Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was freed from death row by the Pakistan Supreme Court in a blasphemy case last year, has left the country and reached Canada to reunite with her family, according to her lawyer.
The47-year-old mother of four was convicted in 2010 after being accused ofinsulting Islam in a row with her neighbours. She always maintained herinnocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.
“AasiaBibi has left the country. She is a free person and travelled on herindependent will,” a source in the foreign office was quoted as saying bythe Dawn newspaper.
Bibi’scounsel Saiful Malook confirmed that she has reached Canada, the Guardianreported.
It isa big day. Asia Bibi has left Pakistan and reached Canada. She has reunitedwith her family. Justice has been dispensed, he was quoted as saying by theBritish newspaper.
Hesaid that Bibi’s safe arrival in Canada was the result of hard work byactivists, foreign diplomats and others who stood by Bibi in hard times andworked for her freedom.
TheSupreme Court had on October 31 last year acquitted her of blasphemy charges.The judgement triggered protests across Pakistan with protestors led by Islamicpolitical party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan and other groups blocking majorhighways and roads in different parts of the country.
TheBritish Pakistani Christian Association too said in a statement that they hadreceived confirmation from a British diplomat that Aasia Bibi had safely exitedPakistan.
GeoNews quoted sources as saying that the woman’s documents were made a month ago.
ThePakistan government had in November rejected reports claiming Aasia Bibi hasfled abroad, saying the images on the social media showing therecently-acquitted Christian woman being greeted overseas are “fake”.
It wasreported in local media that she was taken to Noor Khan Airbase Rawalpindi,from where she would be shifted to the Netherlands.
Earlier,Italy had said it would help Bibi leave the country because her life was indanger following charges of blasphemy that put her on death row for eightyears.
Herhusband had also urged the US president, and the UK and Canada premiers to helpher leave the country for her life.
Bibi’shusband Ashiq Masih in a video message had appealed to the world leaders tohelp Aasia leave Pakistan for her safety.