Canada yesterday urged Pakistan to ensure the well-being of a Pakistani Christian woman whose life is in danger after having been acquitted the country’s Supreme Court last month of blasphemy charges against Islam, a ruling that sparked mass protests.

The case of Asia Bibi, who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan before being released, has outraged Christians worldwide. Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, has appealed for help to Britain, Canada, Italy and the United States, and so far, Italy
has said it would assist her.

"It's a very important issue, a central priority for our government," Canada's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said of Bibi's case after meeting her European Union counterpart, Federica Mogherini, in Montreal.

Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after neighbours said she made derogatory remarks about Islam when they objected to her drinking water from their glass because she was not Muslim. She is a Protestant and denies committing blasphemy.

"Canada calls on Pakistan to take all measures necessary to ensure the safety and security of Asia Bibi and her family," Freeland said. "Canada is prepared to do everything we can" and is "extremely engaged in this issue", Freeland said.

Islamists shut down roads in major cities in Pakistan during three days of demonstrations against Bibi's acquittal. They have threatened to escalate the protests if she is permitted to leave the country. The government has indicated it will bar her from travelling abroad.

Bibi's lawyer, Saiful Mulook, fled to the Netherlands earlier this week because of fears for the safety of his family.

- Reuters