Pakistan (MNN) — Militant groups are tightening an alliance
aimed at bringing down the Pakistani state.
The instability puts the country closer to the edge of
becoming a "failed nation" says Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs
Canada. His sentiment was echoed in the headlines where Interior Minister
Rehman Malik said that a "syndicate" of militant groups wanted to see
"Pakistan as a failed state."
When law and order fail, believers bear the brunt. "A
complete failure would be a complete disaster for Christians, just as what we
would see in Somalia," says Penner.
Although the current violence is not taking place in the same areas where
the persecution has spiked, the two issues are still connected. Penner says the Taliban continues to pressure
Pakistan's leaders as they try to modify the nation's blasphemy laws. "They're already under tremendous
pressure from Islamic leaders to simply leave these laws alone."
These laws are often used to persecute Christians, and the
definition for blasphemy isn't clear. Voice of the Martyrs Canada says many
have been falsely accused under Law 295c. Courtrooms packed with militants have
often pressured judges into returning a guilty verdict or continuing trials
indefinitely.
Penner says after constant attacks and unjust treatment in
the courts, it's easy for believers to become angry. "And they need to understand that it's
God who brings down governments; it's God who moves in the hearts of kings and rulers to modify their policies. So we need the Pakistani Christians to
become a people of prayer and not necessarily people of protest."
Pray that in the aftermath of the continued violence,
Pakistani Christians will remain unshaken from the work of being salt and light
to their communities, trusting God for the eternal results.
