“Friend, Colleague and Classmate Pays Tribute to Assassinated Minorities Leader”, Sunday, March 6, 2011 assistnews.net/Stories/2011/s11030039.htm ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- A high school friend and chairman of a Pakistan teachers organization has paid tribute to Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani Christian leader who was assassinated, Wednesday, March 2. Prof. Anjum James Paul is Chairman of the Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association (PMTA), and was a classmate of Bhatti’s at Government St. Thomas High School in Khushpur from grade 7 to 10. In an e-mail to ANS, Paul paid homage to Bhatti “for his great sacrifice for his people.” “Clement Shahbaz Bhatti will always be remembered as a brave leader who remained committed to his cause until his last breath, and never compromised his cause. This is the reason he has proved himself as our hero. He was an international leader who proclaimed the message of peace, harmony, tolerance, interfaith harmony, equality, liberty, human dignity, equal citizenship and equal rights. He was like a dove, but been preyed.” Paul stated that Bhatti’s enemies “forgot that he was the only dove who was the voice of the voiceless. There are hundreds of thousands like Shahbaz who are ready to sacrifice and carry on his mission. Satan can take our live, but our number will increase all the time, but a time will come when the followers of Shahbaz rule this land.” Paul said that March 2, 2011 “was a Black Day in the history of Pakistan.” Paul said he was teaching his M.A. Political Science students when he heard the tragic and shocking news that Shahbaz Bhatti, Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, had been fired upon in Islamabad and his life was in danger. “There were tears in my eyes, and I immediately contacted Shamaun Alfred who confirmed the news. Then I phoned to Najmi Saleem, MPA who was weeping in the Shifa International Hospital. I again contacted Shamaun, who confirmed the martyrdom of Shahbaz Bhatti. “The clouds were weeping and mourning the sacrifice of our beloved leader as well. I immediately left college in the rain as it was not possible for me to stay there. My students Syeda Farkhanada Batool, Zakia Noreen, Qaisar and others consoled me, but I could not control my sentiments as a great Pakistani leader and hero who was the voice of the voiceless was made silent,” Paul said. In his tribute to Bhatti, Paul said Bhatti was just three days older the he was. “We were class fellows at Government St. Thomas High School in Khushpur from grade 7 to 10. We passed grade 10 in 1984. We used to sit together on the same bench,” said Paul. “He had a revolutionary approach in his blood and he has proved that by his sacrifice that he has given, not only for the Pakistani minorities, but for the entire nation. He was the champion of human rights of the oppressed and suppressed people of Pakistan belonging to any community. He remained committed until his sacrifice. His sacrifice will surely bear fruit some day,” Paul said. Paul stated that Bhatti “was the son of the land of martyrs.” “Khushpur is the land of martyrs and it has the honor to sacrifice her sons for her people. We tribute to this land because it will demand to sacrifice her sons in future and the sons and daughters of Khushpur will be ready to say ‘Yes,’” he wrote. Paul reported that most of the TV channels broadcast the news of Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination. “I was receiving calls from those who loved him who wanted to confirm the news of his sacrifice. It was hard to tell them about his sacrifice, but even then I had to do that job. I sent messages of his sacrifice to all of my Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Bah,aaiand Parsee friends. They were shocked to hear this news, as no one was ready to accept the sacrifice of a harmless and the ambassador of peace,” Paul recalled. “I was remembering his words in the church last month on the funeral of his daddy and our teacher Jacob Bhatti where he said, ‘I shall continue raising voice for the truth and human rights of my people and someday my body will be brought here on this cause.’ “There were tears in my eyes while he was saying these words. I started praying for him from that day as we needed him much being persecuted in the name of the Lord. He was indeed a symbol of hope for us.” In the meantime, Paul said he received a call from Mr. Rao Kashif Raheem Khan, member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab to join him to leave for Khushpur as he was deputed from the Chief Minister Punjab to make arrangements. “So we reached there in rain. The clouds were shedding tears on Bhatti’s sacrifice. Men, women, youth and children were mourning and protesting in front of his house. Electronic media was covering the grieved environment. There was anger as well, and people were raising slogans (such as) ‘Shahbaz, Your sacrifice will bring revolution,’ ‘We do not admit, discriminatory laws,’ ‘Arrest the