Aasia Bibi is in Pakistan: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Sunday strongly denied social media reports about Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted by the Supreme Court in a blasphemy case late last month, leaving Pakistan. "Asia Bibi has not left Pakistan and she is in the country," a spokesman for the Foreign Office said in a statement. The spokesman termed the reports on social media "false and baseless." Protests had erupted in several cities after the Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi. Bibi had been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. Enraged masses had blocked several routes across the country for two days, while at some places they had also set fire to vehicles. The demonstrations saw closure of schools, colleges and universities, as well as cancellation of examinations. The government and protesters from different religious groups, led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), reached an agreement two days later on November 2. The government, however, decided to take action against miscreants involved in vandalism, torture and arson during the demonstrations, leading to a crackdown on rioters across the country.

The law enforcement agencies had rounded up around 1,800 individuals. The Ministry of Interior had said that the arrestees had been booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).