Asia Bibi had called on Christians to pray and fast with her on April 27, after hearing her death sentence appeal would re-open in Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Her appeal was conveyed by her family that visited her recently and by the Renaissance Education Foundation in Lahore that supports her family and bears her legal costs.
Asia Bibi’s hope revived after hearing her lawyer Saiful Malook declare that the Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court Saqib Nisar would soon establish the date for the next hearing before the Supreme Court. Asia Bibi had thus called on Christians all over the world to pray and fast with her on April 27. The Pakistan Bishops Council and numerous parishes, including the lay Catholic movement ‘Jesus Youth Pakistan’, had declared their participation in the prayer and fasting initiative.
Asia Bibi has been detained since 2009 on false charges of blasphemy reported by Muslim women and an Imam, following an argument over sharing a bowl of water with fellow workers in a field. In November 2010 she was given the death sentence by the lower court in Nanka district and four years later the verdict was confirmed by Lahore High Court. She is imprisoned in the Multan female prison.
