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The family of a Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy charges last month was reportedly pushed into hiding by extremist religious groups who were trying to hunt them down.
Asia Bibi, whose release has triggered protests in Pakistan over the past three weeks, is already in pre-trial detention. guardian reports. But his family is now hiding in the hope of getting asylum in Europe or North America. Bibi's lawyer has already fled the country.
"Mullahs have been reported in their neighborhood, going from house to house, showing pictures of family members on the phone, trying to track them down," said John Pontifex of the Need UK Catholic Church Aid Group. (ACN). guardian. "The family had to move from one place to another to avoid detection."
The highest court in Pakistan acquitted Bibi at the end of October on charges of blasphemy. She had already been sentenced to death and was held on death row for eight years. After her acquittal, Bibi was released from prison and transferred to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, under high security.
Read more: A Pakistani court has overturned the death sentence of a Christian woman for blasphemy. Now, the protests spread across the country
His release sparked protests from extremist Muslim groups, who blocked roads and clashed with the police while demanding that Bibi be hanged.
Many European countries are in talks with Pakistan about Bibi's asylum application. Spain and France have offered to shelter the tormented mother of five children, the guardian reports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also confirmed that his country was in talks on asylum with Pakistan, but declined to provide further details because of the "delicate domestic context".
Last week, "fake" images purporting to show that Bibi was leaving Pakistan and meeting Pope Francis had sparked new protests and threatened death with a Pakistani lawmaker. The country's information minister condemned the images, warning that "people could even be killed because of such false publications".
