Hospital official: Pakistan's minister for religious minorities has died after shooting attack

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

ISLAMABAD — Hospital official: Pakistan's minister for religious minorities has died after shooting attack.

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Updated from this story by the AP

Police: Gunmen wound Pakistan minorities minister

ISLAMABAD — Police say gunmen have opened fire on Pakistan's government minister who represents the country's religious minorities, wounding him critically.

Police official Mohammad Iqbal says the attack happened on Wednesday as the minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, was leaving his home on the way to work.

Bhatti, a Christian, had been threatened by Islamist militants in the past and he has spoken out against the country's harsh blasphemy laws.

Link - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7452453.html

Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/hospital-official-pakistans-minister-857830.html

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News that Matters http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[SpartanDem]

1. Gunmen kill Christian Pakistan government minister

Source: AP

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Assailants purportedly sent by al-Qaida and the Taliban killed the only Christian member of Pakistan's federal Cabinet Wednesday, spraying his car with bullets outside his parents' driveway. It was the second assassination in two months of a high-profile opponent of blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

The killing of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic in his 40s, further undermines Pakistan's shaky image as a moderate Islamic state and could deepen the political turmoil in this nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied state where militants frequently stage suicide attacks.

In pamphlets found at the scene of the shooting, al-Qaida and the Pakistani Taliban said they targeted Bhatti because of his faith and because he allegedly belonged to a committee that was reviewing the blasphemy laws.

Bhatti was ambushed early afternoon Wednesday outside his parents' home in the capital of Islamabad. The politician had just pulled out of the driveway when three men standing nearby opened fire, said Gulam Rahim, a witness.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jHwsnMmj75wHyCDMSKchOBEgbNnA?docId=5e40d0cc4b954d478486bf862d37c196

[LibertyLover]

2. Another site, one for UFOs and conspiracy theories and other odd things,

that I like to read had a post yesterday from someone who called for the reinstatement of blasphemy laws in the US. Most commentors told him where he could stick his idea (hint: the sun don't shine there), but sadly a few agreed with him. This is truly a disturbing turn of events. Sadly, I see no end in sight for Pakistan's troubles with religious minorities, including Islamic ones.

[karynnj]

3. Senator Kerry brought this up at the hearing with Hillary this morning

Senior US Senator John Kerry on Wednesday condemned the slaying of Catholic Pakistani government minister Shahbaz Bhatti as a "particularly chilling" terrorist attack.
<snip>
"Coming so soon after the killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, another strong advocate for tolerance and moderation, today's act of terrorism is particularly chilling," Kerry said in a statement.
<snip>
Bhatti "was a brave defender of all of Pakistan's religious and ethnic minorities and his death is a loss to his country and his family," said Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"My prayers and condolences go out to Mr Bhatti's family and to the majority of the Pakistani populace that abhors such acts of wanton violence," said Kerry, a key player in efforts to improve ties between the United States and Pakistan.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hIK061nMc0qN2Mj1XaIth_hZagtg?docId=CNG.0eaad0491a302877c4d7d6232a8c72b8.1f1

[speltwon]

4. Taliban: Pakistani minister killed over stance on blasphemy law

Source: CNN

Islamabad, Pakistan -- A Pakistani government minister who had said he was getting death threats because of his opposition to a controversial blasphemy law was shot to death Wednesday.

Shahbaz Bhatti was the only Christian member of the Cabinet in Pakistan, where 95 percent of people are Muslim. He served as the government's minister of minority affairs.

He was shot and killed in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, Pakistani police said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

"(The) assassination of Bhatti is a message to all of those who are against Pakistan's blasphemy laws," said Ihsanullah Ihsan, a Taliban spokesman.

In January, the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by his security guard because he spoke out against the law.



Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/02/pakistan.minister.shot/?hpt=T2

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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[leftynyc]

6. Religious freaks

wear me out. Death penalty for blasphemy laws? And we're going to negotiate with the taliban in Afghanistan? How do you negotiate with these vermin?

RIP Mr. Bhatti.

[VermeerLives]

7. Well said

I agree -- we can't negotiate with them. They are sure as he** not going to negotiate when it comes to their beliefs or compromise one iota.