WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday expressed outrage over the slaying of Catholic Pakistani government minister Shahbaz Bhatti, also calling it an attack on the values of tolerance.
"I was shocked and outraged by the assassination," Clinton told a Senate committee after gunmen shot dead Bhatti in an attack linked to Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.
"I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan," she said.
The chief US diplomat called Bhatti, whom she met recently, a "courageous man" who knew about the threats against him but stayed on as the minority affairs minister even after a government reshuffle.
"He was a patriot. He was a man of great conviction. He cared deeply for Pakistan, and he had dedicated his life to helping the least among us," Clinton told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Bhatti had defied death threats after the assassination two months ago of the governor of Punjab, who opposed controversial blasphemy laws.
The minority affairs minister conceded to AFP at the time that he was "the highest target right now" but vowing to continue his work and trusting his life to God.
More generally, Clinton said it is a matter of "deep distress" to her and the US government that religious and other minorities suffered from intolerance not only in Pakistan but in Iraq and Egypt.
"It runs against all of our values. And we are going to be doing all we can to support the freedom of religion, the freedom of conscience and to work with governments everywhere so that they uphold universal values," she said.
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