ISLAMABAD: A citizen approached the Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking review of its Oct 31 judgement of acquitting Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case after overturning an October 2014 Lahore High Court verdict that had sentenced the Christian woman to death.

Abdul Ghafoor Khan, a resident of Arain village on Raiwind Road in Lahore, moved the petition though his counsel Aftab Bajwa with a request to maintain the capital punishment.

The petitioner also sought a court directive for the interior ministry to place the name of Aasia Bibi on the Exit Control List (ECL) till a final decision on his petition.

On Oct 31, a three-judge SC bench reversed the judgements of the high court as well as the trial court, thus setting aside the conviction and the death sentence awarded to Aasia Bibi, accused of committing blasphemy during an argument with a Muslim woman in Sheikhupura in June 2009. The petition argued that no previous enmity, ill will or ulterior motive came on record to claim that she had been falsely implicated in such a heinous crime.

Moreover, the petitioner said, the prosecution had proved its case through independent and confidence-inspiring evidence, adding that the accused had confessed to her guilt and due to this reason, the prosecution witnesses were not cross-examined during the trial — a fact sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused.

During the trial, the petition contended, the accused did not utter a single word in her defence and she was rightly convicted.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2018