Islamabad, March 2
Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, gunned down by militants today for calling for changes in Pakistan's blasphemy law, had often spoken about threats to his life from the Taliban and extremist elements in recent weeks.

Bhatti, the only member of the federal cabinet from the minority Christian community, first received threats when he spoke in support of Christians who were attacked by an extremist group at Gojra in Punjab in 2009.

Father’s fear comes true Bhatti’s 88-year-old father Jacob Bhatti had suffered a heart attack on January 4 after he learnt that Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer had been assassinated for opposing the blasphemy law and had passed away a week later. “He knew that I was very close to Taseer and I am also the target of extremists; so he could not bear that,” Bhatti had said about his father in a recent interview.

Fresh threats came his way when he spoke in support of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death last year for alleged blasphemy. "The forces of violence - banned militant organisations, the Taliban and pro-Al Qaida (elements) - they want to impose their radical philosophy on Pakistan.

And whoever stands against their radical philosophy, they threaten them," Bhatti told BBC recently.

"I am a follower of the cross and I am ready to die for a cause. I am living for my community and suffering people and I will die to defend their rights. These threats and warnings cannot change my opinion and principles.

I will prefer to die for my principles and for the justice of my community rather than compromise (because of) these threats," he said.

By a strange twist of fate, Bhatti's 88-year-old father Jacob Bhatti suffered a heart attack on January 4 when he learnt that Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer had been assassinated by a police guard for opposing the blasphemy law. The minister's father died seven days later.

A founding member of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, Bhatti joined the ruling Pakistan People's Party in 2002. He was elected a member of Parliament from a seat reserved for minorities and made Minority Affairs Minister in 2008. He retained his portfolio during a recent shake-up of the federal cabinet.

Bhatti earned the ire of extremists and militants in November last year after he submitted a report on Aasia Bibi to President Asif Ali Zardari in which he said the Christian woman had been wrongly charged for blasphemy.

Bhatti also recommended that Aasia Bibi should be pardoned. The slain minister referred to threats from militants in several recent interviews.

"I have been told by pro-Taliban religious extremists that if I will continue to speak against the blasphemy law, I will be beheaded," Bhatti told the Catholic Herald during a trip to Canada last month to raise awareness for his campaign to reform the harsh blasphemy law.

In an interview with The Christian Post newspaper last month, Bhatti said he was the "number one target" of the Taliban after Punjab Governor Taseer was assassinated in January 4.

"I received a call from (a) Taliban commander and he said, ‘If you will bring any changes in the blasphemy law and speak on this issue, then you will be killed. And I have received a lot of fatwas of killing by the extremist Talibans," he said. — PTI

London, March 2
Fashion label Christian Dior has sacked its chief designer John Galliano following a series of claims that he had subjected women to tirades of anti-Semitic abuse. The fashion house took decisive action yesterday, after a new video surfaced online showing Galliano abusing two women thinking they were Jewish.

The video clip shows the 50-year-old saying, “I love Hitler. People like you ought to be dead, your mothers, your forefathers would all be gassed.” Galliano was fired last night, hours after the British designer was denounced by Israel-born actress Natalie Portman, who is the face of a Dior perfume, reported Daily Mail.

Chief executive of Christian Dior Sidney Toledano said, “I very firmly condemn what was said by John Galliano, which totally contradicts the values which have always been defended by Christian Dior.

“Because of the particularly odious nature of John Galliano’s behaviour and views, in a video made public on Monday, Christian Dior has decided to lay him off at once and has commenced formal dismissal procedures.” Galliano, who has been named British designer of the year four times, insisted on Monday that he was “no racist”.

But Portman, who won Best Actress for her role in ‘Black Swan’ at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, said in a statement, “In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way.

“I hope at the very least these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful.” The controversy began after Galliano allegedly insulted Geraldine Bloch, 35, and Philippe Virgitti, 41, at a Paris bar called La Perle, last Thursday. — PTI

SEC alleges that while a member of Goldman's Board of Directors, Gupta tipped Rajaratnam about Berkshire Hathaway's $5 billion investment in Goldman and Goldman's upcoming public equity offering before that information was publicly announced on September 23, 2008. Gupta called Rajaratnam immediately after a special telephonic meeting at which Goldman's Board considered and approved Berkshire's investment in Goldman Sachs and the public equity offering, it alleged. Within a minute after the Gupta-Rajaratnam call and just minutes before the close of the markets, Rajaratnam arranged for Galleon funds to purchase more than 175,000 Goldman shares, it said.

Rajaratnam later informed another participant in the scheme that he received the tip on which he traded only minutes before the market close, it alleged. “The SEC’s allegations are totally baseless,” Gary Naftalis, Counsel for Gupta, said. Rajaratnam caused the Galleon funds to liquidate Goldman holdings the following day after the information became public, making profits of more than $900,000, the SEC said. Gupta also illegally disclosed to Rajaratnam inside information about Goldman Sachs’s financial results for the second quarter of 2008.

Washington, March 2
The US has a strong fund tracking system to make sure that Pakistan does not use any direct US money to strengthen its nuclear programme, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers who expressed concern over American aid money to Islamabad given reports that the country has doubled its atomic stockpile.

“I’m confident there is no direct funding going to their nuclear programme because of my confidence in tracking the cost we are reimbursing them for now,” General James N Mattis, Commander of the US Central Command said at a Congressional hearing convened by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The statement came after lawmakers expressed concern over recent reports that Pakistan has doubled its nuclear weapons and the stockpile has crossed the 100-figure mark.

“Obviously, they have their own funding, and whether or not they would spend some of that elsewhere, if we weren’t reimbursing,” Mattis said.

Senator Jim Webb said while Pakistan may not be using US money directly to fund its nuclear programme but expressed apprehension that American assistance in other areas could have helped the country divert its own money.

Apparently not satisfied with Mattis’ response, Webb said: “The concerns that I have is that if we are funding programmes that they otherwise would be funding or they are able to take that money in order to increase their nuclear arsenal, it’s not a healthy situation for the region and for us, in my view”. — PTI