Attempts by a Pakistani-Christian woman to secure asylum in the UK after being acquitted of blasphemy charges in Pakistan have been delayed because of a disagreement within the British government, The National can reveal.
Asia Bibi spent eight years on death row but she, her family and legal team have all faced death threats since her release earlier this month and been forced into hiding.
It is understood that Britain’s interior ministry wants to allow Ms Bibi into the country but is being blocked by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Ms Bibi’s husband Ashiq Masih made a direct video appeal to the UK on Saturday saying that he also feared for his own life, and the family’s campaign has been taken up by senior figures including the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson.
In a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Mr Johnson said: “I am well aware, as a former foreign secretary, of the constant threat to our overseas missions but we cannot allow the threat of violence to deter us from doing the right thing”.
Conservative MP Rehman Chishti told British radio that the UK had a “moral obligation to give sanctuary to someone who’s been persecuted for their faith, but whose life is in grave danger”.
Following Ms Bibi’s release on the 7th November, crowds took to the streets in cities across Pakistan baying for her death. A survey in 2013 that more than 10 million Pakistanis had said they would be willing to personally killed Ms Bibi.
The predicament is a political minefield for Britain, pitting values against a diplomatic relationship many see as vital for both countries.
Britain’s High Commission in Islamabad is among its largest diplomatic missions anywhere in the world, whilst Pakistan is the single largest recipient of UK foreign aid. In 2016 it received more than £400 million, and disruption to the diplomatic posting would have serious consequences for both countries.
Britain is home to more than 1.2 million citizens with both Pakistani and British citizenship, whilst as many as 80,000 dual nationals reside in Pakistan.
However, Azeem Ibrahim, a former advisor to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Policy, played down suggestions there could be long term consequences for bilateral relations or significant unrest.
“It’s a bad reflection on the Pakistani government that they can no longer protect their own citizens,” he said.
“The reality is that the government of Pakistan has indicated that they support the Supreme court decision.”
He added that, if Ms Bibi secured asylum in the UK it would be a headache for the Pakistan government “that they no longer have to deal with”.
"There may be protests, but they won't last very long, they are mobs, they have been looting, they have very little religious inclination, I don't anticipate it will go on for too long," he told The National.
A similar affair in 2007 saw the two countries’ relations reach near breaking point, after Sir Salman Rushdie was awarded a knighthood
Mr Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses, published almost two decades earlier was widely condemned in Pakistan as blasphemous. In Britain, it was named a 1998 Booker Prize finalist.
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Read more
Asia Bibi flown to a secure hiding place in Pakistan after leaving jail
Asia Bibi: Pakistan court acquits Christian woman on death row for blasphemy
Imran Khan is caught between the past and the future
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Then British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley was summoned, whilst the country’s Religious Affairs Minister called on all Muslim countries to sever ties with the UK..
Britain is not the only country caught in the case of Ms Bibi, a number of Dutch diplomats were “rushed home” on Monday, after Holland offered temporary sanctuary to Ms Bibi’s lawyer, Saif Ul Malook.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
