Pakistan Minorities Minister Shot Dead

[Daredevil]

So, cleansing of all kafirs and alleged blasphemers has started with due earnest. Its the beginning of the end of Pakistan as we see it today.

RIP Shahbaz.

 

[LurkerBaba]

The guy was a Christian!
The very fact that he kept a Muslim sounding name shows the plight of minorities in Pakistan

 

[Daredevil]

Some one tweeted this - Pakistan is a mental asylum run by crazies. I should say - very true.

 

[Virendra]

Pakistan's only Christian cabinet member assassinated

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...hristian-assassinated20110304,0,7683705.story

Shahbaz Bhatti, the minority affairs minister, is the second top official to be killed after opposing a blasphemy law.

Pakistani Christians shout slogans against the killing of Christian cabinet member Shahbaz Bhatti in Islamabad. (AAmir Qureshi / AFP/Getty Images / March 2, 2011)

E-mail Print Share Text Size 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 defense of 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.

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."


Regards,
Virendra

 

[Neil]

wow...in less than 2 months 2 very popular liberal assassinated....m lovin it!!

 

[Virendra]

I'm not ... I don't want a 100 % lunatic nation in the neighborhood. We are running a big risk in waiting for them to destroy themselves. Lets say even if it happens, they would be a rotten piece of apple and we cannot assume to be safe.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[Phenom]

I'm not ... I don't want a 100 % lunatic nation in the neighborhood. We are running a big risk in waiting for them to destroy themselves. Lets say even if it happens, they would be a rotten piece of apple and we cannot assume to be safe.

Regards,
Virendra

What we used to have, is a 99% lunatic nation and the 1% providing a charade of modernity. Now the charade is finally coming to an end.

 

[jatkshatriya]

Bro, what good can happen from it. Why do you want to increase pain and burden on our head as it e don't have our own problems.
Annexing pakistan is like buying pain(for yourself).

I meant Pakistan minus the religious fanatics......let them be refugees in a truly religious nation of Afghanistan...the strictest implementation of Shariah...everybody will be happy then

 

[jatkshatriya]

Bro, what good can happen from it. Why do you want to increase pain and burden on our head as it e don't have our own problems.
Annexing pakistan is like buying pain(for yourself).

I meant Pakistan minus the religious fanatics......let them be refugees in a truly religious nation of Afghanistan...the strictest implementation of Shariah...everybody will be happy then

 

[nitesh]

I meant Pakistan minus the religious fanatics......let them be refugees in a truly religious nation of Afghanistan...the strictest implementation of Shariah...everybody will be happy then

In short you want only land

 

[bose]

Pakistan is a country based on religious belief and hate for minorities. It has the most intolerant society full of faceless cowards.

 

[pmaitra]

I meant Pakistan minus the religious fanatics......let them be refugees in a truly religious nation of Afghanistan...the strictest implementation of Shariah...everybody will be happy then

I see what you are saying.

I have neither been to Pakistan or Afghanistan, but have personally met lots of them from both the countries.

For whatever little I know, Afghanistan, right now, is much better than it was before.

I would not give up any opportunity to recover PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistani control. However, in these days, one cannot use an iron fist to control the masses. What Chandragupta or Ashoka could do is infeasible in today's world.

My only concern with annexing Pakistan is:

• getting land
• getting the people who live on that land

Now we cannot expel those people. Do we want to deal with these people and their hawkish mindset?

 

[Virendra]

I see what you are saying.

I have neither been to Pakistan or Afghanistan, but have personally met lots of them from both the countries.

For whatever little I know, Afghanistan, right now, is much better than it was before.

I would not give up any opportunity to recover PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistani control. However, in these days, one cannot use an iron fist to control the masses. What Chandragupta or Ashoka could do is infeasible in today's world.

My only concern with annexing Pakistan is:

• getting land
• getting the people who live on that land

Now we cannot expel those people. Do we want to deal with these people and their hawkish mindset?

