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Will Pakistan return to a moderate government or become a fanatical terrorist country? The election process starts March 15th but much campaigning is going on now. An interim government will be in place for one month before May elections. Pray a religious ‘pir’ will not be Prime Minister during this period (Jer.1:8-10). Pakistan’s home minister Rahman Malik confirmed the Taliban was behind last Sunday’s car bomb in Karachi killing 50+ people and injuring 140+. Many believe political parties have gone soft on terrorist organisations because terrorists help them win elections (forcing candidates to withdraw their candidature and providing security to their political masters.) A worrying aspect is that the banned Sipah-eSahaba (Taliban affiliated party) entered into a poll alliance with PML-N, whose leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is known to be close to the Taliban (they named him as a guarantor in recent negotiations).
Pray: the run up to Pakistan’s elections will be peaceful. Pray deliverance for the innocent lives being destroyed and the failing economy. (2Ch.32:7)
Pakistan is waging a continued war against terrorism, Talibanisation, extremism and radicalization as they go to the polls in May. They genuinely expect democracy to bring good governance that will deliver them from the quagmire of problems. Election-2013 will be of significant importance and have long term consequences for democratic consolidation in Pakistan. The National Prayer Network of Pakistan in partnership with local churches initiated a prayer campaign in December 2012 focusing on the 2013 General Election. The campaign aims to motivate Christians across Pakistan to pray for the upcoming election, believing persistent prayer will impact the election process. The campaign is also focusing on a spiritual and moral awakening of the Church and for the healing of the nation. We are being asked to pray for the Church’s Spiritual Awakening to the power of prayer to change things. See: http://www.prayerconnect.net/news/prayer-connect-news/taliban-prayer-focus
Pray: God will lead the Pakistani Church into a revival through the life-changing power of Jesus Christ in her midst, and a true cultural transformation. (Pr.11:14)
More: http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Prayer-Network-Pakistan/251652868252?sk=photos_stream
Pakistani employees of a US based aid organization are missing and feared kidnapped in Pakistan's volatile southwes,t bordering Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani government official said on Tuesday. The American Refugee Committee (ARC) employees were returning from an Afghan refugee camp in Pishin in Baluchistan province on Monday evening when they went missing. They distributed some relief goods among the refugees and were probably kidnapped on their way back to Quetta. Efforts are underway to recover them. Militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as ethnic Baluch militants fighting for more autonomy, have been involved in violence in the region, which also borders Iran. Kidnapping is an industry in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions, with money often being the main motivation rather than political demands. Ransoms are a large source of revenue for the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Baluch insurgency. ARC has worked in refugee camps since 2002 focusing on providing health care and training in basic health services.
Pray: for Christian NGO workers to be protected as they minister to physical, emotional and spiritual needs. (Ps.25:21)
More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/19/us-pakistan-kidnap-idUSTRE76I0PY20110719
We have been asked to pray for Christian communities in flood disaster areas who are not receiving aid due to religious discrimination. A trusted source said, ‘Things in the West province Khyber Pukhtoonkhaw are quite bad. The province was already hit badly due to the war against terrorism with military action continuing in some areas. Millions of people are displaced, have lost their houses, businesses and loved ones, and more rains are to be expected. Just in this one province 1300 Christian families have lost all. I have reports that they have been moved into some mission schools in Peshawar and they would need assistance with basic items of life. I know the government is trying to send aid but the devastation is quite huge. Christians already are marginalized and when the aid is given by the government normally it does not reach them due to the discriminatory behaviour and nature of the majority, which adds to their misery. Please pray also for fair distribution of aid in the Punjab and Baluchistan province'. Pray: for God’s mercy and grace to provide all that is needed in this terrible disaster. (Ps.31:1)
Much of Pakistan is still under water after recent floods. Pakistan is a country already deeply in debt with millions of people relying on food aid as they will not be able to grow rice and wheat until next year. Donors have been reluctant to give to a country with a reputation for militancy and corruption and the UN has only raised half of the $2bn it pledged to the flood victims. These people are already very poor and struggle to survive. In addition, winter is approaching and many face a lack of adequate food, warm clothing and heating fuel. Relief organizations do what they can to help, but the need seems overwhelming. We are asked to remember the poor people of Pakistan in our prayers as they face the cold winter months without adequate shelter, clothing, food and heat. The women and children suffer the most, particularly in areas not yet reached by agencies distributing life saving aid. Pray: that the organizations that are serving in Pakistan will have the financial resources to continue their projects. Pray also for the safety of local believers.
