During his incarceration at Adiala Jail, Bhatti’s health deteriorated significantly. He suffered from diabetes and heart disease and reportedly endured harsh prison conditions. While in custody, he survived two heart attacks. His lawyer, Saif ul Malook, repeatedly sought his release on medical grounds, warning that continued imprisonment posed a grave risk to his life.

Despite medical reports including a 2019 warning that another heart attack could prove fatal Bhatti remained behind bars. In 2017, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, a ruling that became mired in prolonged appeals. In 2022, the sentence was escalated to death, although it was never carried out.

After years of legal delays, Bhatti was finally acquitted and released. Frail but hopeful, he returned home and reunited with his wife, Nawab Bibi. His family and supporters celebrated what they believed marked the end of a long and painful ordeal and began arranging urgent medical care.

Tragically, before treatment could be secured, Bhatti collapsed at home and died of cardiac arrest.

His death has sent shockwaves through Pakistan’s Christian community and among human rights advocates, many of whom had campaigned for years for his freedom. Bhatti’s case has once again drawn attention to the devastating human cost of prolonged detention, inadequate prison healthcare, and the application of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws particularly their impact on vulnerable religious minorities.