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By Saad Sayeed
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The husband of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted after spending eight years on death row on charges of blasphemy has appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump for refuge, citing danger to family members' lives.
Ashiq Masih, the husband of Asia Bibi, whose case has outraged Christians in Pakistan, also appealed to the United Kingdom and Canada for assistance.
The ultra-right Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party blocked major roads in Pakistan's largest cities, calling for the murder of the Supreme Court judges who acquitted Asia Bibi on Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan and the country's army chief enemies of Islam.
The TLP called off the protests late on Friday after striking a deal with the government.
"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," 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 the British and Canadian High Commissions in Islamabad did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
On Saturday, Bibi's Saiful Mulook's lawyer 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 on the subject of Islam. She always denied having committed blasphemy.
Her case caught the attention of the Punjab provincial governor Salman Taseer who spoke in Bibi's defense before being murdered 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 been warned the authorities against taking care 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 made Bibi's release as Pakistan's government caving into Western demands.
(Writing by Saad Sayeed, Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
