On Jan. 15, Pakistan’s police requested the high-profile murder trial of Minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti be moved to a newly formed military court.
Bhatti, a Christian, was shot dead in front of his Islamabad home in March 2011 for demanding reformation of Pakistan’s blasphemy law, an extremely sensitive topic in Pakistan, that permits the death sentence for insulting Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.
According to AFP, “the murder trial has, however, been hampered by threats from extremists. Police hope that hearing the case in a closed military court will speed up the process and reduce interference from radicals.”
“We have sent an official request to the Interior ministry to carry out the murder trial of Shahbaz Bhatti in a military court,” a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The primary suspect is Omar Abdullah, who is also suspected of being an Al Qaeda operative.
