Pak govt has no plans to put Asiya Bibi's name on ECL

Islamabad [Pakistan], Nov 1 (ANI): The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Thursday clarified that it has no plans to put Asiya Bibi's name on the Exit Control List (ECL) or file a review petition against the Supreme Court's verdict which acquitted her in connection to a blasphemy case.
The PTI wrote on its Twitter handle, "Federal Government has no plan to put Aasia Bibi's name on ECL or appeal for a review against the court's verdict. A review petition is been filed by the concerned party which has nothing to do with the government."
The PTI government's comments came after some Pakistani media reports stated that a review petition had been filed against the verdict and to place Asiya on the ECL.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, also rubbished the reports.
According to a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the Government of Pakistan, it read, "Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting has contradicted reports appearing in a section of media regarding the filing of any review petition against the judgement of Supreme Court in Asia Bibi case."
Hussain added that the PTI government "has neither filed any review petition against the judgment nor has placed the name of Asiya Bibi on ECL".
Meanwhile, protests against the Pakistan Supreme Court's verdict continued for the second day in several parts of the country with most of the routes being open for traffic in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, while some of them were still blocked.
Major roads such as Rawalpindi-Islamabad Faizabad Interchange and GT Road are still blocked with protesters blocking the routes with barricades and vehicles and chanting slogans against the verdict. Educational institutions and offices have been shut down in view of the agitation and major hospitals have been placed on high alert, Geo News reported.
Section 144, which has been imposed in Punjab province following the verdict, will be lifted on November 10. Rail and air transport are running on schedule and are not affected by the current agitations across the country.
Protests are still being held in other cities such as -- Gujranwala, Mansehra, Faisalabad and Peshawar.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the formation of a committee to tackle the current law and order situation in the country. He made the decision during a weekly federal cabinet meeting, according to The Express Tribune.
On Wednesday, in his address to the nation, the cricketer-turned-politician launched a blistering attack on the religious parties protesting against the verdict, saying that "despicable language" used against the military and army cannot be tolerated and vowed to fulfil its responsibility of protecting the people from "anti-state activities".
A three-judge special bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel heard Asiya's 2014 appeal against her conviction and death sentence and overturned the ruling in favour of her yesterday.
Asiya, a Christian woman, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 in connection to a blasphemy case for her alleged comments against Prophet Mohammed during an argument with three Muslim women. (ANI)