 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies .(June 2024) |
Dr. Paul Jacob Bhatti is a Pakistani politician and well-known surgeon. He is the former federal minister in charge of National Harmony and Minorities Affairs. He served as a minister in the government of President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. [1] [2]
He obtained his basic degree of Doctor in Medicine, and Surgery (MD) from the University of Padua [3] in Italy. [2] He also attended the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. [2] He received his post-graduation eq: FRCS from the University of Padua, and a Masters in Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery from the same university in 2008, [2]
He has been working as a surgeon in various hospitals of, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Pakistan and currently Italy.
Dr. Paul Bhatti worked very closely with his late brother Shahbaz Bhatti to uplift the marginalized and oppressed sectors of the society. He is committed to promote religious freedom, human equality and social justice. He was the main advisor and financial supporter to Shahbaz Bhatti with his fight against all types of injustices in Pakistan.
After the assassination of his brother Shahbaz, Dr. Bhatti was offered a portfolio of Federal ministry of his brother and was elected Chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, [2] a movement founded by his late brother. He established the welfare organisations Shahbaz Bhatti Memorial Trust (SBMT) in Pakistan and Missione Shahbaz Bhatti (MSB) in Italy to continue the vision and the mission of his brother who was assassinated on 2 March 2012 by an extremist group in Islamabad. The SBMT was officially inaugurated by the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari.
During his position of Minister he has visited several countries of the world where he was welcomed and appreciated for his courageous work by head of states, political and religious leaders, human social activist in: Canada, US, UK, Germany, France,S.Korea, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Middle East, Asia. He held several seminars on Human Equality and religious persecution. In particularly he raised his voice in united nations, EU Parliament, UK house of common to support innocent Victims of violence. He helped to build welfare institutions: hospitals, schools, training centers (for job opportunities). He always lauded religious freedom as a symbol of basic human right and dignity. He voiced a strong message of freedom and democracy in area Where basic human rights are very frequently violated. [4]
In the course of his struggle, he supported and saved several innocent victims of violence and specially got involved in the protection of (Rimsha Masih blasphemy case) a girl of 14 years, putting his own life in risk. Rimsha was falsely accused of blasphemy by an imam of the area, who later was detained on 1 September 2012, for desecrating the Quran himself and tampering with evidence. [5]
Dr.Bhatti's main focus is on political, social and economical stability in the country thus bringing a peaceful society, where people from diverse faiths can live together without fear. To achieve these objectives, he is working on the following:
Within these areas of focus, Dr. Bhatti did the following:
His main achievement are:
Dr. Bhatti continues his struggle as Chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), Shahbaz Bhatti Memorial Trust (SBMT), Missione Shahbaz Bhatti. Further, he appealed to the international community to support his struggle to bring peace, harmony in the world and an end to the fear and violence. He established a justice and advocacy network to uplift marginalized sectors of society through inter-religious dialogue and relationship, education and economic empowerment. [6]
On 22 October 2013, Dr. Paul Bhatti with Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan Greg Giokas inaugurated a new solar-powered irrigation plant-irrigation in the village of Khushpur in Punjab. [7]
On 2 July 2014, Dr. Bhatti participated as keynote speaker at the event organised on the occasion of The United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and To mark the beginning of the Italian Presidency of the European Union. [8]
Freedom of religion in Pakistan is formally guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan for individuals of various religions and religious sects.
Pakistan has five major ethno-regional communities in Pakistan: Baloch, Muhajir, Punjabis, Pushtuns and Sindhis, as well as several smaller groups. There are also religious and sectarian groups such as Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, Kalasha, Parsis and Sikhs, and Shia Muslim sects including Ismailis and Bohras.
Christianity is the third largest religion in Pakistan, making up about 1.27% of the population according to the 2017 Census. Of these, approximately half are Catholic and half Protestant. A small number of Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Oriental Orthodox Christians also live in Pakistan.
The situation of Human Rights in Pakistan is complex as a result of the country's diversity, large population, its status as a developing country and a sovereign Islamic democracy with a mixture of both Islamic and secular law.
