Shahbaz Bhatti honoured by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister

The late Shahbaz Bhatti was recently
honoured for his work in defending
religious minorities in Pakistan. 

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on March 14 presented this year’s John Diefenbaker Defender of Human Rights and Freedom Award to the late Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s former Federal Minister for Minorities, and Susana Trimarco, Argentinian activist and founder of the Fundación María de los Ángeles.

With this award, Canada honours the memory of Shahbaz Bhatti, whose determined efforts in the struggle for equality, justice and freedom cost him his life, said Baird in a media release. Braving multiple threats to his safety, Bhatti worked tirelessly to advance the rights of Pakistan’s religious minorities. Peter Bhatti accepted the award on behalf of his late brother.

Shahbaz Bhatti was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan in 2008 and named Federal Minister for Minorities, a portfolio he accepted because of the opportunity it offered to defend the oppressed and marginalized of Pakistan.

As Minister, Bhatti took steps to advance the rights of religious minorities. These included launching a national campaign to promote interfaith harmony. Bhatti also fought valiantly against abuses of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws during his time in government.

Minister Bhatti helped to found the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in 1985 and subsequently chaired that organization. He also served as head of Pakistan’s Christian Liberation Front, which he formed in 1985. In 2002, he joined the Pakistan People’s Party.

Minister Bhatti visited Canada in February 2011 where he met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, among other government ministers.

Shortly after his visit to Canada, Minister Bhatti was assassinated while on his way to work.

For the complete article from ASSIST News, click here.

MP raises voice for persecuted Christians

Have you ever written a letter to your MP, urging them to raise a voice for persecuted Christians?

David Sweet, the MP for Ancaster/Dundas/Flamborough/Westdale, recently spoke about Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian pastor who has been sentenced to death for apostasy. Mr. Sweet also mentioned the one year anniversary of the death of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian minister in Pakistan’s government who was murdered on March 2, 2011. Bhatti was a critic of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws in relation to many cases of Christians being falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad or the Qur’an, including the highly publicized case of Asia Bibi.

To hear David Sweet’s recent speech, watch this short video clip.

Consider contacting your MP about Pastor Youcef or another Christian who is facing persecution because of their faith. To get started, visit our website for helpful hints about writing government officials. For a sample letter you can send on behalf of Iranian Pastor Youcef, click here. To sign a petition calling for the release of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, click here.

Thank you for raising a voice!

Death threats for evangelist challenging injustice in Pakistan

Shahbaz Bhatti was
assassinated in March for
speaking out against the
blasphemy law.

A Pakistani Christian has received death threats after condemning the murder of a Christian government minister who was killed for opposing the blasphemy laws, reports our sister mission in the UK, Release International.

Evangelist Arif Ferguson, 36, and his entire family have had to go into hiding following death threats from militants. Arif was first warned after sharing the Gospel among Muslims. More serious death threats followed after he made a statement to a local newspaper condemning the assassination in March of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who had spoken up against the blasphemy law (for more, click here). Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for killing Shahbaz Bhatti, and the same group is now threatening Arif.

Arif, a laboratory technician, fled to Karachi after being tipped off that the militants were trying to track him down. But even there he received death threats, forcing the family of nine to go into hiding again. Arif and his sisters have lost their jobs as a result. Arif shared, "I trust in Jesus. If I die, it will be for Christ."

Please pray!

• Please pray for Arif and his family -- for their protection, support and encouragement. 
• Pray the Lord will provide for them. 
• Pray their faithful testimony will be an encouragement to other believers.

Find out more about the intense persecution of Christians in Pakistan at our Pakistan Country Report.

Police admit extremist group behind Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder

Police admit the assassination
of Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs
was an act of terrorism by the Taliban.

Last month, we reported that Christian leaders in Punjab province, Pakistan, rejected claims by investigators that the murder of Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was in relation to a land dispute with family.

Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reports that Islamabad’s senior police officer, Bani Amin Khan, has admitted that Bhatti was assassinated by Islamic extremist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Khan told the Senate standing committee that the TTP is indeed responsible for the “act of terrorism.”

Bhatti had criticized the country’s controversial blasphemy laws in relation to many cases of Christians being falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad or the Qur’an, including the highly publicized case of Asia Bibi. Under the law, blasphemy is punishable with death.

Bhatti had received various threats from al-Qaida and the Taliban, but said in a video shortly before he died that he would continue standing up for the minorities.

“I’m ready to die for a cause. I’m living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights. These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinion and principles,” said Bhatti.

At the scene of his murder, pamphlets were found attributing the murder to the Pakistani Taliban. They warned of the same fate for others opposing the blasphemy laws.

Protests and appeals by Christian leaders in Pakistan are seeing fruit as the police change directions and are now turning their attention to seek out the real culprits.

Read The Express Tribune’s full article here. You can hear Bhatti’s comments regarding the threats he received here.

Pakistani Christians reject murder claims

Christians believe Pakistan’s Minister for
Minority Affairs was assassinated by
religious extremists.

Christian leaders in Punjab province, Pakistan, reject claims by police that the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Minister of Minority Affairs, had no religious instigation, reports the Union of Catholic Asian News.

