A minority Christian woman on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan has been shifted to an isolation ward fearing threats to her life by extremists upset over a high-profile ruling in a separate case, officials said today.
Asia Bibi, a mother of five whose case had sparked international outrage over the country's controversial blasphemy laws, was put in an isolation ward last week soon after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to a former police commando who brutally killed former Punjab governor Salman Taseer for seeking reforms.
Bibi, sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly uttering blasphemous words during a quarrel over a bowl of water with fellow Muslim women while working on a crop field in Punjab province, has denied the charges over the 2009 incident.
Taseer had visited her in jail and criticised the blasphemy laws, introduced by former military dictator Ziaul Haq in 1980, enraging his police guard Mumtaz Qadri who killed him in 2011 in Islamabad.
Qadri was later convicted for murder, and his sentence being upheld by the Supreme Court has created fears that in backlash, the extremists may try to harm Bibi held in a jail in Multan in southern Punjab.
"We have put her in isolation as there is fear that she might be attacked by fellow jailers, police guards or some outsiders," a jail official said.
Bibi's health has also deteriorated over the years in jail and she also suffers from breathing problems, the official added.
Earlier, rights activists had expressed concerned for Bibi's safety.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan and several accused had been killed by extremists.
Last year, a British-Pakistani citizen sentenced to death for blasphemy was shot and wounded by a guard at Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Bibi's death sentence had sparked outrage among international human rights groups, which condemned Pakistan's blasphemy law as a source of persecution against religious minorities.
