Letter: Killing of minority affairs minister

The recent killing of the Pakistani minister of minorities affairs has raised several questions in everyone’s mind. The main question is who would benefit from the killing of Shahbaz Bhatti and the current situation.

Although the government blames religious extremists for the killing of Bhatti it seems true that some other sources are behind the killing. Astonishingly the killing happened in the heart of the capital Islamabad and despite several threats made against him, the minister was traveling alone without any security.

After the killing of Bhatti some sources and Western media have targeted sensitive religious laws in Pakistan. Only a few days ago the government said that it was not going to amend any of the sensitive religious laws. After the killing of Bhatti the government is facing massive pressure from different sides, including US President Barack Obama, who expressed his concern about the death of Bhatti.

The New York Times wrote a special editorial criticizing the country’s blasphemy laws. Zardari’s government who is sitting silent after killing thousands of his own people through US
drone attacks announced three days of mourning after Bhatti’s murder, and now massive foreign pressure has become a big test for the government.

Khawaja Umer Farooq
Karachi