By Nazir S Bhatti
Today in a meeting with a friend, when I told him that Dr. Paul Bhatti, former Religious Harmony Minister and brother of Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti has fled from Pakistan after life threats from Punjabi Talban on pursuing case of Shahbaz Bhatti murder in anti-terrorist court.
My friend was not surprised on Dr. Paul Bhatti’s re-settlement in Italy but he raised very important question: Where Gul Sher will flee, who was driver of Shahbaz Bhatti and eye witness of killing incident of his boss Shahbaz Bhatti?
It was morning of March 2, 2011, in capital city of Pakistan; Gul Sher was waiting alongside car on door of house of mother of Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti which was not his official residence as Federal Minister for Minorities Affair; It is 11: 15 AM, Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister of government of Pakistan, appears from house of his mother and directs his driver Gul Sher to head for Prime Minister House where he had to participate in Cabinet meeting; but before reaching PM House, he have to go to his official residence where Police was waiting for him to escort on daily schedule. It is 11:20 AM, before reaching to official residence where police escort was waiting, the vehicle of Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti slows down on a road speed breaker, then suddenly, gunmen stop car of Shahbaz Bhatti and order Gul Sher to get out of car and run to save his life. The gunmen spray bullet on Shahbaz Bhatti and wait to ensure that he is dead; the killers, then, put pamphlets written by Punjabi Talban on dead body of Shahbaz Bhatti which warn others to not speak against blasphemy law. It is on record that Gul Sher, driver of Shahbaz Bhatti, saw faces of killers and became a credible witness of the killing incident.
After murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, a joint investigating team of Islamabad police was constituted by government of Pakistan which instead of arresting terrorists of Punjabi Talban started harassing activists of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance APMA which was led by Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti; the police picked up Gul Sher also and tortured him for weeks to record a statement or confession that killers were Christians; later, Gul Sher was released from police torture cell on instructions to keep silent.
The government of Pakistan and Joint Investigation Team of Shahbaz Bhatti murder case was fully aware that Punjabi Talban are involved in killing of Shahbaz Bhatti and knew their hide outs in Punjab but stretched their investigation towards Christian activists of APML and Gul Sher who was driver of slain Christian leader.
The mother of Shahbaz Bhatti and family servant were awarded asylum by Canadian government who migrated to Canada but Gul Sher who was eye witness of killing incident and next target of Punjabi Talban was ignored.
When I talked last with khalid Gill who was Chief Organizer of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance APMA led by Shahbaz Bhatti and harassed by joint investigation team of Islamabad in murder inquiry of Shahbaz Bhatti. Mr. khalid Gill is one who invested millions of his family funds to organize APMA to strength leadership of Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti reached Canada in year 2013 and applied for asylum to save his life but he is facing difficulties which is causing depression on him when Mr. Gill is patient of high blood pressure and feeling unsafe in Canada even where some elements are propagating against him that he may not get asylum.
The very important question still stands very big; where Gul Sher will go to save his life who is eyewitness of killing spree of Shahbaz Bhatti but in hiding in Pakistan? While Paul Bhatti settles back in Italy and family of Shahbaz Bhatti along with family servants is settled in Canada.
There are thousands of Christians who are fleeing from Pakistan after persecution and life threats who are waiting for their case approvals from UNO offices in Sri-Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia in very desperate situation which require attention of UNHRC but what’s future of Pakistani Christians: its big question mark like question of Gul Sher?
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