For the second time in two months gunmen assassinated a Pakistani politician who wanted to change the country's controversial blasphemy laws, a historic and fundamental assault on the kind of Pakistan the politicians died trying to create: a country of moderation and religious tolerance.
Bhatti had criticized Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which say that anyone defaming the name of the prophet Muhammad should be put to death. While no one has actually been executed for blasphemy, human rights advocates say the laws are vague and often used to settle personal scores and hunt religious minorities.
"This is a concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal, progressive and humanist voice in Pakistan," said Farahnaz Ispahani, a member of parliament and a spokeswoman for President Asif Ali Zardari.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/christian-minister-shahbaz-bhatti-killed-pakistan/story?id=13039564