The word of God says – Love your neighbor. This was one of the biggest commandments Jesus gave his disciples before he was taken to heaven. Shifting our eyes from India, this article shares some of the crisis faced by churches in Pakistan.
While the mainstream media focuses on the political aspect of Pakistan, I shall shed light on some of the religious work done by the churches who proved to be good ‘samaritans’ during a hard time.
In 2020, more than 5000 families in Pakistan depended on the efforts of a prominent Catholic charity. Pakistan is rife with political conflict, as well as religious discrimination. Reports indicate that NGOs in Pakistan have refused to distribute COVID-19 aid that was meant for Christians and minorities.
https://twitter.com/KashifMD/status/970368016767750144
Aid to the Church in Need quotes, “A PROGRESS REPORT on emergency aid dispatched at the height of the lockdown in Pakistan shows how it has provided a lifeline for more than 2,000 Christians threatened with starvation. More than 500 families across Faisalabad in the Punjab province received food rations as part of a COVID-19 relief package from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).”
ACN has not only helped the Christians with COVID-19 aid but has supported 20 Catholic schools across Faisalabad Diocese with scholarship programs.
In an interview with ACN, Aneel Mushtaq, executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan Faisalabad said, “This aid that you at ACN have given has helped save the people from starvation. Many of them had nothing to put on the table to feed their families and they were in a very scary situation.”
Churches in Pakistan were shuttered months before Prime Minister Imran Khan announced lockdown. Consequently, the pressure mounted as the churches were not prepared to face additional crises that includes floods.
With the strict lockdown, the annual income of the churches was affected by 80 percent as mentioned by the Pakistani Partnership Initiative, a Christian organisation based out in Islamabad.
According to PM Imran Khan, 25% of Pakistanis cannot afford to eat twice a day.
“As the country imposes more stringent lockdown measures and forces people to stay at home, many daily wage earners have not earned a rupee in weeks, and many are going hungry,” BBC reported.
The crisis and brutality of religious discrimination exceeded with the administration allegedly demolished 3 out of 4 churches in Karachi’s Gujjar Nullah.
The incident took place after Sunday service, August 29, The Dawn Reported. According to the newspaper, St. Joseph Catholic Church is only the one left while the rest are demolished.
Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis make up almost 4% of Pakistan’s population, while the country’s majority is Muslim.
FRANCE 24 Observers reported, “633 Muslims, 494 Ahmadis, 187 Christians, and 21 Hindus have been accused since 1987.”
While Pakistan remains in the spotlight for its hostility towards India, social and religious intolerance has added to the seriousness of discrimination that needs to be addressed.