KHUSHPUR, Pakistan: Shirtless men beat their chests and women wailed in grief as the body of a Christian politician killed for opposing Pakistan's blasphemy laws arrived in his home village for burial Friday. In the capital, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani promised mourners at the funeral that the government would do its “utmost” to bring the assassins to justice. Shahbaz Bhatti, the sole Christian government minister in Pakistan, was shot dead Wednesday after being threatened for opposing laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam. He was the second Pakistani politician killed in two months over the matter, and his death underscored the perils facing a government that is increasingly too weak to govern well in the face of rising extremism. Thousands of people thronged the road in Khushpur, a Christian-dominated village of around 10,000 people in eastern Punjab province, chanting slogans demanding justice as Bhatti's body was driven toward his modest family home in an ambulance covered with rose petals. Catholic religious leader read prayers and Bible verses counseling patience as black flags fluttered nearby and Bhatti's picture loomed over the crowd. Earlier, Pakistan's prime minister visited an overflow crowd of mourners at a Roman Catholic church in Islamabad to praise the late 42-year-old minister for minority affairs, a man many have described as gentle, humble and devoted to helping Pakistan's downtrodden religious minorities. “People like him, they are very rare,” Gilani said. “I assure you, we will try our utmost to bring the culprits to justice.” Gilani did not specifically mention extremists. He also avoided mentioning the blasphemy laws, which rights groups have long deplored as vague and misused to persecute minorities or settle rivalries. President Asif Ali Zardari did not attend the funeral mass or the burial service in Khushpur, though he rarely makes public appearances out of fear for his life. Also notably missing were top leaders of the main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, which is considered somewhat sympathetic to religious parties. Bhatti's assassination drew international condemnation, including from the Vatican and President Barack Obama, even as some hard-liners in the religious community and the media suggested a US-led conspiracy was behind the murder.
