If Faisal is telling the truth and Asia Bibi, the Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy and held on death row for eight years, hasn’t actually left the country, then it is likely that the Pakistani authorities are going to give her up as a sacrifice to the Islamic groups that are baying for her blood, so as to appease and calm them. If Faisal is lying, and she has actually left the country, he may be trying to calm those Islamic groups by giving them the impression that Asia Bibi is still quarry they can catch, while in reality she is out of their reach. This would allow the government to save face and not be blamed for her having escaped.
“No truth in reports of Aasia Bibi leaving Pakistan: Foreign Office,” by Naveed Siddiqui, Dawn, November 8, 2018 (thanks to Phil):
Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal on Thursday denied reports that Aasia Bibi had left Pakistan, saying the recently acquitted Christian woman was still in the country.
“There is no truth in reports of her leaving the country — it is fake news,” Dr Faisal told DawnNewsTV. Aasia Bibi was released from Multan jail last night — a little over a week after the Supreme Court overturned her conviction and death sentence.
Shortly after the FO’s clarification, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry called out the “irresponsible” behaviour of some media outlets for running the news of Aasia Bibi allegedly leaving the country without “confirmation”.
“It has become a norm to publish fake news for sake of headlines,” Chaudhry said on Twitter. “#AsiaBibi case is sensitive issue; it was extremely irresponsible to publish news of her leaving the country without confirmation. I strongly urge section of media to act responsible.”
The statements by FO and Chaudhry come on the heels of news reports from a day earlier which stated that Aasia Bibi had left Multan’s women prison and was being flown to an “unknown destination”. This particular quote, attributed to Aasia Bibi’s lawyer Saiful Malook, led to speculation that she had left the country.
However, reliable sources on Wednesday night had confirmed to Dawn that Aasia Bibi was brought to Islamabad onboard a special aircraft.
The aircraft carrying Aasia Bibi landed at the old Benazir Bhutto International Airport of Islamabad adjacent to Nur Khan Air Base, said sources. From there, she was taken to an undisclosed place in Islamabad amid tight security. The authorities are keeping her movement and whereabouts secret for security reasons.
Aasia Bibi’s acquittal had sparked countrywide protests by religious parties and groups. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is expected to hold a ‘million march’ in Karachi against the Supreme Court’s verdict today.
Dr Faisal, during a press briefing at noon on Thursday, reiterated that Aasia Bibi was in Pakistan and “in a safe place”. “The media should verify such news [before running it].”
“Aasia Bibi is a free citizen. After the court’s verdict, she can go wherever she wants. There is no restriction on the mobility of a free citizen,” said Dr Faisal, adding that only the interior ministry or the law could specify if legally her name could be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL)….