Pakistan's only Christian cabinet member assassinated - latimes.com

Pakistan's only Christian cabinet member assassinated - latimes.com

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan — Gunmen killed Pakistan's only Christian cabinet member Wednesday in a hail of bullets outside his house in Islamabad, the second assassination this year of a top Pakistani official who had opposed the country's controversial blasphemy law.

The assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the country's minority affairs minister, underscored the reach of extremism in a Muslim, nuclear-armed country founded on the principles of minority inclusion, as well as the government's inability to protect its minorities.

Bhatti was an outspoken opponent of Pakistan's blasphemy law, which makes it a crime to utter any derogatory remarks about, or insult in any way, the prophet Muhammad, the Koran or Islam. Critics of the law say it can be exploited as a means to settle scores against adversaries or persecute minorities.

Ali Dayan Hasan, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, called Bhatti's slaying "a grave setback for the struggle for tolerance, pluralism and respect for human rights in Pakistan."

Bhatti was leaving for work when the midmorning attack took place. Witnesses and police said three or four gunmen in a white Suzuki car drove up and sprayed Bhatti's black sedan with bullets. The attack lasted several minutes, and witnesses said more than 50 shots were fired.

Before escaping, the gunmen scattered pamphlets on the wet pavement that stated Bhatti was assassinated because of his opposition to the country's blasphemy law. The pamphlets said the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda were responsible for the slaying.

The driver survived and rushed Bhatti to Shifa Hospital, just minutes away from the minister's house, but he died before reaching the hospital, authorities and witnesses said.

Wajid Durrani, inspector general for Islamabad police, said the federal government had assigned a squad of bodyguards to protect Bhatti, but the minister did not have the guards with him at the time of the attack.

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On Jan. 4, Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad by Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, a 26-year-old police commando assigned to guard him. Qadri admitted killing Taseer because of Taseer's opposition to the blasphemy law. When he appeared in court, lawyers showered him with flower petals and kissed his cheeks, a reaction that caused many liberals in Pakistani society to worry that support for extremism had begun to seep into mainstream society.

Robinson Asghar, a close friend of Bhatti's, said Bhatti had repeatedly asked the federal government for a bulletproof car after the Taseer assassination, but was never given one. Asghar, whose office is across the street from Bhatti's house, rushed out of his building when he heard gunfire and found Bhatti slumped in the rear seat of the car, covered in blood.

"This is something our minority community never deserved," Asghar said. "This event today has brought shame upon the whole nation."

alex.rodriguez@latimes.com

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Comments (7)
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DavePrice at 4:52 AM March 02, 2011

when the Taliban said screw you america we are keeping Bin Ladin safe in our country we attacked.. Bin Laden ran to Pakistan and Bush's story sure changed! Next he made up a bunch of lies and took our armed services to Iraq to fight an oil war and we are still in it, ( mabe make the cuts there instead of middle america ?),


We have never found Bin Laden, he sits safe within the boundries of a country the press spin that is an ally of us?? They gave North Korea the bomb, gave Iran the way to make " The Bomb " , shelter the #1 wanted usa man, Bin Laden and kill christians for not backing a religious government.


Bin Ladens family was the Bush's family #1 supporter and it IS all documented.. Sorry to tell most of you that the good stuff is never documented so we should believe they made deals besides what is on paper..


All the crap about catching a guy and never catching him, the accusations that the Republicans and Bush family are in bed with the Bin Laden family? All the times the CIA used Bin Laden for things has me really wondering about the NOT publisized reports that Bush and the Republicans had a bigger hand in 9-11 than any of us dare believe.. google it folks.. dont believe me, research it. its all there.
Pasquino Marforio at 4:52 AM March 02, 2011

As much as I agree with Charles1231 and Cranston36, I think the simpler solution is to just stop sending food aid or any type of aid to these radical and globally disconnected countries.


Peaceful engagement only emboldens them.


Seal their borders, allow no travel internationally to any of their citizens, and let them deal, internally, with the consequences of their own actions.
Charles1231 at 4:41 AM March 02, 2011

I fully agree with Cranston36. The US would do better to attack Pakistan, put in place a military administration consisting of minorities like christians and provide inducements to the obscurantist and barbaric mohammedan people to convert to Christianity. Those who resist must be put to corrective psychiatric treatment at isolated locations like Siberia and their minds should be wiped of the Islamic barbarism. Simultaneously, the nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction must be completely dismantled and the nuclear scientist should be made to undergo psychiatric treatment to wipe all nuclear science related matter from their brains.


This would mean a complete victory without much bloodshed.


But we doubt whether the current Obama administration has the vision to implement the above measures.