INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Police used tear gas to disperse supporters of cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi after his
arrest
Pakistan's authorities have held dozens of supporters of a hard-line Islamic cleric whose party led mass protests
last month over the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.Officials say they acted to maintain public order after leaders of
the Tehreek-e-Labaik (TLP) party refused to call off protests planned for Sunday.The cleric, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, was himself detained on
Friday.The woman, Asia Bibi, is now in hiding because of threats to her life.She was convicted in 2010 of insulting the Prophet Muhammad but
was acquitted in October, a ruling that angered many.What's the latest on the arrestsThey were made mainly in Pakistan's central Punjab
province.Officials say the arrests were necessary to avoid any "backlash" following the arrest of Khadim Hussain Rizvi.Punjab Information
Minister Fayyaz ul-Hassan Chohan said police had been deployed in all major cities of the province."There is a complete ban on all types of
political gatherings in the province," he said.Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Khadim Hussain Rizvi's party led mass
protests last month
Mr Rizvi - who the authorities say was taken into "protective custody" - had called on his supporters to
hold street protests if he were arrested
In October, his party virtually paralysed Pakistan with mass protests that at times were violent.The government and the TLP later struck a
deal to end the protests.It was agreed that legal proceedings would begin to place Asia Bibi on a list that would ban her from leaving
The government also said it would not block a review petition filed against the court ruling.However, the TLP later pledged to resume the
protest if Asia Bibi were allowed to leave Pakistan.What was Asia Bibi accused ofThe trial stems from an argument she had with a group of
women in June 2009.Image:Asia Bibi's escape from Pakistan death rowThey were harvesting fruit when a row broke out about a bucket of water
The women said that because she had used a cup, they could no longer touch it, as her faith had made it unclean
Prosecutors alleged that in the row that followed, the women said Asia Bibi should convert to Islam and that she made offensive comments
about the Prophet Muhammad in response
She was later beaten up at her home, with her accusers saying she had confessed to blasphemy
She was arrested after a police investigation.Acquitting her, the Supreme Court said that the case was based on unreliable evidence and her
confession was delivered in front of a crowd "threatening to kill her".Why is this case so divisiveIslam is Pakistan's national religion and
underpins its legal system
Public support for the strict blasphemy laws is strong.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Asia Bibi's acquittal sparked
protests by Islamists
Hard-line politicians have often backed severe punishments, partly as a way of shoring up their
support base.But critics say the laws have often been used to exact revenge after personal disputes, and that convictions are based on thin
evidence.The vast majority of those convicted are Muslims or members of the Ahmadi community who identify themselves as Muslims but are
regarded as heretical by orthodox Islam
Since the 1990s scores of Christians have also been convicted
They make up just 1.6% of the population.The Christian community has been targeted by numerous attacks in recent years, leaving many feeling
vulnerable to a climate of intolerance
Since 1990, at least 65 people have reportedly been killed in Pakistan over claims of blasphemy
