My hats off to Ms Aasia Bibi, resident of Nankana Sahib, birth place of Guru Nanak, for not buckling under pressure from religious bigots, for converting into Islam. Is it any wonder then that the ugliness of religious bigotry could not properly represent and impress the beauty of Islam to Aasia? And no matter how much I personally dislike Gov Salman Taseer for pulling the rug under the elected government of Punjab for no good reason, his efforts on behalf of Aasia must be appreciated.
However, the federal government and, especially, the presidency is taking the easy way out on this matter by mulling the possibility of granting a pardon to Aasia for her alleged bad deed. Instead, she and her family should be provided full state funded security and she should be provided with best legal team to defend her case at the appeal stage in the Lahore High Court. I feel sorry for the people of Nankana Sahib, who probably heard the last good news coming out of their district some 500 odd years ago.
TAIMOOR ASHRAF
Lahore
