Peter Bhatti urges West to act on Christian persecution

Peter Bhatti has called on Western leaders to increase international pressure on Islamabad to protect religious minorities in Pakistan. Speaking at a reception in London for the launch of a new report by the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bhatti stated that Western governments are not doing enough to assist persecuted Christians. He said the West must engage in serious dialogue with the Pakistani government to promote interfaith harmony.

The report, titled Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report into Christians oppressed for their Faith 2024-2026, was presented at Portcullis House on Oct. 27.

Peter Bhatti is the elder brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, the former federal minister for minorities affairs who was assassinated in an ambush because of his efforts to reform blasphemy laws and his advocacy for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was later released and moved to Canada. The Diocese of Rawalpindi-Islamabad has opened a cause for the canonization of Shahbaz Bhatti.