Pakistani politicians, Christian leaders attend Shahbaz Bhatti’s funeral

(March 04, 2011) The funeral ceremony of Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic who was assassinated by armed extremists on Wednesday, took place on Friday at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic church in the capital, Islamabad. Thousands of Christians, religious leaders, foreign diplomats, government officials, including Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani attended the ceremony. Authorities set up a protective cordon around the area, consisting of a contingent of police and security rangers, with the roads around the church closed to traffic. Islamic terrorists gunned down Bhatti in the capital on Wednesday, for his opposition to the country’s controversial blasphemy laws that rights activists say are often abused to settle personal scores. The funeral ceremony, which was not a Mass, was presided over by Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, retired Bishop Anthony Lobo and 18 other priests. Prime Minister Gilani told mourners they had a lost a great leader and that the government would do its “utmost” to bring his killers to justice. “People like him, they are very rare,” Gilani told the overflow crowd. “All the minorities have lost a great leader. I assure you, we will try our utmost to bring the culprits to justice.” Gilani did not specifically mention Islamist extremists who have waged a war on the country, not did he mention the blasphemy laws. After the funeral service in Islamabad, the body of Shahbaz Bhatti was flown by helicopter to his native village of Khushpur in Punjab Province, where Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad presided over the funeral Mass and burial service.