{UAH} Asia Bibi: Christian woman accused of blasphemy seeks UK asylum
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Asia Bibi: Christian woman accused of blasphemy seeks UK asylum
The husband of Asia Bibi asks Prime Minister Theresa May to grant his family asylum in the UK.
06:55, UK,Sunday 04 November 2018
The husband of a Christian Pakistani woman who was accused of blasphemy has asked Theresa May to grant them asylum in Britain.
Asia Bibi, 47, was convicted in 2010 over allegations she insulted Islam's Prophet Muhammad in a dispute with her neighbours.
The mother-of-five, who has spent the past eight years on death row, has faced calls for her life amid widespread protests after she was acquitted on Wednesday.
Her husband Ashiq Masih has asked the UK to grant his family refuge amid fears for their safety.
It comes after Ms Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Malook, fled Pakistan fearing for his life.
Speaking in Punjabi, Mr Masih said in a video: "I am requesting the prime minister of the UK help us and as far as possible grant us freedom."
He also called for asylum from US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the clip.
France and Spain have offered her asylum, while the former bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, who is a Christian born in Pakistan, said Ms Bibi should be granted asylum in the UK.
Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said: "The fact no offer has manifested is shocking.
"Hundreds of thousands of people have rioted and called for her death."
The official route to asylum would mean the family would need to make the request after leaving Pakistan.
But the Pakistani government has reached a deal with Islamists to restrict Ms Bibi's travel while the case is reviewed.
Mrs May has previously called for the death penalty to be abolished globally when asked about Ms Bibi's case.
Pakistan's supreme court said there was not enough evidence to convict her when she was acquitted this week.
It prompted more than 2,000 Islamists to block a key road linking the capital, Islamabad, with the garrison city of Rawalpindi, causing traffic jams.
Other protesters damaged or set fire to dozens of vehicles to pressure the government - resulting in her release being delayed.
Ms Bibi's lawyer, Mr Mulook, said he left Pakistan following the acquittal "just to save [my] life from [an] angry mob" and because of fears for his family's safety.
"I consulted and everybody is of this opinion (that I should leave)."
He added that he would return to the country to continue his work on the case if he was given protection by security forces.
Ms Bibi has always maintained her innocence, but has spent the majority of the past eight years in solitary confinement.
Her current whereabouts is unknown. Islamists have warned the authorities against taking her out of the country.
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