The Pakistan Penal Code outlaws blasphemy against any recognized religion, with punishments ranging from a fine to the death penalty. According to various human rights organizations, Pakistan's blasphemy laws have been used to persecute religious minorities and settle personal rivalries, frequently against other Muslims, rather than to safeguard religious sensibilities.
In Islam, blasphemy is impious utterance or action concerning God, but is broader than in normal English usage, including not only the mocking or vilifying of attributes of Islam but denying any of the fundamental beliefs of the religion. Examples include denying that the Quran was divinely revealed, the Prophethood of one of the Islamic prophets, insulting an angel, or maintaining God had a son.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is a Pakistani politician who served as the 37th Minister of Foreign Affairs, in office from 27 April 2022 to 10 August 2023. He became the chairman of Pakistan People's Party in 2007, following his mother's assassination. Bilawal belongs to the Bhutto family, a prominent political family of Pakistan and is the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari, and the grandson of former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bilawal had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 13 August 2018 till 10 August 2023. He re-elected as Member National Assembly of Pakistan in 2024 Pakistani general election from newly formed constituency NA-194 Larkana-I taken oath February 2024.
Holy See–Pakistan relations are foreign relations between Pakistan and the Holy See. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1961. The Holy See has a nunciature in Islamabad. Pakistan's embassy in Switzerland is accredited to the Holy See.
The 2009 Gojra riots were a series of attacks targeting Christians in Gojra town in Punjab province of Pakistan. These resulted in the deaths of eight Christians including a child.
In 2010, a Pakistani Christian woman, Aasiya Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi or Aasia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging. In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence, though she was not allowed to leave Pakistan until the verdict was reviewed. She was held under armed guard and was not able to leave the country until 7 May 2019; she arrived in Canada the next day.
Events in the year 2011 in Pakistan.
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was a Pakistani politician and the first Christian Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 2008 for the Pakistan People's Party. Bhatti became the only Christian member of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's Cabinet on November 2. On 2 March 2011, Bhatti was assassinated outside his mother's home by members of the Pakistani Taliban for his opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy laws. In March 2016, his cause for beatification was formally opened by the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. He was given the honorary title Servant of God within the Catholic Church.
The Ministry of Minorities used to be a federal-level ministry in the Government of Pakistan. The head of the ministry was known as the Minister for Minorities and was a member of the federal cabinet.
Persecution of Christians in Pakistan has been recorded since the country's independence in 1947. The persecution has taken many forms, including violence, discrimination, and blasphemy laws.
The Pakistan Christian Congress (PCC) is a Christian political party and lobby group in Pakistan and was founded in 1985. The party aims to safeguard and advocate the social, religious and political rights of Christians in Pakistan. The party is headquartered in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Rimsha Masih is a Pakistani girl from Islamabad, who was arrested by the Pakistani police on blasphemy charges in August 2012 when she was 14 years old. The alleged charges included desecrating pages of the Quran by burning—a crime punishable by death under Pakistan's blasphemy law. She is a member of Pakistan's Christian minority.
Junaid Hafeez is a former M. Phil English student at a Pakistani university where he was teaching as visiting teacher as well. He was convicted of blasphemy under Pakistan's broad blasphemy laws and sentenced to death. Arrested in 2013, Hafeez was accused of making derogatory comments about the prophet of Islam, Muhammad on social media. Held in solitary confinement since 2014, his trial was repeatedly delayed, and Hafeez's first lawyer, Rashid Rehman, was murdered. In December 2019, Hafeez was convicted and sentenced to death by a Pakistani court. His detention and arrest have been condemned by human rights groups..
The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance is a group that opposes violence and discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan. Shahbaz Bhatti, an outspoken critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws founded the group, to advocate for government protection of Christians, as well as other minority groups like Hindus, Sufis and Ahmadis. Paul Bhatti is the current leader.
Bhatti is a surname found among various Indian and Pakistani caste groups.