The Supreme Court on Thursday admitted for regular hearing a petition filed against Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman over allegations of committing blasphemy. A two-member SC bench comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan directed Multan City Police Officer (CPO) Amir Zulfiqar to take action in accordance with the law. The petition against Sherry was filed by Faheem Akhtar Gill, a citizen of Multan. The petitioner requested the court to order registration of a case against her for allegedly committing blasphemy. The petitioner contended that she had committed blasphemy while speaking on a news channel two years ago. In November 2010, Sherry had submitted a bill in the National Assembly’s Secretariat seeking an end to the death penalty under the existing blasphemy laws. Later in February 2011, then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, had categorically stated that the government had no intention to amend the blasphemy law. According to the petition, after Gilani’s rejection of amending blasphemy law, Sherry had told a foreign news agency that she had no option but to abide by the decision after the prime minister had ruled out any discussion.
