Pakistan Erupts in Nationwide Protests as Political Rivals Arrested

Like a spark that landed on dry tinder, the political, social and religious tensions in Pakistan erupted when former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on corruption charges.

This news has sent shockwaves throughout the country as Khan was dragged from court which was followed by protesters clashing with police, leaving several on both sides injured.

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim nation, and one that is not particularly close with the United States.

Yet that has not stopped missionaries and evangelists from pouring into the nation that sees tens of thousands attend crusades held in regions such as Dijkot.

Millions have dedicated their lives to Jesus over the last decade in Pakistan, despite military rule that has led to the recent turmoil threatening the country’s collapse into civil war.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told reporters that “Imran Khan has been arrested because he was being sought in a graft case.” Khan is not the first former PM of Pakistan to be arrested, however; one was even hung in 1979.

As word of Khan’s arrest spread across the country, his supporters took to the streets while also storming a military commander’s residence in Lahore. Images of violence, blockades and fires quickly found their way to the world’s media bringing with it worry about a potential breakdown in society for the nuclear capable country.

Pakistan’s current leader, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, condemned Khan and his alleged crimes saying in a tweet:

“Let this be abundantly clear that you, as former prime minister, currently on trial for corruption, are claiming legitimacy to overturn the legal and political system.”

This merely fueled the fire that Khan was targeted by his political rivals again, following an assassination event a few short months ago.

According to Yahoo! News, “Khan was wounded by a gunman at a rally in November, an attack that killed one of his supporters and wounded 13. He has insisted, without offering any evidence, that there is a plot to assassinate him, alleging that Pakistan’s spy agency was behind the conspiracy. The gunman was immediately arrested and police later released a video of him in custody, alleging he had acted alone.”

Since Khan’s arrest, other leaders of the PTI party have also been apprehended by the government, according to party sources including former Foreign Minister and PTI senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

As the Pakistani army is being called in to quell the uprisings, pray for the Christians enduring such turbulent times in the country. There are many who are relatively new believers that have rock-solid faith and need the prayers of the faithful around the world to help listen to and discern directions from the Lord.

These are unstable times for many countries as it appears the Lord is preparing the earth for the biblical end times in the book of Revelation. In the meantime, Christians have a job to do: continue praying, fasting and evangelizing the world that does not know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Amid the chaos, God can and will be glorified. As Pakistan endures through political and social unrest, the Christians there stand strong and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to those who are looking for hope. {eoa}

James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.