Hundreds of mourners gathered Friday in Pakistan for the funeral of Shahbaz Bhatti, the country's government minister for religious minorities and the only Christian member of Pakistan's cabinet.

Bhatti, 42, was murdered Wednesday for standing up for Christians and opposing the country's harsh blasphemy laws.

CBN NEWS SPECIAL COVERAGE:  Christians in Shock over Pakistani Minister's Murder

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani spoke at his funeral saying the country had lost a great leader. He promised the mourners that the government would do its utmost to bring the assassins to justice.

The country's president and other top opposition leader did not attend the service.

Christians are the largest religious minority in Pakistan, where 95 percent of the country's 180 million people are Muslim. They are often victims of discrimination and persecution, and they typically live in poor parts of towns and do low-skilled, badly paid jobs.

CBN News Senior International Correspondent Gary Lane has reported the details of a letter found along side Bhatti's body. In the note, Islamic terrorists take responsibility for his murder and threaten to send all of those like Bhatti to hell one by one.