Pak SC reserves verdict on Asia Bibi's final appeal against her execution

Pakistan's Supreme Court Monday reserved its judgement on the final appeal against the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case.

Asia Bibi was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009 and was convicted in 2010. Her appeal against the death sentence was rejected by the Lahore High Court. She had filed the final appeal to the apex court against the original conviction.

A special three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel reserved the verdict on the appeal of mother of five against the execution.

Chief Justice Nisar cautioned the media against commenting on or discussing the case until the detailed judgement has been issued.

No date has been announced by the court about when it will announce the verdict on the appeal.

Earlier, Asia Bibi's lawyer Saiful Mulook briefed the court that the case based on verbal clash between Bibi and a group of Muslim women was filed by a prayer leader of Katanwala in Nankana Sahib. He said the June 14, 2009 incident was reported on June 19.

"Are these things on the record?" the chief justice asked.

Mulook said no permission to file the FIR was taken from the district coordination officer or the district police officer, which was against the law.

The lawyer also highlighted the contradictory statements of the Muslim women witnesses.

"What we can conclude from your statements is that the prayer leader himself did not witness the incident as it happened," Justice Khosa observed. "No blasphemous language was uttered in the presence of the prayer leader."