Lahore (Staff Report): The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday directed the federal and provincial governments to compensate the victims of protests following the acquittal of Aasia Bibi on October 31, 2018.
According to details, a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar heard a suo motu case at the SC’s Lahore Registry regarding the damages and losses during the three-day protests after the top court verdict of Aasia Bibi’s acquittal in a blasphemy case.
Advocate General Punjab Ahmad told the court the federal government had approved a compensation package amounting to Rs262 million.
Justice Ijazul Hasan, however, asked if a compensation plan had actually been prepared, or whether the approval and compensation package just existed on paper.
Responding to the query, a section officer from the interior ministry told the court that payments were set to be made this month.
This is pertinent to mention that Protests had erupted in several cities after the top court acquitted a Christian woman Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges.
The enraged protesters blocked roads and forced markets to shut down. Schools, colleges and universities remained closed during the protests whereas examinations were cancelled.
The protesters torched vehicles and caused damage to public and private property in many parts of the country.
On November 2, the government and the protesters from different religious groups, led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), reached an agreement to end the sit-ins across the country.
