Pakistan court upholds Aasia's blasphemy acquittal

ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (IANS): Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a review petition challenging its decision to acquit Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in a blasphemy case.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa tossed out the plea against Bibi's October acquittal that had sparked three-day mass protests led by the hardline Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Geo News reported.

"Based on merit, this review petition is dismissed... You could not point out (even) a single mistake in the Supreme Court's verdict," Justice Khosa told the petitioner's lawyer.

Bibi, a mother of five, spent eight years on death row in a prison in Multan before she was acquitted last year. She was accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad in 2009 and a court sentenced her to death in 2010.