A Pakistani court has overturned the death sentence of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy.
Asia Bibi was convicted in 2010 for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad and has been in solitary confinement for the past eight years.
Chief Justice Saquib Nisar, who gave the verdict, said Ms Bibi could walk free from jail immediately if she was not wanted in connection with any other case.
AFP news agency quoted Ms Bibi as saying on the phone: "I can't believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?"
Her case has divided Pakistani society, splitting liberals and conservatives.
An increased police presence was felt on the streets Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan as protests by supporters of strict blasphemy laws broke out.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's blasphemy laws have evoked widespread criticism from human rights and Christian groups.
Here's everything you need to know about Pakistan's blasphemy laws and why they're so divisive:
Who is Asia Bibi?
Asia Bibi is a 47-year-old farm labourer and mother of five from the Punjab Province.
Ms Bibi is currently unable to leave a prison-turned safe house over fears that her life is in jeopardy.
Tighter security has been employed in recent days, with any individuals entering or leaving the location being searched.
On Saturday, Ms Bibi's husband Ashiq Masih called on Theresa May to grant his family asylum in Britain.
In a video message, he said: "I am requesting the prime minister of the UK to help us and as far as possible to grant us freedom."
Mr Masih also pleaded with Canada and the US to help his wife and family.
Why was she accused of blasphemy?
Ms Bibi was involved in a row with other Muslim farm workers after they refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched because she was not Muslim.
When they demanded she convert to Islam, she refused, prompting a mob to later allege that she had insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
At the time, Asia Bibi said the case was a matter of women who didn't like her "taking revenge."
What are Pakistan's blasphemy laws?
Under the Pakistani penal code, the offence of blasphemy is punishable by death or life imprisonment.
In 1860 under British Raj law, it became a crime to disturb a religious assembly, trespass on burial grounds, insult religious beliefs or intentionally destroy or defile a place or an object of worship, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
During the 1980s as Islamic influence in Pakistan grew, the law was expanded to include making derogatory remarks against Islamic personages an offence.
Since 1987, a total of 633 Muslims, 494 Ahmedis, 187 Christians and 21 Hindus have been accused under various clauses of the blasphemy law, according to the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP).
Why is opinion so divided?
Ms Bibi's case has outraged some Christian groups and conservative Islamic groups for opposing reasons.
Whilst public support for Pakistan's blasphemy laws is strong, elsewhere the laws have attracted intense criticism.
Prior to the verdict, Islamist movement Tehreek-e Labbaik had threatened to take to the streets in protest if Ms Bibi was released.
Protests also broke out in Islamabad and Lahore soon after the ruling was announced.
This is not the first instance in which Ms Bibi's case has attracted mass controversy.
In 2009, politician Salman Taseer was shot dead by his own bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, after he spoke out in support of Ms Bibi and openly condemned Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
Although Qadri was executed after he turned himself into the police, many hardline Muslims held him as a martyr.
Other Pakistani politicians have made efforts to amend the blasphemy laws. In 2010, Sherry Reman of the Pakistan's People's Party (PPP) introduced a private bill with the intention of changing procedures of religious offences so that cases would be heard directly by the higher courts.
The bill was withdrawn in 2011 following pressure from religious forces and some political opposition groups.
Christian groups have been offering their support to Ms Bibi and her family, with Catholic aid charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) leading prayers for Ms Bibi's release.
Her family also met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in February.
Ms Bibi's case is just a segment of a much larger problem involving the targeting of Christians in Pakistan.
Accusations of blasphemy have often led to mob violence against Christians by militant Islamists.
Last year, an attack on a church in Quetta killed nine people and injured 57.
Ms Bibi's family have said they fear for their safety and plan to leave Pakistan.
