Washington, Mar 2 : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today expressed outrage at the assassination of the Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti and called it an attack on the values of tolerance.
"I was shocked and outraged by the assassination,reportedly by al- Qaida linked terrorists, of Pakistan's Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti,"Clinton told Senators at a Congressional hearing by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan," she said in response to a question from John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Bhatti, a Christian who had sought changes in the controversial blasphemy law, was today was today shot dead by Taliban militants as he drove out of his mother's house in Islamabad.He was the second top leader to be killed this year for demanding reform of the harsh statute.Clinton, who recently had met Bhatti, called him a man of courage.
"He was a very impressive, courageous man. He was a patriot. He was a man of great conviction. He cared deeply for Pakistan, and he had dedicated his life to helping the least among us," she said.
"When I spoke with him, he was well aware of the drumbeat of threats against him. Despite those threats, when the Pakistan government was recently reshuffled and the
cabinet shrunk, he agreed to continue his work as the minister for Minorities Affairs," she said.
The intolerance toward minorities, particularly religious minorities, that the US is seeing not only in Pakistan but elsewhere in the region -- the attack on Christians in Iraq -- the attack on minority Islam sects in Pakistan and elsewhere -- is a matter of deep distress to her personally and to United States, she said.
"It runs against all of our values. We are going to be doing all we can to support the freedom of religion, the freedom of conscience and to work with governments everywhere so that they uphold universal values," she said.
Later in a statement, Clinton said the US remains committed to working with the government and people of Pakistan to build a more stable and prosperous future for a future in which violent extremists are no longer able to silence the voices of tolerance and peace.
In a statement, Kerry condemned the slaying as a "particularly chilly" strike at the forces of tolerance.He said Bhatti was a brave defender of all of Pakistan's religious and ethnic minorities and his death is a loss to his country and his family.
"Coming so soon after the killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, another strong advocate for tolerance and moderation, today's act of terrorism is particularly chilling," he said in a statement. PTI
