Christian rights activists and church leaders in Pakistan vowed to step up efforts to protect persecuted Christians as they honored the memory of assassinated politician Shahbaz Bhatti on Sunday (March 2), the 14th anniversary of his death.
Bhatti, an ardent advocate for a diverse, multicultural and multireligious society, was assassinated on March 2, 2011, by Taliban militants outside his mother’s home in the federal capital, Islamabad.
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The Catholic government minister was a vocal critic of the misuse of the blasphemy laws and was known as a champion of religious freedom. He was also instrumental in creating 5% job quotas in government departments for religious minorities.
His efforts led to the release of the first Christian woman sentenced to death on blasphemy charges, Aasiya Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi. Bibi, sentenced in 2010 after being accused of insulting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, during an argument with a Muslim woman, now resides with her family in Canada.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
