Islamabad, Pakistan, 11 February 2014: The brother of assassinated Pakistani Catholic
minister Shahbaz Bhatti has been forced to flee Pakistan after being threatened by
Islamic militants.
Paul Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minority Alliance,
an umbrella organization of religious minorities, as well as the Shahbaz Bhatti Memorial
Trust, told a Pakistani cable channel on Saturday that he has moved to Italy in order
to save his life.
"Punjabi Taliban dropped pamphlets at my office in Lahore
and warned me of dire consequences for pursuing the murder case of my brother," he
said. "I will not give up this case despite the threats," he said.
He criticized
the Interior Ministry and police for not providing him with security despite repeated
requests.
Shahbaz Bhatti, the former minority affairs minister and outspoken
critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, was gunned down outside his residence in Islamabad
in March 2011. Two gunmen sprayed the minister's car with bullets and dropped pamphlets
next to his body, describing him as a Christian infidel.
Last September, Islamabad
police arrested two suspected terrorists, Hammad Adil and Umer Abdullah, and charged
them with the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti. The pair later confessed their involvement.
The
trial is currently being held in an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi
Paul
Bhatti played an active role in the release of teenage Christian girl Rimsha Masih
in a blasphemy case. He later challenged the acquittal of Qari Khalid Jadoon, who
falsely accused Rimsha of burning pages of the Qu'ran. Source: UCAN