Investigators say they believe the murder of the Christian leader was in relation to a bitter land dispute with relatives. They have publicly concluded that the assassination of Bhatti was not religiously motivated.

Supporters of al-Qaida and Tehrik-i-Taliban claimed responsibility for Bhatti’s murder on March 2 in Islamabad.

Bhatti was in support of changes to the country’s controversial blasphemy laws. Many Pakistani Christians have been falsely accused under Law 295C of blaspheming Mohammed or the Qur’an, a crime punishable by death. Courtrooms packed with militants have often pressured judges into returning a guilty verdict or continuing trials indefinitely.

Paul Bhatti, advisor to the prime minister on minority affairs and brother of the slain leader, said he plans to appeal for a judicial commission to continue the investigation.

For more information on Shahbaz Bhatti’s death, click here. To read the full report, click here.

All Pakistan Minorities Alliance vows to carry forward Shahbaz Bhatti’s mission

Shahbaz Bhatti

A group of mainly Christian leaders gathered earlier this week in Lahore, Pakistan, to honour the life of Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister of minorities who was gunned down on March 2 by Islamist assassins, reported ASSIST News.

Bhatti made a life’s work of campaigning for tolerance in Pakistan, which is 95 percent Muslim, and most recently became a lonely voice, with a handful of others, in a campaign to reform the harsh blasphemy law.

Organized by The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), the gathering was attended by church leaders and representatives of all recognized churches in Pakistan, parliamentarians, politicians, APMA leadership and APMA workers from across the country.

Group Captain (Retd.) Cecil Chaudhry, Executive Secretary General of the APMA, highlighted the life and works of Bhatti, including his numerous achievements prior to becoming the Federal Minister for Minorities which included the formation of APMA.

He emphasized Bhatti’s struggle to make Pakistan a “non-discriminative State” as envisioned by the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, where, he said “every citizen would enjoy equal rights and complete freedom of religion.”

Going forward, the APMA will “continue to strive to realize Shahbaz Bhattti’s dream,” which was the repeal of all discriminatory laws, the blasphemy laws in particular, and to make Pakistan a non-discriminative state where every citizen would have equal rights, religious freedom and equal opportunities in a free society.

Dr. Paul Bhatti, brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, returned to Pakistan from Italy following his brother’s death and was subsequently appointed chairman of the APMA. He was also appointed advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Minority Affairs, with the status of a federal minister.

Dr. Bhatti vowed to “strive to accomplish the cause and mission” of his late brother and to lead APMA with Shahbaz Bhatti’s vision and ideology.

Pakistan renames "Department of Religious Minorities"

Shahbaz Bhatti was killed
in March. His brother Paul
was recently named to the
Federal Ministry for Inter-
faith Harmony and Minorities
in Pakistan.

The Department of Religious Minorities in Pakistan has been renamed “Federal Ministry for Interfaith Harmony and Minorities,” reported Agenzia Fides.

Paul Bhatti, brother of the slain minister Shahbaz Bhatti, was named “Special Advisor to the Prime Minister,” and lawyer Akram Masih Gill was named “Minister of the State” (a sort of “Deputy Minister”).

Riaz Hussein Pirzada, a Muslim and member of the Muslim League-Q, was unexpectedly appointed a few days ago at the summit of the Ministry and has now assumed office as “Minister of Health.” His appointment did not find consensus among the religious minorities in Pakistan, and discontent on behalf of the international community reached the Pakistani government.

Pirzada publically said that he was “not entirely satisfied” with the assignment given to him and would like another one.

Sources told Fides that the Christian community in Pakistan hopes this move is the final structure of the Ministry. Adding reference to “interfaith harmony” strengthens the work begun by Shabhaz Bhatti who had obtained a promise of funding from the U.S. government to promote interfaith harmony in Pakistan.

Speaking out against persecution could paint target on believers

VOM’s Greg Musselman recently spoke with Mission Network News (MNN) about increasing persecution in Pakistan and the targeting of believers who speak out against persecution.

Musselman told MNN that Pakistan has always been a difficult place for believers to live, but as the blasphemy law (in which anyone can be sentenced to death for negatively portraying the prophet Muhammad or Islam) has come to international attention, tension has dramatically increased.

The case of Asia Bibi—a woman sentenced to death for allegedly blaspheming Muhammad while sharing her faith—has created particular outrage among Muslim and Christian communities alike, albeit often for opposing reasons. Believers are so perturbed by the injustice that they are willing to hold a vigil, but Musselman says this could be asking for trouble.

"You could be painting a target on yourself, and that could give the militant Islamists an opportunity—especially when they know that this event is coming."

It would seem that believers in Pakistan are in the midst of a catch-22. If no one speaks out against their persecution, attacks will continue unchecked.

Musselman anticipates many more church bombings (like the one that went off in Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan) in the future. But if Pakistani believers do speak out against the injustice being done to them, they will also be persecuted further. Consider both Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who were assassinated for their positions on the blasphemy law.