No ways, it isn't possible to control or say integrate with that 170 million strong populace after what has happened in the past 60 yrs specially on the other side of the border. Even more tough when we'd be seen as invaders of Pakistan. Numerous Talibans would span out in no time and we don't want to thin ourselves like the US did in Afghanistan.

Best hope is of a saner moderate Pakistan, if not, a status quo atleast. But this tale is spinning off way too fast.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[atul kakkar]

Annexing Pakistan is suicidal for India as law & order situation in India is getting bad day by day, who is going to control all these taliban & other fanatics of Pakistan.

 

[The Messiah]

pakii dogs at it again.

soon these terrorists will even execute those people who dont agree with everything they say no matter the religion.

 

[ejazr]

^^^They are actually doing that already


In any case, this is very depressing and sad news. The scale of human suffering is just compounding by the day it seems. The three main ministers/govt. officials calling for changes in the implementation or reform of Blasphemy laws were Salman Taseer, Shabaz Bhatti and Sherry Rahman. And two out of three have been assasinated. And Sherry is probably living in a bunker somewhere.

 

[ejazr]

Editorial: Minister's murder ArabNews.com

When will this bloodletting in the name of Islam end in Pakistan?

It seems there's no end to Pakistan's woes. Just when the Pakistanis, and the world, were beginning to get over the shocking killing of Salman Taseer comes the assassination of Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.

It's no coincidence that, like the late Punjab governor, Bhatti was an outspoken critic of the controversial blasphemy laws and its abuse. As the minister responsible for minorities, Bhatti had been in the forefront demanding pardon for Aasia Bibi, the woman who faces death sentence for allegedly insulting the Prophet (peace be upon him). And now he has paid with his life for his audacity.

The Pakistani Tahrik-e-Taleban has reportedly claimed responsibility for the killing, promising similar fate to all those opposing the blasphemy laws. The same self-styled defenders of faith had also claimed responsibility for the Taseer killing.

Where is all this going to end? And who stands to benefit from this madness and heinous bloodletting in the name of Islam and the sweet name of its noble Messenger? Not Islam. And not Pakistan and its 165 million people.

This is an act of murder, pure and simple. Those carrying out such craven acts have nothing to do with Islam or its true followers. A religion that warns that taking one innocent life is akin to killing entire mankind can never condone such cowardly acts targeting innocent people.

But we have been here before and said all that ad nauseam before, haven't we? A whopping majority of Pakistanis and Muslims everywhere — 99 percent of them — are peace-loving people. They are outraged and sickened every time violence is perpetrated and innocent lives are taken in their name. They have grown sick and tired of defending themselves and their faith every time something vile and dreadful like this happens. However, there's no stopping the lunatic fringe. It not just continues to kill at will, it pretends to speak on behalf of a billion of believers.

How long will this go on? There are no easy answers. Pakistan is not the only Muslim country that is facing this siege within. Extremism has emerged as a serious, if not the greatest, threat to Muslim societies everywhere. Of course, we can go on endlessly debating the historical, political and social factors responsible for the phenomenon. Which we have done for far too long without getting anywhere. It's about time we came up with some effective steps and concrete action to take on extremism — and those who cling to it as their way of life — head on.

Right now, Pakistan is going through a massive churning at all levels. Thanks to its strategic geopolitical location at the crossroads of Asia and Middle East and as a neighbor of Afghanistan and ally of the United States, Pakistan made some critical choices. Today, the nation is clearly paying the price for those strategic choices.

Extremism, rampant crime and gun culture are eating into the vitals of the South Asian country that also happens to be a nuclear state. Everything is falling apart. This doesn't have to be like this. If anyone can change this state of affairs, it is none but the Pakistanis themselves. A resilient and enterprising lot, they have proved time and again they could achieve anything if they put their mind to it. It's time to rediscover that fighting spirit of Pakistan to win this war on extremism.

