For many Christians in Pakistan, the situation is dire, living in fear and poverty, surrounded by a system that will not offer them justice or protection.
With a 2023 census counting the population to be 241 million, Pakistan is a mainly Muslim country (96.5%), with Christians accounting for less than 1.5% of the population (about 2.6 million in 2017). The blasphemy law allows for prosecution of acts and speech that can be deemed to insult the Muslim religion, defiling the Qur’an, the Prophet Muhammed, places of worship, or religious symbols. Punishments for this crime are imprisonment with limited opportunity for bail, and even the death sentence. In January this year, a draft law has been passed that would increase the imprisonment term to life without bail.
Aside from the legal punishments for crimes against the Muslim religion, those who are accused of such crimes face violence such as mob attacks, lynching or targeting of a community before ever being brought before the authorities, while those perpetrating violence against Christians are rarely brought to justice. Often the blasphemy law can be used to settle personal scores or simply to target Christians.
While the cosmopolitan areas of Pakistan offer more tolerance and support for different beliefs, Christians in the more impoverished urban and rural entironments often live in fear, with churches, Christian neighbourhoods, and individuals being attacked by extremist groups. The attacks range from mob violence to targeted shootings and bombings. The constant threat for Christian women and girls is that of abduction, forced conversion to Islam, rape and forced marriage. Stories of girls and women who have been killed while trying to resist these attacks are all too common. Christians in the poorer areas often face discrimination in employment, education, and social settings, being relegated to low-paying, menial jobs such as street sweeping or sanitation work.
It is in this context that our World in Need Global Family in Pakistan work, bravely sharing the love of Jesus with all those in need, and providing financial aid and food to those around them that are struggling. With a passion to make a difference to the lives of children and families living in poverty, they continue reaching out to families who need the basic food items, ensuring that children get education to help lift them out of the poverty cycle, as well as helping provide aid for children living in a children’s home further across the country.
Our workers in Pakistan must remain anonymous for fear of retribution for simply being Christian.
We ask for your prayers at this time:
• For protection and peace in their hearts - that they may know that the Lord is with them.
• For provision - that the Lord will inspire others to provide aid and assistance for their work.
• For the Holy Spirit to work freely through their efforts to reach the lost and destitute.
• For strength, and their daily needs to be met, as they live their lives in this difficult environment.
The people of Pakistan are still recovering from the devastating floods last year, where one third of the country was under water. The UN estimated that around 33 million Pakistanis had been affected by the flooding, with more than 500,000 homes being destroyed or damaged. In addition, more than two million acres of crops were destroyed and 735,000 livestock lost, causing problems with food shortages and income. Many of those displaced from rural areas have travelled to the cities, which are already facing problems of those living poverty. The Pakistani people are still in desperate need.
If you would like to provide financial aid for the work of our brothers and sisters in Pakistan you can do this through Child Sponsorship by selecting to sponsor a child in Pakistan, or on our Donation page with a one-off or regular donation chosen to help Pakistan.
