Farahnaz Ispahani, Senior Fellow with RFI’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, writes in The Hindu that while Asia Bibi has been released, “her relocation to Canada does not reflect substantive change in the persecuted state of Pakistan’s religious minorities.”

For hundreds of individuals whose blasphemy cases remain pending for prosecution, “The Pakistani legal system offers little protection….and mere accusation is tantamount to punishment.”

Ispahani argues for significant changes in Pakistan, in both law and culture:

For Pakistan’s religious minorities to feel safe, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws must be tackled, amended or removed as a crucial first step. After that, or alongside, must begin the decades-long process of removing the seed of hatred sowed soon after the death of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Read the full article: Pakistan’s Blasphemy Ordeal