Christian minister questioned Islamic blasphemy laws
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani Christians burned tires and rallied for justice Thursday, a day after Islamist militants assassinated a Catholic government minister who had braved death threats to speak out in their defense.
The government, which has been accused of appeasing hard-liners, vowed to tackle the threat, but officials routinely make such promises after high-profile attacks and questions remain over its will to counter militants once supported by the state.
Shahbaz Bhatti, 42, was gunned down in the capital, Islamabad, apparently because he had urged Pakistan to reform harsh laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam. He had been given police and paramilitary guards but had asked them not to accompany him while he stayed with his mother, according to police.
Bhatti, who was minister for religious minorities, was the second Pakistani politician killed in two months over the blasphemy laws, the support of which has become a rallying cry for right-wing Islamist political parties and clerics. On Jan. 4, Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was shot dead by a bodyguard who disagreed with his view that the laws need to be changed.
Associated Press report in The Washington Post – more at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/03/AR2011030300759.html?wprss=rss_religion/wires