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The husband of a Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy has begged Theresa May to grant asylum to her wife and their family in the United Kingdom.
In a video message seen by the ObserverAshiq Masih, the husband of Asia Bibi, called on the British prime minister to "help us out of Pakistan," where thousands protested against the Supreme Court ruling and demanded that it be punished.
The call came a day after Imran Khan's government announced it would try to prevent Bibi from leaving the country, which his supporters likened to a "signature of his death warrant".
Bibi, an agricultural laborer, spent eight years on death row after being falsely accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. This followed an argument after drinking water in the same cup as a Muslim. On Saturday, his lawyer, Saif-ul-Malook, said he had fled Pakistan, fearing for his life.
In the message recorded Saturday, Masih, 55, called May, along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump, to put his family and long-standing guardian , Joseph Nadeem, safe in the west of the country. .
"I ask the British Prime Minister to help us get out of Pakistan and give us asylum if it can," he said, speaking slowly in a clean room and naked in a room. secure house in Pakistan. "We are so threatened that we are stuck in this house," he later said on WhatsApp, asking the media to refrain from sharing the video to hide his identity.
Wilson Chowdhry, of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said that Masih had already applied for asylum with a Western embassy, but that this request was not being sent. Chowdhry said the family needed an "immediate asylum", adding that it was "unbelievable", no government had yet advanced. "It would not do for her to die because of the tangle of red tape," he said. The association has launched a petition calling on British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to grant asylum to Bibi's family.
The cancellation of Bibi's death sentence made the Islamists furious and a petition was filed Thursday asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its verdict. The Pakistani government Tehreek-e-Insaf of Khan has agreed not to oppose the petition in a much-criticized deal signed with officials of the protest on Friday night, in which he also said that he would seek to place Bibi, 47, on the Exit Control List (ECL), which would prohibit any theft.
In return, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a growing political party dedicated solely to punishing blasphemy, put an end to its protest, leaving behind burnt shells of burnt vehicles on blocked highways.
On Saturday, Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said the Pakistani authorities' refusal to allow Bibi to leave the county was a tragedy.
"The Pakistani government must decide whether it respects the rule of law or not. Asia Bibi was finally acquitted in court of a fabricated charge. The delay in obtaining justice for her has already damaged the respect of Pakistan in the world, "he told the Observer.
"This latest development is another tragedy not only for Asia Bibi, but also for a country whose founding principles have respected freedom of religion."
A senior conservative MP urges the Foreign Office to raise the case of Bibi with the Pakistani government. Tom Tugendhat, Chairman of the Select Foreign Affairs Committee, said: "I will ask the Foreign Office to make an urgent assessment of the situation and give the Pakistani Government the assurance that Asia Bibi, who has been declared innocent by the Supreme Court, will not be abandoned to a hate crowd.
"It is clear that Ms. Bibi and other religious minorities are in grave danger and that Prime Minister Imran Khan must decide whether or not he believes in the rule of law or the law of the crowd."
The 3 million Pakistani Christians are at their lowest after the court decision. The government ordered them not to visit the graves of family members on Soul Day, which fell on Friday, saying large gatherings could be a target for an attack.
An experienced member of the community told the Observer he had temporarily removed the mirror cross from his car. "It's very difficult to stay in this country now," added a Christian woman. "I'm scared."
