03/12/2024 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) — Co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party, Asif Ali Zardari, has won a second term as the President of Pakistan. Through the typical structure of votes by the Pakistani parliament, Zardari received 411 votes compared to the 181 votes received by his opponent, Mehmood Khan Achakzai. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan supports Achakzai. Notable because of his push for global blasphemy laws, Khan is currently imprisoned on charges of corruption.
Zardari is the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the first woman elected to head a democratic government in a Muslim-majority country. Many Pakistanis saw Zardari’s first term as President as a pity vote due to his wife’s death.
The constitution of Pakistan establishes Islam as the official religion and requires all laws to be consistent with the religion. With some of the most severe penalties for acting against Islam, Pakistan’s blasphemy laws include punishments such as ten years in prison or the death penalty. Further, there are specifications in the constitution that exclude Ahmadi Muslims from identifying as Muslims. Breaking this rule is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The Christian population of Pakistan often faces severe persecution, including violence by individuals or mobs, forced conversions and marriage, blasphemy punishments, and attacks on religious sites. Making up less than two percent of the country’s 242.9 million people, the small number of Christians also receive approximately 14.4% of all blasphemy accusations. In 2022 alone, two Christians received the death sentence as a result of their blasphemy crimes. Despite no executions taking place, many prisoners wait in prison for many years before their case gets appealed.
As a result of the numerous atrocities, the United States designated Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern according to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 in 2018. In response, the son of current President Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, stated, “It does seem that this is a slightly biased and politicized list.”
Zardari is a practicing Shia Muslim and has remained consistent with his religious ideologies in his political actions.
We pray that President Zardari will be empathetic and knowledgeable about the atrocities facing Christians in Pakistan. We pray that this knowledge and empathy will translate into action to protect religious freedom. We pray that the Christians in Pakistan would be encouraged to pray for the government and those who persecute them, as written in Matthew 5:43-48.
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