ELEANOR HALL: World leaders have condemned the murder of a Pakistani Catholic government minister who was shot dead in broad daylight in Islamabad.
Police say a letter was found at the scene overnight purportedly from supporters of Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. It claimed responsibility for the murder and said that the minister was punished for being a blasphemer.
Earlier this year another top official who was seeking changes to the country's blasphemy laws was also shot and killed.
Mr Bhatti was a member of the country's tiny Christian community. His son says he fears no-one will speak out against the laws after these two murders.
Alison Caldwell has the latest.
ALISON CALDWELL: Shahbaz Bhatti was Pakistan's minorities minister and his country's only Christian minister.
He'd been one of the few politicians in recent times to speak out about Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law which carries the death penalty.
Mr Bhatti was aware that he was a target and had prepared a video with instructions to pass the tape to the BBC if he was attacked.
This is an excerpt from the tape.
SHAHBAZ BHATTI (extract from tape): The forces of violence, militant organisations, the Taliban and Al Qaeda - they want to impose their radical philosophy in Pakistan. And whoever stand against their radical philosophy they'll threaten them.
When I'm leading this campaign against the sharia laws for the abolishment of blasphemy laws and speaking for the oppressed and marginalised, persecuted, Christian and other minorities these Taliban threaten me.
And I am ready to die for a cause. I'm living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights.
ALISON CALDWELL: Mr Bhatti was on his way to work when gunmen attacked his car.
An eyewitness Bahadur Khan said the gunmen left a note accusing the minister of insulting the Prophet Mohammed.
BAHADUR KHAN (translated): From across the road I saw a small white car stopping in front of a black car. Two men got out. One of them just stopped there by the car while the other got in the back seat and started firing.
When they finished they threw up a piece of paper from the white car and on it was written that Bhatti had insulted the Prophet.
ALISON CALDWELL: Shahbaz Bhatti's death comes two months after the governor of Punjab province Salman Taseer was assassinated by one of his bodyguards. Before his death he too had spoken out against Pakistan's blasphemy law.
Salman Taseer's son is Aatish Taseer.
AATISH TASEER: I think something like this is part of what is a systematic plan to intimidate anyone with liberal views in Pakistan. And it's a way to use the blasphemy thing to stigmatise anyone.
The minority affairs minister, if he's not going to be speaking against the misuse of the blasphemy law, who is?
ALISON CALDWELL: He fears for the future of Pakistani politics.
AATISH TASEER: I think that it will create an environment where it's not just the left or liberal politics that can't survive.
A certain kind of dissent, a certain spirit of liberal democracy won't be able to survive in this kind of environment.
And it makes me very sad when such hopeful things seem to be happening in other parts of the Islamic world that something so menacing seems on the horizon in Pakistan.
ALISON CALDWELL: World leaders condemned the latest killing. US president Barack Obama sent his condolences to Shahbaz Bhatti's family and said his killers must be brought to justice.
But the strongest comments came from the United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay.
She said Pakistan was poisoned by extremism and urged the country to reform its blasphemy laws.
The former International Criminal Court judge said she had been appalled by support for Salman Taseer's murder from political and religious leaders as well as by lawyers, judges and journalists in Pakistan because of his position on blasphemy.
"Experience around the world has shown that blasphemy laws often become a double-edged sword," she said. "They lead to violations of freedom of expression, freedom of religion and ultimately the right to life."
ELEANOR HALL: Alison Caldwell reporting.
The full story...
World leaders condemn minister's murder
Alison Caldwell reported this story on Thursday, March 3, 2011 12:38:00
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