Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Sep 28: Pakistan
Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 796,095 sq km796,095 sq km, which includes 83,700 sq km of UN-divided Kashmir controlled by Pakistan. Arid mountains in the north and west. Desert in the east and southeast. Vast irrigation schemes in the fertile Indus River valley.
Population: 184,753,300 Annual Growth: 2.19%
Capital: Islamabad
Urbanites: 37%
HDI Rank: 141 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 463 (97% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: English is the official government language, Urdu is the national language and becoming widely understood by most Pakistanis Languages: 77 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Muslim| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 4,526,456 | 2.45 | 1.8 |
| Evangelicals | 1,140,589 | 0.6 | 3.3 |
| Muslim | 176,993,661 | 95.80 |
Challenges for Prayer
Pakistan’s government alternates between inept civilian parties crippled by infighting and corruption, and autocratic military dictatorships. Economic and social development is then hindered, while too much power and wealth lies in the hands of a few elite. The country is under stress from fundamentalist forces in Pakistan’s west and neighbouring Afghanistan as well as in the Punjab. Tensions with India and long-standing troubles in Kashmir, a region driven by religious and political divisions, also threaten stability. Pray that Pakistan would be freed from spirits of lawlessness and violence that continue to bleed the nation. Pray for the raising of leaders of integrity and a government that will be effective in moving the nation forward and uplifting those who most need their protection and assistance. That Pakistan persists as a nation at all is a testament to the amazing resilience and flexibility of its people.Pakistan’s regions are widely diverse, and each presents unique challenges. Pakistani history and culture, the centralized government and the pervasive influence of Islam make for a national identity, but a few regionally specific comments are warranted. Pray for each of these regions, that Jesus might be made known more widely, more deeply and more quickly.
a) Punjab, the densely populated fertile plains of the Indus and tributaries. Although the location of the majority of Pakistan’s Christians (primarily nominal), this region has a higher number of unreached individuals per Christian worker than any place in the world. A conservative, but more Sufi-influenced than fundamentalist, brand of Islam predominates. Lahore, Pakistan’s most culturally influential city, is in this region. With nine million people in the Lahore area, this city is 95% Muslim and contains communities of all major people groups in Pakistan.
b) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province) and FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas) are the mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan. Fundamentalist Islam and the Taliban are strong here, and shari’a is implemented in much of this area dominated by Pashtun tribal groups. It remains chaotic and dangerous, for Christians and Christian workers in particular.
c) Azad Kashmir, the Pakistani-administered part of the highly contested Kashmir region. Apart from the strained relations with India as a result of contentious claims over this region, Kashmir is a place of great need. Earthquakes in 2005 and 2007 took over 150,000 lives and rendered millions homeless. The aid and relief given by Christian groups had a very positive impact among the Muslims of this mountainous area. Some continue to minister here.
d) Balochistan is an arid and unfertile region that is very poor and underdeveloped with a sparse population. It is dominated by the staunchly Muslim Baloch. There are very few Christian workers in this region, but the smallest beginnings of some people movements exist.
e) Sindh is the very arid, even desertified, and very poor region of the south. Sufism saturates the area. The Sindh is where most Hindu tribal groups (and most Hindu-background believers) are, and home to a young, indigenous church. The Muslim population is much less resistant here than in other areas; a growing number of Muslim-background believers exists among them. It is also home to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest, most dynamic and ethnically diverse city, which could be considered a region unto itself.
For an additional 12 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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