Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Jamali is expected to form a new bench to hear Aasia Bibi’s appeal against her death sentence as Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman on Thursday recused to hear the case.

Aasia, a Christian woman, has been a death row prisoner since November 2010 after being convicted of committing blasphemy during an argument with a Muslim woman over a bowl of water in Sheikhupura in June 2009.

However, her case sought more prominence when then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, while visiting her in jail, commented over the abuse of controversial blasphemy law.

A three-member bench, led by Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman and Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik took up the appeal.

Justice Nisar said then Islamabad High Court chief justice Justice Rehman had heard the case of Taseer’s killer Mumtaz Qadri.

Justice Nisar said that according to Justice Rehman, both the matters of Taseer and Aasia Bibi’s plea are related.

He said the bench is writing a letter to Justice Jamali requesting him to reconstitute a new bench.

As the court heard the case thousands of police personnel were deployed outside the Supreme Court building as the Lal Masjid clerics threatened to hold a protest.

On July 22, 2015, the three-member bench, headed by Justice Nisar, granted leave to appeal to Aasia and suspended the Lahore High Court’s October 17 order, wherein her death sentence was maintained. The case has been adjourned for date-in-office.