killers of Shahbaz Bhatti,’‘How many Shahbaz will you kill? Shahbaz will come out from every house,’ and everyone was shedding tears.” Paul explained that he and that Mr Rafiq Masih Randhawa and planned to arrange a peaceful protest rally in Samundri, which is the sub-division on March 3. “Hundreds of protesters from Khushpur, Esa Nagri and many others places arrived at Catholic Church Samundri. The protest rally started with prayers. Clergy and lay people were holding banners and marching on the roads of the city. Tires were burned at various places. Some Muslims also joined the rally and condemned those who took the life of a renowned Pakistani leader and a great patriot,” he said. Bhatti was buried on March 4 in his ancestral home, said Paul. “Thousands of people from all over Pakistan had gathered in Khushpur to pay homage to their beloved leader. Not only Christians, but also people of different faiths were present to pay tribute to him. There were protests and marches in the streets of Khushpur; everyone was paying tribute to Shahbaz Bhatti. I visited the place with Younas Bagga where a helipad was being prepared and then went to St. Dominic High School where arrangements were being made to welcome the martyr. People were entering there raising slogans. They were holding pictures of their beloved leader, banners and black flags.” Bhatti’s classmates Majeed Patras, Nadeem Dominic, Javed Inderias, Habil Khokhar, Father Yaqoob Yousuf, Father Patrick Anthony, Father Tariq Munshi, Babu Victor Sylvester, Father Nadeem John Shakir, Patrick Jerome and Rana Saif Ullah Khan, were there to see their beloved one. Also paying homage were Rana Muhammad Ashraf Khan and Professor Rana Muhammad Arshad, former students of St. Thomas High School. Sohail Bahadur and Perveen John also phoned Paul to pay their respects. Jahangir Badar, Secretary General of Pakistan People’s Party and Kamran Michael, Provincial Minister of Punjab, expressed their grief with Anjum Paul. Bhatti’s fellow campaigners Shamaun Alfred, Akmal Bhatti, Pervez Rafiq MPA, Prince Javed MPA, Michael Javed, Khalid Gill, Zahid Anwar, Dr. Nadeem, Karamat Jamil Bhatti, Ejaz Bhatti, Camilla Johnson, Johnson Khokhar, Murad Jalal, Najmi Saleem MPA, Dr. Shamaun Bhatti, Rafiq Randhawa, Ram Chohan, Anjum Chaudhry, Joseph Paul, George Paul, Agnes Jalal, Tahir Naveed MPA, Iqbal Danish, Dr, Amjad Aftab, Kaleem Bhatti and so many others who were very close to Bhatto shed their tears and mourned. Father Aftab James Paul, Father Khalid Asi, Father Zafar Iqbal, Father Anjum Nazeer, Babu Victor Sylvester, Babu Shabir and Anjum Paul make announcements and quite involved in the service. Paul continued: “At 3:30 p.m. as the helicopter arrived, everyone raised hands to salute and shouted with tears in their eyes. A prayer ceremony was already going on for the martyr and to keep people busy in prayer. Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Coutts, Rt. Rev. Bishop Alexander John Malik, Rt. Rev. Bishop Samuel Azariah, priests, pastors, nuns, politicians, social workers and lay people were also present. “The body of the martyr reached school at 5:00 pm. The atmosphere was saddened and red roses were being thrown on the coffin to pay homage. Bishop Joseph Coutts started prayer, and then I had reading from 2 Maccabees 14:1-7. Father Pervez Emmanuel gave the sermon and then Bishop Alexander John Malik said prayers. Then the last journey of the martyr started. I collected some of the petals of red roses which were under the coffin as a symbol of his sacrifice to keep with me as remembrance. “Everyone was trying to shoulder his body. There were slogans of protest and slogans to pay homage from his beloved ones. The media had live coverage,” said Paul. “I had the last opportunity to see his face at 6:26 p.m. when his body was in the grave. His glowing face was calling me to carry on his mission for the oppressed and the suppressed people. (I remember thinking) ‘I know my beloved leader, you will be only resting in heaven when your people will be having human dignity and human rights. We feel sorry that we could not protect you from the hounds, but a day will come when there will be peace in this land of Pakistan. Your dream will surely come true. We are ready to follow your way that leads to Calvary, but is a symbol of victory. You will live in our hearts for ever and ever. Your vision will guide us all the times. Martyrs never die, they always live, and we are proud of you that you remain in our hearts with us and to lead us to reach the destination where you wanted to reach.’” Anjum Paul, Chairman of Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association, can be contacted atinfo.pmta@gmail and pmtapakistan.blogspot Prof. Anjum James Paul Chairman Pakistan Minorities Teachers Association (PMTA) P.O.Box # 5, Samundri, Distt. Faisalabad. Pakistan +92-41-203-8272 Cell No.+92-300-769-5653 pmtapakistan.blogspot/
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 04:30:06 +0000
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