Pakistan remembers Shahbaz Bhatti on third anniversary of assassination

March 03, 2014 - Pakistan’s civil society and the Christian community paid tribute to the memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, on Sunday in the capital, to mark the third anniversary of his assassination. The minister for religious minorities in the previous government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was assassinated in Islamabad on March 2, 2011, for his activism in trying to repeal the Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, that are often abused for vendetta and settling scores. Bhatti, a Catholic, particularly defended Asia Bibi, the Catholic mother of five children sentenced to death on the basis of the blasphemy law and is awaiting her appeal for over four years.

Activists and faithful gathered around the monument dedicated to Bhatti in Islamabad, the politician's local area. Meanwhile, in Bhatti’s native village of Khushpur, the faithful celebrated a morning Mass remembering his sacrifice in the service of his community. The ceremony was also attended by former colleagues and friends. In addition to being the first Catholic to hold the post of minister in an overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim country, Bhatti founded the Christian Liberation Front and the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), today presided over by his brother, Paul, who has inherited his political and spiritual legacy. (Source: AsiaNews)