Nine years ago, on March 2, 2011, Shahbaz Bhatti, a prominent Christian politician elected as a member of the National Assembly from 2008 and the first Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, was assassinated in Islamabad, Pakistan. Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in the Cabinet at that time, was vocal on the issue of discrimination and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan and the problematic blasphemy laws. This work became his death warrant. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for his murder. The group justified the crime claiming that Shahbaz Bhatti was guilty of blasphemy, a crime that, according to the Pakistani Penal Code (§ 295C) and until this day, carries the death penalty.
Shahbaz Bhatti was a powerful advocate against the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the very laws that have led to his murder. Among others, he also promoted interfaith harmony and the introduction of quotas for religious minorities in government posts and championed proposals to ban hate speech.
The memory of Shahbaz Bhatti and his contribution to the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan continues to be tarnished as the Pakistani government does little to ensure that religious minorities in Pakistan are granted basic human rights in equality with others, their human rights are protected and implemented adequately. And so, in the words of Lord Alton of Liverpool, the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan remains Shahbaz Bhatti’s “unfinished business.”
Indeed, nine years after the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, the situation of religious minorities in Pakistan remains dire. Over the years, several international bodies have shed light on the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan. For example, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination highlighted the high incidence of hate crimes (including harassment and killings) against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Hazaras, Christian Dalits, Hindu Dalits and Ahmadis. These are hate crimes that would rarely be investigated and prosecuted. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination further stressed other severe issues faced by minorities in Pakistan, including of Christian and Hindu Dalit women and girls facing forced conversion and forced marriage. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Human Rights Committee also raised the issue of the early age indoctrination in that “some school curricula and textbooks, including those of madrasas, had content that had the potential to incite hatred against religious and ethnic minorities.” The UN Universal Periodic Review report, in 2017, emphasized that religious minorities were being marginalized in political engagement including that “the minority quota in the national and provincial parliaments and in public services was applied only to religious minorities.” The Human Rights Committee “was further concerned at the removal of Ahmadis from the general electoral list and their registration on a separate voting list, the low level of exercise of the right to vote by women and the continued obstacles to effective access to voting for persons with disabilities and persons belonging to minorities, including gypsies.” Last, but not least, the UN Committee against Torture has raised the issue of reports of violence against members of Shia, Christian and Ahmadiyya communities and individuals accused of blasphemy.
And indeed, nine years after the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, blasphemy laws, the very reason why Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered, continue to significantly affect religious minorities. The majority of those convicted under blasphemy laws are religious minorities, especially Ahmadiyya and Christian minorities. Ultimately, the laws are being used and abused to persecute religious minorities. Reports suggest that, since 1990, vigilante mobs have killed at least 65 people in Pakistan over claims of blasphemy.
Shahbaz Bhatti lost his life so that others could live in accordance with their religion or belief. Nine years later, renewed efforts to protect religious minorities in Pakistan are essential. We need to act now to leave a legacy for further generations in Pakistan. In pursuance of this goal, Lord Alton of Liverpool marked the ninth anniversary of the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti at the UK Parliament with an event entitled “For a better future of religious minorities in Pakistan” and launched “the Declaration for A Peaceful Coexistence of Religious Minorities in Pakistan.” The declaration calls upon the Pakistani government but also all parts of the Pakistani society to ensure that they play their part in the protection and implementation of human rights for all, to ensure human dignity for all. The declaration received significant support but its impact is yet to be realized. However, this may be the catalyst to jump-start renewed efforts to protect religious minorities. The murder of Shahbaz Bhatti may have prevented him from finishing his work on protecting religious minorities in Pakistan. However, his “unfinished business” will be carried forward by others who will not be silenced.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2020/03/02/carrying-forward-shahbazbhattis--unfinished-business-to-protect-religious-minorities-in-pakistan/#2d4f4a414605
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