Source/Credit: The News | Pakistan
By Arshad Dogar & Adil Munir | August 8, 2011
LAHORE: The Ministry of Interior has taken up the issue of death sentence to Aasia Bibi in a blasphemy case by asking the Punjab home secretary to offer his views/comments on and the latest position of the case, The News has learnt.
The issue had been lying low after the assassination of former governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, the main contestant of a mercy petition, on Jan 4, 2011, and the murder of former federal minister for minorities affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, on March 2, 2011.
A letter No. 7/32/2010-Ptns, a copy of which is available with The News, was issued from the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, to the secretary, Home Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore, on May 26, 2011.
The subject of the letter reads: “Petition under Article 45 of The Constitution for Pardon/Suspension of death sentence awarded to Mst. Asia Bibi in blasphemy case.”
The text of the letter reads: “I (Section Officer Ptns) am directed to enclose a copy of Prime Minister’s Secretariat (Public) Islamabad U.O. No. 9(86)/DS(IA-I) 2010 dated 3rd December 2010 along with its enclosures on the subject noted above.”
The second para of the letter reads: “You are requested to offer your views/comments on and the latest position of the case of Asia Bibi to this ministry immediately for onward transmission to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Islamabad.”
The Punjab home secretary marked the letter to prisons assistant secretary on June 1, 2011, and the latter forwarded it to IG Prisons for his views. Well placed sources in the Punjab Prisons Department told The News that the IG Prisons had further marked the letter to superintendent, Sheikhupura District Jail. The superintendent jail, in his reply to the IG Prisons, said that the appeal of the petitioner against the order of the additional district & sessions judge, Nankana Sahib, is pending in the Lahore High Court and the matter of pardon/suspension of death sentence is a subject of the President of Pakistan. So, he said that he could not furnish any views on the issue.
The late governor, Salman Taseer, had forwarded a mercy petition in Asia Bibi blasphemy case to the President of Pakistan on Nov 11, 2010. The secretary to the president, Malik Asif Hayat, had forwarded it to Ms Nargis Sethi, the personal secretary to the prime minister on Dec 2, 2010.
The letter sent from the presidency to the PM reads: “Please find enclosed herewith a copy of petition dated 19-11-2010 from above named petitioner confined in District Jail Sheikhupura received in this secretariat through the principal secretary to the governor Punjab vide letter No. PGS/2010-50, dated 21-11-2010, seeking pardon/suspension of death sentence awarded to the petitioner by the additional session judge, Nankana Sahib, in a blasphemy case.”
The letter further reads: “One copy each of opinion jurisdiction on the subject written by Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan, consultant (Legal Affairs), and judgment in the case of Muhammad Mehboob alias Booba in PLD 2002 Lahore 587, which lays a procedure followed at the stage of investigation and trial in such like cases also enclosed for such action as deemed appropriate, please.”Asia Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi, was convicted by a court of blasphemy, receiving a sentence of death by hanging.
Read original post here: Interior ministry seeks comments from Punjab home secretary
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