London: March 5, 2011. (PCP) The youngest Muslim Councillor in the UK, Cllr Raza Anjum has strongly condemned the assassination of the Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti and has described him as a ‘brave person who fought for justice, equality and a progressive Pakistan.’ He further stated that those who committed this crime should be brought to justice, and those who share Shahbaz Bhatti’s vision of tolerance and religious freedom must be able to live free from fear.' Mr Bhatti, a senior member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was shot dead in Islamabad, by Islamic extremists, angered by the Minister’s support of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. Mr Shahbaz Bhatti had recently called for an end to the misuse of the country's blasphemy law, prompting protests by Islamists. Councillor Raza Anjum, who is compiling a report on the role of minority groups living in Pakistan for the British Foreign Office and the European Union, held several official meeting with the late Shahbaz Bhatti during his visit to Pakistan in January 2011. During the meetings, Anjum said the Minister had told him that ‘one needs to be determined and brave in standing up for human rights’ and that ‘the religious extremists were not in a majority.’ He stated that ‘the extremists aim to install fear in the minds of the people’ and that he was ‘prepared to stand up to them to help bring about a progressive and peaceful Pakistan.’ Shahbaz Bhatti also stressed that the Government of Pakistan ‘will not undo the blasphemy law and that its efforts are concentrated at bringing an end to its misuse.’ The minister stated, "I was told that if I was to continue the campaign against the blasphemy law, I will be assassinated. I will be beheaded. But forces of violence, forces of extremism cannot harass me, cannot threaten me." Commenting, Councillor Raza Anjum stated that ‘the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti is a huge blow to all those who are working for an enlightened and progressive Pakistan.’ ‘He was a champion of human rights issues and a vocal critic of religious extremism.’ Anjum also stated that 'the international community was deeply concerned about the climate of intolerance and violence linked to the debate on the blasphemy laws.' Councillor Raza Anjum who has been engaging in a busy round of shuttle diplomacy to push for the protection of minority groups living in Pakistan, has met with top Government officials, opposition leaders and senior bureaucrats. He is due to give his fact finding report on the position of minority groups to the British Foreign Office and European Union in the near future. Cllr Raza Anjum (LLB, LLM, LPC) who is an international lawyer by profession, was elected as a Conservative Councillor in Cambridge in 2007 at the age of 22, when he became the youngest British Muslim Councillor. The assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti once again highlights Pakistan's unending troubles. He was a high-profile leader of the PPP. His death has left the country in shock at a time when it faces an imminent political crisis. The PPP has said it will observe a period mourning over the assassination of Mr Shahbaz Bhatti. Pakistan has seen a wave of attacks by Islamists in recent years, including the assassination of former Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer and the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.