St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, 17 March, 6.30pm
 
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is supporting a service of remembrance and thanksgiving for the life of Shahbaz Bhatti, the late Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs in Pakistan, who was assassinated by gunmen as he left his mother's home for a Cabinet meeting on 2 March.
 
The service will take place tomorrow in St Margaret's Church, adjacent to Westminster Abbey. It has been organised by the Church of England and will be attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior bishops from Pakistan. Representatives from other Christian denominations are expected, as well as members of non-Christian faiths.
 
Bishop Tony Robinson, who chairs the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pakistan Focus Group and will deliver a homily at the service, said the Pakistani Christian communities throughout the United Kingdom were deeply saddened by Shahbaz Bhatti's death, and wanted to mark this terrible tragedy.
 
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of CSW, who will be giving a reading at the service, said, "This service is yet another expression of the profound grief which has been felt around the world at the death of Shahbaz Bhatti. As we give thanks for his life, the best thing we can do to honour his memory is to ensure his death was not in vain. He committed his life to championing minority rights, religious freedom, inter-faith harmony, and justice, and he was prepared to die for these causes.
 
"We must continue to stand in solidarity with those in Pakistan who suffer the consequences of violent extremism and the blasphemy laws, and those who, in the face of mortal danger, stand up for justice. The urgent need to do so was brought out yet again yesterday, with the tragic and untimely death of Qamar David, a Christian prisoner awaiting an appeal against his spurious conviction for blasphemy a year ago".

Notes to editors: 

1. Official photographs of the service will be available on request afterwards.
 
2. For further information on the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, see the CSW press releases, CSW appalled and grieved by  by death of Shahbaz Bhatti' and Tributes pour in to Shahbaz Bhatti on day of his funeral'.
 
3. For further information on the death of Qamar David, see the CSW press release, Blasphemy prisoner in Pakistan found dead
in prison cell before appeal could be heard.'

4. For further information on the life of Shahbaz Bhatti, click here