| Country Profile: Pakistan Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:01 PM PDT  The country holding the number 14 spot on the World Watch List lives up to its unfortunate reputation for several reasons. One of those has to do with its stringent blasphemy laws and zealousness to carry out harsh punishment on those who break them. From Asia Bibi to Rimsha Masih, these unjust laws not only leave the door open for persecution of Christians, but enable and encourage it. On top of the blasphemy laws, Pakistan’s general “Islamizing culture” allows for radical Islamist groups to rise up in power with viral hatred for Christians.
Here are some facts about Christianity in Pakistan.  While there are around 5.3 million Christians in Pakistan, they only make up about 2.8% of its overall population of 190 million.- Of Pakistan’s 465 people groups, 453 are unreached, which means they are less than 2% Evangelical Christian.
- Pakistan hosts between 1 and 1.8 million immigrants in the north, many of whom are refugees from neighboring countries like Afghanistan. Many of these refugees have become Christians due to Christian aid workers, yet they are surrounded by hostility.
- Pakistan is home to 4 million Ahmadiyya people, an intensely-persecuted, “heretical” Muslim sect that has been forced into hiding. While no Christian groups are currently focused on reaching them, they may be more open to the gospel in their present suffering.
- Pakistan has the second largest concentration of unreached, unengaged people groups in the world.
- Pakistan has the world’s second largest Muslim population.
Let’s pray for Pakistan’s Christians. They need strength from God to persevere in their faith, endure suffering, live with wisdom, and spread the gospel in boldness. Pray for those who are hurting, afraid, and lonely. At the same time, pray that the Lord uses Christians there to reach the scores of people who, like the Ahmadiyya, are currently unreached. And remember to pray for the persecutors … they need to hear the gospel even more than the believers they persecute. Information for this post was gathered from Operation World, World Watch List, and Joshua Project. |
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