Jinnah Institute blasts Pak-Christian woman’s shocking death sentence for ‘blasphemy

ISLAMABAD - The Jinnah Institute in Pakistan has expressed its shock and dismay at the death sentence awarded to Aasia Bibi, a Christian lady and mother of five, by a court in the Nankana sahib under the Blasphemy Law.

According to a press release, the Jinnah Institute and its board of advisors joined the human rights organisations and the civil society in a call for the repeal of the Blasphemy Law, which has been used as a method of persecution of minorities and to settle personal vendettas, The News reported.

According to an investigation by the National Commission on the Status of Women, Aasia Bibi’s case is rooted in personal vendetta by a landlord, who is using the issue to settle a score with her.

The President of the Jinnah Institute, Sherry Rehman, said in a statement that Aasia was “yet another victim of the shocking prejudice that pervades our institutions.”

Aasia, an illiterate woman and resident of Chak 3 of Ittanwali was sentenced in June 2009 under Section 295B and C of the Pakistan Penal Code, commonly referred to as the Blasphemy Law, and has been in jail for over a year. (ANI)