Why pray for Pakistan?
Less than 0.001% are believers
You will:
Learn how to best pray for Pakistan – home to blasphemy laws, persecution, terrorism, corruption and economic hardship
Discover why we desperately need to pray for the Pakistan church – plagued by politics and nepotism
Be encouraged – not everything is as dismal as it appears, the church is growing albeit in a trickle rather than a flow or a flood
Last updated; 19 July 2021
Why pray for Pakistan? There is pressure to follow the Muslim faith more rigidly
The main religion in Pakistan is Islam. The country is divided into five provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. City dwellers in Punjab and Sindh are usually more liberal than the people of other provinces who are more conservative.
Increasing religious fundamentalism
From being quite a liberal society at independence there is an increasing pressure on the people to follow the tenets of their faith more rigidly – more so than in most other parts of Central Asia. However, in big cities one comes across some who are very liberal and others who may even profess to be atheists.
Although the majority would confess to being Sunni Muslims there are a number of sects including a sizable number of Shias, but an overall predominance of folk-Islam is universally evident.
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Why pray for Pakistan?
Sadly, the church to a large extent is plagued by politics and nepotism.
Sadly, the church to a large extent is plagued by politics and nepotism.
The majority of the people who claim to be Christian (around 3% of 180 million) are Roman Catholic. Most Protestant churches are part of the Church of Pakistan, an amalgam of Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans and Scottish Presbyterians. Pentecostals and Charismatics are other major denominations.
Sadly, the church to a large extent is plagued by politics and nepotism. The church lacks a missionary vision and has not grasped the Biblical mandate of the Great Commission despite being more than 150 years old. However not everything is as dismal as it appears, the church is growing albeit in a trickle rather than a flow or a flood.
I promise to pray for Pakistan – can you tell me more?
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a country rich with history and culture going back to 3000 BC. Pakistan was initially a part of India and after a long struggle Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a leader of the Muslims of British dominated India, was able to create a separate sovereign state in 1947, primarily for Muslims but including all minority people groups of the region.
Pakistan is found in South Asia and borders China, Afghanistan, Iran and India. The port city of Karachi was set up as the capital but was later shifted to Islamabad.
The geography consists of the bread basket plains of the Punjab to eight of the tallest mountain peaks in the world; from the mineral-laden wildernesses of Baluchistan to the rich soil of the Indus valley; from the rugged mountains of the north to the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.
The people are generally very friendly and go out of their way to be hospitable. From the ancient native Dravidians to the Aryans; from the Kalash who claim descendence from Alexander the Great’s army to the conquerors from Arabia and Central Asia, Pakistan’s population is a potpourri of ethnicities speaking more than 66 languages and abounding in cultures.
A love of Politics!
Politics are a passion for Pakistanis and are run on ethnic, feudal, religious and baradari (family links). There are two houses in the legislature, the National Assembly being the lower house and the Senate being the upper.
However, most political parties are run on hierarchical lines and are held together by their family charisma. Unfortunately, this system has led to corruption where governments use instruments of the state as their political workers. This gives birth to a vicious circle that enmeshes political life and is leading into a downward spiral. Hence the real need to pray for Pakistan.
Pray for Pakistan at a glance:
- Population: 221 million
- Area: 340,000 sq miles
- Capital: Islamabad
- Languages: Urdu, English
- Currency: Pakistani Rupee
- Religion: Muslim (97%)
- Believers: 1 million (hard to estimate)
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How can I best pray for Pakistan?
Praise and Prayer pointers
BLASPHEMY LAW
Pray that the blasphemy laws be changed (anything said or done against the Quran, or Prophet of Islam is punishable by death) – they have largely been used to discriminate against Christians, and other minorities.
CHURCH
Praise God for each believer. That God will give its leaders wisdom and grace to contend with all the issues relating to the Blasphemy law.
BOLDNESS
Pray for all those engaged in sharing the Gospel that they be kept safe, given wisdom, grace and strength to be faithful and bold yet discerning in their efforts to be salt and light in a difficult land.
TERRORISM
Pray for the country as it goes through a difficult time in its history. As a frontline state in the war against terror Pakistan has itself become a victim of extreme terrorism.
ECONOMY
Economic conditions are in decline – the cost of living is driving essentials out of the reach of the common man, resulting in rampant corruption and lawlessness. Pray for improvement in the economy.
CORRUPTION
Pray for an end to corruption, nepotism and injustice from the highest to the lowest levels.
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