in the Netherlands after facing death threats.

Asia Bibi's husband had said they were in danger and pleaded for asylum. A number of Western countries are understood to have held discussions with Asia Bibi's family about granting them asylum.

The mother-of-five was released from prison in the city of Multan on Wednesday and the foreign office says she is in "a safe place in Pakistan".

Also known as Asia Noreen, she was convicted in 2010 of insulting the Prophet Muhammad during a row with neighbours.

The Pakistani government has said it will start legal proceedings to prevent her going abroad after agreeing the measure to end the violent protests.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Asia Bibi's acquittal sparked protests by Islamists

Many of the protesters were hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws and called for Asia Bibi to be hanged.

One Islamist leader said all three Supreme Court judges also "deserved to be killed".

A spokesman for the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party, which blocked roads in major cities for several days, said Asia Bibi's release was in breach of their deal with the government.

"The rulers have showed their dishonesty," TLP spokesman Ejaz Ashrafi told Reuters.

The deal also saw officials agree not to block a petition for the Supreme Court to evaluate Asia Bibi's acquittal in the light of Islamic Sharia law.

What was Asia Bibi accused of?

The trial stems from an argument Asia Bibi had with a group of women in June 2009.

They were harvesting fruit when a row broke out about a bucket of water. The women said that because she had used a cup, they could no longer touch it, as her faith had made it unclean.

Prosecutors alleged that in the row which followed, the women said Asia Bibi should convert to Islam and that she made offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad in response.

She was later beaten up at her home, during which her accusers say she confessed to blasphemy. She was arrested after a police investigation.

Acquitting her, the Supreme Court said that the case was based on unreliable evidence and her confession was delivered in front of a crowd "threatening to kill her".

Why is this case so divisive?

Islam is Pakistan's national religion and underpins its legal system. Public support for the strict blasphemy laws is strong.

Hard-line politicians have often backed severe punishments, partly as a way of shoring up their support base.

But critics say the laws have often been used to exact revenge after personal disputes, and that convictions are based on thin evidence.

The vast majority of those convicted are Muslims or members of the Ahmadi community who identify themselves as Muslims but are regarded as heretical by orthodox Islam. Since the 1990s scores of Christians have also been convicted. They make up just 1.6% of the population.

The Christian community has been targeted by numerous attacks in recent years, leaving many feeling vulnerable to a climate of intolerance.

Since 1990, at least 65 people have reportedly been killed in Pakistan over claims of blasphemy. </s> The complainant in Asia Bibi case, Qari Muhammad Salaam, on Thursday filed a review petition through his counsel Azhar Siddiqui against the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn her conviction in the blasphemy case, DawnNewsTV reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, the apex court had acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman condemned to death on blasphemy charges, after accepting an appeal against her sentence.

Know more: Country remains tense on day 2 of protests against Asia Bibi's acquittal

In the review petition, filed at the Lahore registry of the apex court, the complainant has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider it yesterday's decision granting Asia Bibi's acquittal.

The SC in its much-anticipated judgement in the 'Asia Bibi v. The State, etc' case, reversed its earlier judgments handed down by the Lahore High Court as well as a trial court and thereby overturned the conviction of Asia Bibi in the blasphemy case against her.

The three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel had subsequently ordered the 50-something mother-of-four's immediate release from jail, where she had been languishing for 9-odd years. </s> The lawyer who helped Asia Bibi, a Christian woman freed from jail after Pakistan’s top court overturned her death sentence in a blasphemy case, was offered a temporary asylum in the Netherlands on Thursday after he fled from Pakistan fearing for the safety of his family. Lawyer Saiful Mulook defended Asia Bibi who spent 8 years on death row until being acquitted on Wednesday.

This has come a day after Asia Bibi was released from Multan jail. There were reports that she was taken to Noor Khan Airbase Rawalpindi from where she was supposed to fly to the Netherlands, however, earlier today Pakistani authorities refuted these reports, saying she has not left for the Netherlands and was in Pakistan.

WHAT IS THE ENTIRE CASE?

Aisa Bibi is the second Pakistani Christian who was sentenced to death under country’s blasphemy laws under section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code for defaming Prophet Mohammad. The offence if proven carries the mandatory death penalty under the law.

The case dates back to 2009 when as per Asia she entered into a quarrel with Mafia and Asma, both are eyewitnesses in the case and deposed to Asia making blasphemous remarks. The argument started when both the women refused to drink water brought by Asia Bibi because she was Christian. The two, Mafia and Asma along with a local cleric, Qari Mohammad Salaam later filed the case of blasphemy against her.

A trial court convicted Asia Bibi for blasphemy in November 2010 and sentenced her to death, but the order was suspended by the Supreme Court in 2015.

In 2018, the Supreme Court gave the final verdict acquitting Asia from all charges.

The case attracted international coverage and became a high profile one when two officials, former Punjab governor Salman Taseer and former Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti (a Christian) were assassinated for taking Asia’s side publicly.
Asia Bibi's blasphemy acquittal is upheld by Pakistan's Supreme Court. She may seek asylum.