Aasia Bibi, who has been the subject of much controversy, has been detained in a special cell in Sheikhupura jail due to severe security threats.

According to sources, the warden of the jail, identified as Khadeeja, “tortured” Aasia Bibi after alleging that certain prohibited items were found in her cell.

They said that other staff members who were present during the incident acted as silent spectators.

Despite having knowledge of the incident, Deputy Superintendent of Sheikhupura Jail Ghafoor Anjum has not taken any action against the staffer who was responsible for the incident. However, Superintendent Sheikh Khalid Pervaiz later suspended Khadeeja, and an inquiry into the incident has been initiated, sources added.

An intelligence agency has also sent a report regarding the incident to its provincial headquarters after recording Aasia Bibi’s statement.

In its report, the agency stated that the episode happened due to the negligence of the jail administration and feared that the matter might go out of hand.

Sentenced to death

In 2010, Aasia Bibi, a resident of Nankana Sahib in Punjab, was sentenced to death by a Sessions Court following an incident in which an altercation took place between her and her co-workers over the issue of fetching water from the fields.

Her lawyer filed an appeal, requesting a pardon from the Office of the President. President Asif Ali Zardari had asked for a review of the facts of the case. However, on November 29, 2010 Khawaja Sharif, the then chief justice of the Lahore High Court, had issued an interim order ruling that while the matter is pending before it, the president could not issue a pardon for Aasia Bibi.

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