Following the pronouncement of the death sentence against a Christian woman, Aasiya Bibi, on a charge of blasphemy, the case and the controversial law pertaining to this alleged crime have been the subject of heated debate.

Aasiya Bibi’s case and the resultant prevailing situation are full of ironies. The state that purports to offer ‘special protection’ to its minority communities finds itself in a quagmire. Even before the president could consider a mercy petition filed by Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer and appeals by assorted international human rights organisations to spare Aasiya Bibi’s life, the chief justice of the Punjab High Court, where the case is to be sent, had already issued a verdict: there is no room for pardon in a blasphemy case.

Newsline published a special report on the controversy surrounding the case of Aasiya Bibi in the December 2010 issue. The comprehensive report contains two in-depth feature articles and five interviews with politicians, activists and Islamic scholars. The December 2010 issue is available on newsstands in Pakistan now.

Here you’ll find links to some of the featured interviews and articles from our special report:

Pandora’s Law: The Blasphemy Law is a danger to all Pakistanis, but a repeal is unlikely

Interview: Mairaj-ul-Huda Siddiqui: A top leader with a religious party defends Pakistan’s blasphemy laws

Interview: Salmaan Taseer: The Governor of Punjab speaks out against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws

Interview: Sherry Rehman: The MNA explains her proposed amendments to the blasphemy laws.

Interview: Iqbal Haider: The lawyer and former politician argues that the most barbaric and inhumane practices are being propagated in the name of religion in Pakistan

Interview: Dr Khalid Zaheer: A respected religious scholar discusses blasphemy and the death penalty

And here you can view some statistics that succinctly show the fatal reach of the controversial law:

Chilling Statistics on Blasphemy and the Law


Here are more stories on the blasphemy law and the treatment of minorities from our July 2010 issue, published following attacks on a Ahmedi mosque in Lahore and increased sectarian attacks on the Shia community in Karachi:

• No Room for the ‘Other’: Extremists are trying to re-make Pakistan through violence and intimidation and lies. By Talib Qizilbash
• Interview: I.A. Rehman, Secretary-General, HRCP
• Interview: Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities
• Sectarian Attacks: “No Headway” by Saad Hasan
• Target Killings of Shia Doctors: “Surgical Strikes” by Saher Baloch

Other related articles:

• The Injustice Continues: The murder of two Christian brothers outside a court of law
• Damned By Faith : The Ahmedi community under attack