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Asia Bibi, the Christian who was acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan last month, wants to leave the country and go to Germany, said his lawyer.
In comments published in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag on 11 November, lawyer Saiful Malook said that Bibi "would be happy if she could go to Germany with her family".
Germany was one of the European countries that declared itself ready to welcome Bibi and her family. According to the newspaper, the German Foreign Ministry reportedly said it was in consultation with the Pakistani authorities, without giving further details.
Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, appealed to the Italian government, who also said that he was in consultation with Islamabad on this matter.
Bibi, whose real name is Aasiya Noreen, had spent eight years on death row for insulting the Prophet Muhammad before the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned his death sentence on Oct. 31.
In an agreement with the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik (TLP) party that ended the protests, the Pakistani government announced on November 3 that it would ban Bibi from traveling abroad pending a "re-examination" of the decision of the Supreme Court.
Bibi, who denied the allegations, was released from a prison in Multan City on 7 November and flown to an undisclosed location in Islamabad for fear of assault.
His lawyer, Malook, left Pakistan for the Netherlands in the midst of fears for safety.
Insulting Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere rumor of blasphemy can lead to lynching by mobs.
According to a 2018 report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, about 40 people are on death row or serving life sentences in Pakistan for blasphemy.
At least 1,472 people were charged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws between 1987 and 2016, according to the Lahore-based Center for Social Justice.
Muslims made up the majority of those prosecuted, followed by members of the Ahmadiyya, Christian and Hindu minorities.
Human rights groups say laws are increasingly being exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle their scores.
With dpa reports, Bild am Sonntag, AFP and AP
