Asia Bibi's lawyers have made a request to the Pakistani Supreme Court seeking to appoint another judge immediately or a new college to hear the case.
The request sent to the Chief Justice comes after yet another postponement of Bibi's hearing, in which her defence team are appealing her death sentence for apostacy. According to Fides, Bibi's lawyers are confident that a new date for the hearing will be set sometime within a few weeks.
Meanwhile, the director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement Nasir Saeed, stated that despite the postponement, they are still very hopeful that at the next hearing the charges against the Christian mother of five will be dropped.
"I am also scared that there can be tremendous repercussions for the Christians in Pakistan," he confessed. "If her conviction is upheld, then she can appeal to the president of Pakistan, who has the power to grant a pardon."
Immediately following the Court's decision to postpone the decision on the issue, demonstrations were held in several parts of the country, including Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, with Sunni Muslims chanting slogans and carrying signboards reading '#HangAsia.'
Mukhtar, one of the protestors who took to the streets in Lahore, told AsiaNews, "It will be a war if accursed Asia escapes. We are united to guard the honor of Rasool Allah. We are His servants. Was Pakistan formed to hang the lovers and spare blasphemers. Why is Asia Bibi not hanged even after death sentence by Lahore High Court and Supreme Court? The government will pay if it acts on foreign agenda and betrays us."
Muhammad Tahseen, a Muslim leader of a forum that encompasses over 50 associations in defense of human rights, has stood by Bibi, claiming the case against her is "wrong" and that the blasphemy laws should be removed from the Constitution of the country.