“His voice was silenced but his mission lives on.” 

So says a video promoting Blood and Water, a newly released biography of Shahbaz Bhatti, gunned down 15 years ago, March 2, 2011, by religious extremists in Islamabad, Pakistan, thus ending a life dedicated to battling for the rights of Christians and other oppressed faith minorities in a country described by human rights experts as “one of the worst places in the world for religious freedom.”

Bhatti served as Pakistan’s federal Minister of Minority Affairs from 2008 to 2011, and was the lone Christian member of then Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani’s cabinet.

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Honouring him as a modern-day martyr, Pope Francis declared Bhatti a Servant of God in 2016. It was the first step on the road to canonization as Pakistan’s first Catholic saint.

Bhatti’s legacy continues to inspire other human rights champions, still active in the trenches of the ongoing battle against faith-based persecution in Pakistan and beyond.

Peter Bhatti, brother of Shahbaz and a long-time resident in the Greater Toronto Area, is a prominent advocate for Pakistan’s Christians. He too continues to draw inspiration from the life and legacy of his brother. International Christian Voice (ICV), the non-profit organization that Peter founded and leads, advocates for oppressed Christians in Pakistan, supports refugees fleeing religious persecution and facilitates their integration into Canadian society.

On March 7, ICV hosted a launch of Blood and Water, combined with a fundraising event at Toronto’s Grand Convention Centre.

It was a time for some of the slain Bhatti’s closest friends and associates to share their memories of the martyr and to reflect on his legacy. Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism from 2008 to 2013 in Stephen Harper’s government, was one of the speakers at the event.

 “The event tonight was very moving, and I am glad to see such an effort being made to perpetuate his memory and his fight for human dignity,” Kenney told The Catholic Register.

He went on to share recollections of his relationship with Bhatti which began when he visited Pakistan in 2009. 

“It was during that trip that I met Shahbaz,” he said. “He asked me to begin our meeting with a prayer. I immediately recognized that he was a man of deep faith and authenticity.”

Bhatti was acutely aware of the likelihood of being assassinated in his own country by Islamist groups determined to silence him, so while on a visit to Canada in 2011, Kenney offered him refuge.

 “But he declined, saying he knew the way of the Cross, and he was ready to die for his Lord,” Kenney said.

Soon after, he would die in a hail of bullets fired by extremists in Pakistan.

His nephew David Bhatti recalls that his extended family in Canada received the devastating news the same day. 

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“For decades, my uncle remained relentless in the pursuit of justice and freedom for all those persecuted for their religion,” David said. “Now, 15 years later, his legacy continues to be an inspiration. This new graphic novel launched in his memory will influence the next generation to be as principled and courageous as he was.”

“Shahbaz was a tremendous example of Christian service to others, speaking up for persecuted Christians in Pakistan as well as individuals from different religious backgrounds,” said Knox Thames, the creator of Blood and Water and close friend of Bhatti and former advisor to the U.S. government on religious freedom who spoke at the event.

 “Hopefully, our new biography of Shahbaz, authored by Matt Yocum and illustrated by Jordan Holt, will help inspire the next generation and challenge us all to help others.” 

Thames noted that religious freedom is in an abysmal state in the Pakistan.

“Pakistan continues to be one of the worst places in the world for religious freedom. Hundreds of Pakistanis, both Muslim and non-Muslim, are currently in jail for the so-called crime of blasphemy. Extremists also target faith communities with violence. While Shahbaz's life ended 15 years ago on March 2, we cannot let his flame be extinguished. It is up to us to carry on his work and advocate religious freedom for all.”

Janice Monteiro was one of the volunteers for the Toronto event. A cousin of Cardinal Joseph Coutts of Karachi, now its Archbishop Emeritus, Monteiro said she has lived in peace since she emigrated to Canada in 1996. But moved by the plight of Pakistani Catholic Michael D’Souza and his family, she offered to help with ICV’s fundraising efforts. The D’Souza family lived in a Muslim neighbourhood in Karachi and suffered 20 years of severe persecution due to its refusal to respond to pressure from local clerics to convert to Islam. The family’s asylum application was successfully processed with the help of ICV, and the D’Souzas recently arrived in Canada.

ICV’s current fundraising drive is for two young Pakistani Christians languishing in jail after being falsely charged and convicted of violating the blasphemy law, Peter said. 

Benedict Rogers, another close friend and associate of Bhatti, shared his reflections of working with him. 

 “I worked very closely with Shahbaz for five years when he was leading the All-Pakistan Minorities Alliance, before he was appointed Minister of Minority Affairs,” the world-renowned British Catholic activist said. “I spoke with Shahbaz by phone, often several times a week, and we travelled together in Pakistan”

Rogers said Shahbaz continues to inspire his own work on behalf of persecuted faith minorities. 

“Every time I am in Rome I make it a priority to go to the Basilica di San Bartolomeo all’Isola where Shahbaz’s personal Bible is on display in a commemoration to modern day martyrs. I am constantly inspired in my own human rights work by the selflessness, bravery, faith and sacrifice of my friend Shahbaz Bhatti, a modern-day martyr,” he said.

The current war in Iran has added another dimension to the risks faced by Pakistan’s Christians, said several observers and activists.

“Pakistan shares a border with Iran, and the war is having a terrible social and economic impact on Pakistan,” says a note on the website of Christian Solidarity International, a Switzerland-based organization promoting religious liberty and advocating for the persecuted. “Prices are skyrocketing and people cannot buy food. Protesters have attacked U.S. consulates in Lahore and Karachi and burned vehicles while marching on the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. The UN station in Skardu was burnt to ashes. Pakistani Christians are terrified. The Muslim majority sees the war as a war against Muslims by the Kafirs (Christians and Jews). Unless the war ends, the lives and properties of Christians in Pakistan will be at risk.”

Azam Gill is a Pakistani Christian and author of Blasphemy, a 2016 novel based on the reality of Christians victimized by the notorious blasphemy law. A retired professor who lives in France, he explained some of the misconceptions about Christians that have generated hostility towards them in his native country, particularly after the outbreak of the Iran war. 

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“They see the entire West as a Christian equivalent of the Ummah (global Muslim community), and the Christians of Pakistan as its extension, and thus fair game and easy targets,” he said.

The process for beatification of Bhatti was formally opened in 2016 by the Pakistani diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.