Canada in talks about giving Pakistan Christian Asia Bibi refuge

Canada is working with the Pakistani government to give refuge to a Christian woman who was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy.

Asia Bibi spent eight years on death row until she was acquitted and released in 2018 by the Pakistani government.

He husband Ashiq Masih, has appealed to the UK, Canada, the US and Italy for help. 

"We are in discussions with the Pakistani government," Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview with an AFP in Paris, regarding the issue of giving refuge to Bibi.

"There is a delicate domestic context that we respect which is why I don't want to say any more about that, but I will remind people Canada is a welcoming country."

Her release has led to protests due to anger about the alleged insults to Islam, while the government has said it could prevent her from travelling abroad.

It stems from an incident in 2009 when Bibi was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.

Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl, and reportedly a fight erupted.

A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Muhammad - a charge she denies.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unsubstantiated allegations of insulting Islam can result in death at the hands of mobs.

Thousands of protesters poured onto the streets in protest after Supreme Court judges overturned Bibi's conviction last Wednesday, causing Prime Minister Imran Khan's administration to sign a controversial deal.