A mother of two has become the first Christian woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Aasia, a field labourer in her late thirties, was handed the sentence and a fine of Rs 100,000 by a sessions court in Sheikhupura on Monday. She was found guilty of committing blasphemy against her fellow farm workers in the village of Ittanwali in Nankana Sahib district on June 19 last year on her refusal to renounce her faith.
According to reports, the Muslim men working in nearby fields also gathered and attacked Aasia on which she fled to her home in the village. The mob followed her and started beating her up after forcing their way in. In the meanwhile, some villagers informed the police who reached the spot and took Aasia in custody.
According to reports, the police filed a first information report (FIR) against Aasia under Section 295-B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code but showed it a protective custody to other Christians of Ittanwali village. Local Christian leaders, asking not to be named because of fear of reprisal, said the angry mob had pressured the police to kill Aasia for “blaspheming”.
They said the police “saved her life” but later charged her under Sections 295-B and C, which are punishable by life imprisonment or death sentence. Christian groups pursuing the case say they will appeal the sessions court’s verdict in the high court.
Aasia’s husband Ashiq Masih said his wife was hoping to be acquitted and return to her family but the conviction had shattered their hopes. “I do not have the heart to break this news to my children…how do I tell them that their mother has been sentenced to death even though she is innocent,” he said.
Christian and other minorities rights groups fear that the passing of the death sentence against Aasia could set a harmful precedent in other blasphemy cases. Another Christian woman, Martha is on trial in Lahore for blasphemy. She was accused of committing blasphemy after a dispute with builders in Kasur, who reportedly refused to return equipment belonging to her.