As a result, some believers have already started to flee the country or go into hiding. Musselman says new converts live in extreme caution. "Those that come to Christ from Muslim backgrounds have to be very careful. They come late to the [church] service and leave early."

Pakistani Christians have always had to live under the radar, but now it seems as though "anybody that comes out against the blasphemy law or speaks out against Muslims and the treatment of Christians—they will find themselves in difficulty," explains Musselman.

Read the full story here.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Pray any vigils that occur on Asia Bibi’s behalf would not incite more violence but would be an effective time of prayer and peaceful protest. Pray the Lord would guide each believer as to whether he should stay in the country or flee, and as to when he should speak up or be silent. Pray our fellow kingdom workers would courageously continue to live out Christ's love, reaching out even to those who persecute them the most.

Asia Bibi fears she's next, after Pakistani minister’s slaying

Asia Bibi fears death following
assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti,
a supporter.

Agenzia Fides posted a story on Tuesday about Asia Bibi and her fears following the March 2 assassination of Pakistani Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, one of her supporters. Her lawyer recently spoke with the news agency.

From her jail cell in Sheikhupura, Punjab province, Asia expressed her “pain and concern for the death of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti.” She is also saddened by the death of a person who “like Governor Taseer, defended her publicly, and paid with his life.”

The lawyer said, “Asia says that part of her hope died with Bhatti, but there are other things that give her hope: the support of all Christians in Pakistan and around the world; the visit of her children, made possible recently after bureaucratic problems.”

Asia is still afraid, given that she could be the next target of radical Islamic groups. Inside the jail in Sheikhupura, posters have appeared with images of Taseer and Bhatti with a large question mark and the phrase, “Who will be next?”

You can read the full report here.

Please continue to lift up Asia and her family in your prayers. Pray for physical protection and strength as well as spiritual strength.

Shahbaz Bhatti in his own words

Pakistan's Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated on March 2 while on his way to work in Islamabad.

This is the latest attack on a high-profile Pakistani figure who urged reforming harsh blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

In this report from Christian World News, hear Bhatti share in his own words how he was prepared to die serving the Christians of Pakistan. (Length 2:05)



To see more videos like this one, visit Persecution.TV today.

Pakistan Christians bury murdered leader Shahbaz Bhatti

Pray for Christians in
Pakistan today!

An advocate for Christians in Pakistan was laid to rest today, and the government is observing three days of mourning, reported Mission Network News.

Even as Pakistan's clerics and other senior leaders condemned Wednesday's assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Christians took to the streets in Lahore, expressing their ire.

Bhatti was the federal minister of minority affairs, as well as the only Christian in the cabinet. Anger stirred over the lack of protection for those championing the cause of the oppressed Christians.

By Thursday, demonstrations were held across Punjab, where Governor Salman Taseer was murdered in January. Both were outspoken opponents of the controversial blasphemy law, and both had faced down death threats to keep speaking out about the injustices of the law.

However, other politicians may be afraid of speaking out on the blasphemy law, which is now politically toxic and potentially life-threatening.

Other reports to take a look at:

The Christian Post:
“Pakistan's President, Opposition Leaders Absent at Bhatti's Memorial”

Charisma:
“Uproar follows Assassination of Christian Minister in Pakistan”

Christian Today India:
“Pakistan’s Christians fear for safety after Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination”

BBC News:
“Pakistan Christians bury murdered leader Shahbaz Bhatti”

Pakistan’s sole Christian minister assassinated

Shahbaz Bhatti was
murdered today.

VOM sources in Pakistan learned today that Pakistan’s Minister of Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated Wednesday while on his way to work in Islamabad.

This is the latest attack on a high-profile Pakistani figure who had urged reforming harsh blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

Bhatti was on his way to work when unknown gunmen riddled his car with bullets. The minister arrived dead at Shifa Hospital.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but private Pakistani TV channels showed pamphlets at the scene of the killing that were attributed to the Pakistani Taliban warning of the same fate for anyone opposing the blasphemy laws.

An eyewitness saw three gunmen open fire on Bhatti’s car as he left his house. The gunmen then sped away in a car. It was not immediately clear why Bhatti, a member of the ruling Pakistani People’s Party, did not have bodyguards with him.

Pakistani government leaders condemned the attack.

“This is concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal, progressive and humanist voice in Pakistan,” said Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to President Asif Ali Zardari. “The time has come for the federal government and provincial governments to speak out and to take a strong stand against these murderers to save the very essence of Pakistan.”

In recent months, Bhatti boldly defended Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. After the killing of Salman Taseer, Governor of Punjab, whom Islamic fundamentalists blamed for having defended Asia Bibi, Bhatti became the radicals’ “top target.”

Bhatti was in Canada just last month, meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and several cabinet ministers during his visit to Ottawa. According to a spokeman for the prime minister, the men discussed the importance of standing up for the rights of religious minorities.

Thank the Lord for the life of Shahbaz Bhatti and his attempts to change Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Pray the Lord will bring comfort to his family in their time of sorrow. Pray the Lord will not allow Pakistani believers to be discouraged, but to be emboldened in their faith, putting their trust in the everlasting God.