QUETTA – The Christian community on Friday staged a protest demonstration against the killing of Minister for Minorities’ Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, who was killed by unidentified gunmen in Islamabad on Wednesday. Calling the assassination a cruel act, the protesters demanded the government immediately arrest his killers. They also chanted slogans against terrorism and demanded the government give due status to minorities. The rally, led by Pastor Inayat and Pastor Nadeem, started from the Municipal Corporation and culminated into a gathering in front of the Quetta Press Club.
Pastor Inayat and others strongly condemned Bhatti’s killing and said it was a barbaric act. They said the rulers were in a deep slumber and had failed in protecting the lives of even high-profile people let alone the common man. They demanded the government take stern action against culprits involved in the brutal assassination. They said the government made lofty claims after every such incident, but never succeeded to arrest the culprits. He said Bhatti’s assassination underlined the need to protect the life and freedom of minorities. They urged the government take concrete steps to halt extremism in the country and condemned the misuse of religion as an affective tool to threaten people.
Meanwhile, lawyers staged protest rally in the provincial capital for the recovery of two judges and four lawyers abducted in Quetta. The lawyers boycotted court proceedings after 11am to record their protest. They vowed to continue their strike until the recovery of their missing colleagues, threatening that they would take the protest to Islamabad if their collogues were not recovered.
