Catholic Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti Assassinated
And yet another Pakistani politician seeking reform of the blasphemy law is murdered.
The blasphemy laws carry a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam and is used to subjugate and terrify religious minorities.
Mr Bhatti was Pakistan’s first and only Christian cabinet member.
Pakistan’s leading Catholic politician has been murdered in the capital Islamabad.
Minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti died this morning after gunmen opened fire on his car while travelling to work through a residential district.
Mr Bhatti, 42, a leader of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), had just left his home when at least two gunmen ambushed his car, police official Mohammad Iqbal said. He was rushed to the nearby Shifa hospital, but was dead on arrival.
Mr Bhatti had received numerous death threats after calling for changes to the country’s controversial blasphemy law. The blasphemy law carries a death sentence for anyone who insults Islam, and criticis say it has been used to persecute minority faiths. In January, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had also opposed the law, was murdered by one of his bodyguards.
The first Christian to hold a cabinet post in Pakistan, Mr Bhatti spoke about the threat facing him last month, during a visit to Canada to raise awareness about his country’s blasphemy laws. He said: “I have been told by pro-Taliban religious extremists that if I will continue to speak against the blasphemy law, I will be beheaded.”
However, he said: “As a Christian, I believe Jesus is my strength. He has given me a power and wisdom and motivation to serve suffering humanity. I follow the principles of my conscience, and I am ready to die and sacrifice my life for the principles I believe.”
Tags: Christian Persecution, News, Politics
March 3rd, 2011 at 5:39 am
A dreadfull and shamefull act that reflects very badly on the state of that country as a whole