Pakistan suspended mobile phone networks in major cities on Friday and many schools were closed as Islamist groups protested for a third day against the acquittal of a Christian woman facing the death penalty for blasphemy.



The Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of Asia Bibi, a mother of five, and ordered her freed.

She had been living on death row since 2010 after being convicted under Pakistan’s tough blasphemy laws.

Bibi's offence was said to have occurred in 2009 after she was stopped from drinking water from the same bucket as some Muslim women. After this, she was told that as a Christian she was a subhuman who has no right to socially interact with Muslims unless she converts to Islam. Asia's accusers say that she retorted by asking "What good has Muhammad brought to this world?"

The case outraged Christians worldwide and has been a source of division within Pakistan, where two politicians, who sought to help Bibi were assassinated.

The Supreme Court decision enraged hardline Islamists, in particular, members of a group called the Tehreek-e-Labaik, who have taken to the streets to call for the death of the judges who made the decision and the ouster of the government.

Authorities, including members of the main military security agency, held negotiations with the leader of the group late on Thursday but they came to no agreement, the TLP leader, Khadim Rizvi, said.

The spokesman for the military said the armed forces hoped the “matter is resolved without the disruption of peace”.

“Both sides should talk amongst themselves, and we should not reach the stage where this matter comes under the ambit of the armed forces,” he told state-run PTV channel.

On Friday, telephone networks were down in the capital, Islamabad, and the eastern city of Lahore, where pockets of TLP protesters blocked main roads.

“All services have been shut down by the government,” said a customer service representative at one of Pakistan’s main mobile phone companies, while declining to elaborate.



A Reuters photographer saw about 100 protesters using stones, pieces of wood and motor-bikes to create a barricade across one main road.

Bibi’s whereabouts were not known on Friday.

Her family has been in hiding this week.

Kingwizzy16:
Stupid religion

mujahid777:
They have every right to protest the subversion of justice

mujahid777:
They have every right to protest the subversion of justice

Kingwizzy16:
Stupid religion

CodeTemplar:
What justice? A woman asks you what good has your prophet brought to this world and you can't tell her to convince her to convert Islam. Isn't that enough to cover your face in shame or renounce your secret cult ways?