Speaking on a television channel, Jamia Binoria Al Alamiya head, Mufti Naeem, said that the killing was a cruel act, adding that it should not be justified as a religious duty, as the prime minister has clearly turned down any possibility of amendments in the blasphemy law. He said that Bhatti could have been killed when the blasphemy issue was hot, but he was killed at this time to hush up the Rayomd Davis issue and to create a rift between Mohammedans and Christians.
He further said that some powers were trying to promote the impression that injustice is being done with the minorities in Pakistain, so that they could take action. He said that the Taliban were blamed for attacks on shrines, but later on it is disclosed that some other power was responsible for the attacks. He said that as the murder took place in Islamabad, the government is responsible for the incident and should take immediate action. He urged the Learned Elders of Islam to teach the value of patience, tolerance and equality to the masses. Replying to a question about former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, he said that Taseer was a Mohammedan and his killing could not be justified.
Pakistain Ulema Counsel Chairman, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi, said that the killing of Bhatti was a sad incident. Ashrafi said that no law, Shariat or code of conduct could justify the murder. Killing someone without a reason was against the teachings of Islam, he said. Ashrafi said that justifying previous murders by celebrating them and terming the killers as heroes was promoting such killings. He said that the movement to save the blasphemy law promoted extremism, adding that the assassin of Taseer has not been punished yet. He said that such murders are schemes against Islam, adding that some powers are misusing our people against us.
Ashrafi said that Bhatti's murder had nothing to do with Davis' case, adding that the case was an entirely separate issue. He said that people issue edicts on their own, which resulted in such killings. He said that the Learned Elders of Islam should condemn activities which were being carried out in the name of Islam, the channel reported him as saying. Pakistain Jamiat Ulema chief Abu al Kher Zubair termed the brutal killing of Bhatti as a plot against the blasphemy law.