Muslims began protests on Friday, December 24, against plans to change Pakistan's blasphemy laws, after an Islamic leader offered nearly $6,000 for the killing of a Christian woman he accused of offending Islam. Tensions have risen over a government ministry's recommendation to release Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. The case has sped up a government investigation whether to change the blasphemy laws, which has led to the sentencing of Christians throughout the country. Friday's protests were encouraged by Pakistani cleric Moulana Yousaf Qureshi who announced a financial award for anyone killing Bibi. ‘I will pay 500,000 rupees ($6,000) for the loyal follower of Muhammad who beheads Asia Bibi,’ he told a crowd of several hundred people earlier this month. The amount is more than six times the country's average annual wage. (See Prayer Alert 4910) Pray: that Asia Bibi would gain her full freedom in safety - and the proposed changes to the blasphemy laws would be successful. (1Pet.2:16) More: http://www.worthynews.com/9851-muslim-protests-as-cleric-offers-thousands-for-killing-christian
Police reinforcements have been called into the Pakistani city of Faisalabad a day after two Christians charged with blasphemy were shot dead outside court. Clashes broke out in the city, home to a large Christian community, after the brothers were gunned down. Pastor Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and Sajid, 24, were accused of writing a pamphlet critical of the Prophet Muhammad; a rights activist said they were framed. Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law carries the death penalty for such an offence. A police officer who was escorting the brothers from a district court on Monday was critically wounded when the unidentified gunmen opened fire and then escaped. At least 10 people were reportedly injured as stone-throwing and rioting broke out in a Christian neighbourhood of the city afterwards. Police reinforcements from nearby districts have been called in to restore order. The brothers, from the Waris Pura area of Faisalabad, were arrested earlier this month. Pray: to the Lord that He would send His angels to protect His saints from the enemy. (Mt.13:41)
A twin-suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar in Pakistan has killed at least 80 people, in one of the worst attacks on Christians in the country. Two bombers blew themselves up as worshippers were coming out of the city's historic All Saints church after attending Sunday Mass, police say. Relatives of the victims gathered at the scene to protest against the government's failure to protect them. Militants linked to Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the bombing. The group, Jandullah, said it was in retaliation for US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal northwest. Sunday's twin attacks targeted Peshawar's historic All Saints Church as hundreds of worshippers were attending Mass. Witnesses said they heard two blasts, the second more powerful than the first. More than 120 people were wounded in the bombings. It is the latest in a series of attacks on Pakistani Christians, who represent about 1.6% of the country's largely Muslim population.
Pray: against the evil that controls the minds of those who carry out these bombings. (Pr.14:32)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24193734
Bibles are being desecrated, churches attacked and human rights advocates threatened in Pakistan as Islamic extremists intensify pressure on the Christian community. Christians have faced persecution in Pakistan for years but the climate has deteriorated in recent months particularly since the burning of a Koran at the church of Florida by pastor Terry Jones last month. Last Saturday, the Sarhadi Lutheran Church in Mardan was targeted in a bomb attack. It is believed that Islamic militants planted the bomb. Despite people being present at the church at the time, no one was killed or injured in the explosion. The church’s pastor, the Rev Ghulam Shad, said: ‘It appears that the militants only wanted to demolish the church, but not to injure any of our people’. When asked by the news service about the church’s attitude towards the perpetrators, he answered: ‘All we can do is to pray for them as we are taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (See also Prayer Alert 14-2011) Pray: again for the believers who are persecuted for their faith that God will protect them. (Ps.12:5) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.under.increasing.pressure.in.pakistan/27837.htm
An innocent spelling mistake by a Christian school girl has proved grounds enough for Muslims to accuse her of blasphemy. Sir Syed Girls’ High School has taken the unusual step of accusing one of its students of blasphemy and expelling her after she misspelt a word whilst answering a question on a poem praising Prophet Muhammad. Also a mentally ill Christian man has died whilst being held in prison in Lahore on blasphemy charges. Aslam Masih was also suffering from tuberculosis at the time of his death. Source: http://claas.org.uk/ Also last Wednesday a mob of 40 Muslim extremists targeted the Christian community of Ahata Kamiyan, killing 25-year-old Sabir Masih and injuring 21 others. The injured, mainly women and children, were immediately taken to a hospital in Multan.
Pray: for God to protect the many isolated Christian communities in Pakistan as they follow their faith. (Ps.5:11)