 

[pmaitra]

Pakistan murder: Shahbaz Bhatti's 'goodbye' call

Pakistan murder: Shahbaz Bhatti's 'goodbye' call

Liberals in Pakistan are finding it ever harder to speak out

3 March 2011; BBC News

A day after the assassination of Pakistani Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the BBC's Orla Guerin describes a frightened phone call he made to the BBC just before his death and examines the growing climate of fear enveloping opponents of the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

It was a troubling phone call and it came late in the evening.

The man on the line had been told by security officials of a plot of kill him. He wanted more protection but wasn't getting it. He sounded anxious and alone, though he had a seat at the cabinet table.

The call was from Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's Minister for Minority Affairs, the only Christian member of the Cabinet, now silenced forever by the Taliban. His killing was a death foretold by many, most of all Bhatti himself.

When he called that night, he was concerned about a warning from the security agencies.

"They say there's a terrorist plot to assassinate me," he said. "They've told me to be careful, but didn't tell me anything else. I haven't been given any extra security. It's just the same as it has been since I became a minister."

Though his voice sounded weary, the minister's commitment was unwavering. "I have struggled for a long time for justice and equality," he said.

"If I change my stance today, who will speak out? I am mindful that I can be assassinated any time, but I want to live in history as a courageous man."

After we ended our conversation, I could not escape the feeling that the minister had called to say goodbye.

Shahbaz Bhatti knew his days were numbered and he knew why - because of his outspoken criticism of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, and his calls for reform.

Under the statutes, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death. Convictions can be based on no more than hearsay.

Human rights workers say the laws are often used to settle scores and to persecute minorities, though most of those charged are Muslim.

Last man standing

Recent casualties of the laws include a 17-year-old student accused of blaspheming in an answer on an exam paper, and a doctor who threw out a business card from a salesman named Mohammed.

The minister stated repeatedly that the laws were being used to victimise the innocent. He refused to back down, even after he was threatened with beheading.

His cause was shared by Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who paid with his life in January when he was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.

From then on, Shahbaz Bhatti was the last man standing - a lonely voice, unheeded even by his government.

On Wednesday morning, as he set out for a cabinet meeting, the Taliban caught up with him.

Hours after they riddled his body with bullets, we received a message from the minister, as if from the grave. He had recorded a statement in December, and asked that it be sent to the BBC in the event of his death.

"I am living for my community, and for suffering people," he said, gazing directly at the camera, "and I will die to defend their rights. I prefer to die for my principles and for the justice of my community rather than to compromise."

But the assassins who shot him almost 30 times left a message of their own - in leaflets scattered at the scene, signed in the name of al-Qaeda and the Punjabi Taliban. They promised a death sentence to anyone following in the minister's footsteps.

"With the blessing of Allah, the mujahideen will send each of you to hell," it said.

Shahbaz Bhatti's bid to reform the laws looks certain to die with him. Pakistan's government was already in full retreat from any attempt at examining the statutes, after noisy protests from the religious right.

A parliamentarian from the governing PPP party, Sherry Rehman, had to drop her reform bill, because her party won't back it. She's all but vanished from view, due to concerns for her safety.

There's now a fight for the soul of Pakistan.

Emboldened Islamists

It's not a battle of liberals versus conservatives, according to political commentator Mosharraf Zaidi, but of sane versus insane.

An aide to Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, goes further, warning of "a concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal in the country".

"The time has come for the federal and provincial governments to speak out," said the aide, Farahnaz Ispahani, "and take a strong stand against these murders to save the very essence of Pakistan."

But that seems unlikely. Critics say the state's response to growing religious extremism has been a deadly combination of silence and appeasement.

Now an emboldened Islamic movement is going after Pakistan's remaining liberals, according to author Aatish Taseer, one of the sons of the murdered governor.

"I think it's starting to seem like part of a systematic plan to silence dissent in Pakistan, to silence liberal voices and it's working," he said.

"It's been very effective. It takes a few people who are willing to instil fear in society, and it takes the silence of people who should have been speaking out."

Now Pakistan has been robbed of both a minister and a governor who dared to speak out for the voiceless, and take on the hardliners.

The fear is that the extremists are winning, by literally killing off debate.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12639925