Pakistan Christians bury murdered leader Shahbaz Bhatti

Top government leaders, MPs, foreign diplomats and Christians joined relatives and friends at the service.

Mr Bhatti’s coffin – wrapped in the green and white of Pakistan along with a flag of the all-Pakistan Minorities’ Alliance – was then flown by helicopter to Faisalabad.

In the minister’s native village of Khushpur nearby, black flags flew for the burial.

“The killers have snatched our hero,” said Mr Bhatti’s brother, Sikander, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

So large were the crowds that the burial was delayed by several hours, the BBC’s M Ilyas Khan reports from Khushpur.

He says the thousands of mourners waited all day to pay their respects.

Amid fears the service could be attacked, the entire village was sealed off and hundreds of security personnel deployed.