The brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian human rights advocate and former Pakistani government minister who was assassinated in 2011, has called for a British parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan and other parts of the world.
Shahbaz Bhatti became Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minority Affairs in 2008, serving as the only Christian in the cabinet of then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
During his time in office, he spoke out against attacks on Christians, including the violence during the 2009 Gojra riots. He also supported Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. After years of legal proceedings and imprisonment, Bibi was acquitted and later granted asylum in Canada.
Bhatti’s public defence of Christians and other minorities brought repeated death threats. In 2011, he was assassinated by members of the Pakistani Taliban.
Following his death, his brother Paul Bhatti took up public service as Minister for National Harmony and Minority Affairs.
Addressing the British Parliament at the launch of a report on persecuted Christians by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Paul Bhatti warned that the influence of Islamic extremists in Pakistan had increased, leaving many religious minorities afraid to speak out for their rights.
He said that since his brother’s death, numerous human rights and religious freedom advocates had remained silent because they feared becoming targets themselves. He added that minorities continued to face persecution, including the misuse of blasphemy laws, abductions, forced conversions and forced marriages.
Bhatti stressed the need to raise awareness of the persecution experienced by Christians and other religious communities around the world.
He called on the UK Parliament to launch an inquiry into the treatment of religious minorities internationally, suggesting that it could be conducted by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee or the Joint Committee on Human Rights. He also urged the British government to issue a formal response to the findings of any such inquiry.
Dr John Newton, editor of the ACN report, also addressed the event. He said that religious persecution was shaped by several factors, including ethnicity, gender and social status, which could leave individuals particularly vulnerable.
Newton warned that limited understanding of religion in Western countries sometimes resulted in hostility towards Christians being overlooked or given insufficient attention compared with other factors.
He said he hoped the report would encourage people to speak up for those unable to defend themselves and stand alongside communities facing persecution.
Based on reporting by Christian Today UK.
