Reports of Asia Bibi suffering attempted poisoning, then early signs of dementia, have circulated for the past few years. The British Pakistani Christian Association’s lead officer in Pakistan, Mehwish Bhatti, visited Multan Jail in April 2017 but was refused access to her. However, Christian staff at the prison cell confirmed that Asia was exhibiting signs of severe mental trauma, and that she “had suffered several bouts of severe poor health and was commonly seen talking to herself, screaming and in a fit of panic for no known reason and suffering memory loss.”
Wilson Chowdhry, Chair of the BPCA, told HEART, “Contrary to reports, there was no TV and Asia was only allowed one hour in the open air around three times a month. She has been forced to cook her own food to prevent further attempts to poison her. Her family live around 400km away and have only been able to visit about every two months due to safety concerns.”
Asia Bibi’s case is, sadly, the tip of the iceberg. Mr Chowdhry told HEART, “There are many other falsely accused Christians in jail in Pakistan. You can help them by supporting the BPCA.”
See www.britishpakistanichristians.org