Third Day of Protests Over Asia Bibi's Release in Pakistan; Mobile Services Cut and Schools Closed

As major cities in Pakistan enter the third day of protests against the release of Asia Bibi, a woman accused of 'blasphemy', news agencies report school closures, road blockages, and disruptions in mobile services in some cities of the country. According to reports, protests continued on Friday, November 2, for the third consecutive day in major cities of Pakistan, with demonstrators blocking roads and highways in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. The Islamist party 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan' (TLP), the main organizer of these protests and demanding Asia Bibi's execution, announced on Friday that its negotiations with the Imran Khan government had completely failed. Prime Minister Imran Khan also warned in a televised speech that he would not allow roads to be blocked and public property to be harmed. Asia Noreen (known as Asia Bibi), a 47-year-old Christian woman who was arrested about nine years ago and sentenced to death for 'blasphemy', was acquitted and released by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday. Since her release on Wednesday, her whereabouts have not been disclosed, and police announced on Friday that security measures at her location had been increased. Asia Bibi had a dispute with her neighbors in a village in Punjab over water about nine years ago, and a few days later, she was accused by her neighbors of insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Although Asia Bibi has always vehemently denied this accusation, she was arrested and sentenced to death. However, three judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan ultimately ruled for her acquittal and release last week. Pakistani Islamists have strongly insisted on her execution over the past nine years and have killed at least three of her supporters. Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab, was killed by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, in 2011 after he supported Asia Bibi and called for reform of the 'blasphemy law'. Although Mumtaz Qadri was executed for murder, he gained a status similar to that of a hero among extremist Islamists, and some of his supporters founded the political party 'Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan', which is considered the organizer of the recent protests in Pakistani cities. Muhammad Fadl Badri, one of the founders of this party, on Friday, participating in the Lahore protests, called for the killing of all three Supreme Court judges who voted for Asia Bibi's acquittal, stating that the associates of these judges, 'such as their bodyguards, drivers, or cooks', should kill them. The ruling issued for Asia Bibi has sparked a wave of global reactions in recent years, and in addition to statements from Christian communities in several countries, Pope Francis, the leader of Catholics, also said he prays for this woman. Asia Bibi's husband and four children, who had migrated to the UK, have recently returned to Pakistan to possibly take her abroad. The final destination for this Christian woman is still unclear, but France and Spain have offered her asylum.