Ole Kendel, president of the Adventist Church’s Pakistan Union Section, said “the government has offered police protection to all churches and the reports from our pastors in the various villages say that police guards are in place outside our church buildings during all meetings.”

All Seventh-day Adventist international personnel were withdrawn from Pakistan in September, following advice from Pakistani authorities who continue to maintain that any expatriate presence poses a danger to the local communities.

The Christian community in Pakistan, making up two percent of Pakistan’s population, has been greatly threatened since the war on terrorism began. A report in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service on November 7, 2001, states that police are guarding Christian churches as they worship.

“Our community is under siege,” said Nazir Michael, pastor of Quetta’s Adventist Church, quoted in the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service report. “We are citizens of Pakistan, but they say our Bible is tainted. We have to lower our eyes and tolerate this, or we’ll be in trouble.”

According to Kendel, who is in regular contact with Adventist church leaders in Pakistan, the intimidation and daily fear among all Christians in the country has increased, especially for the many who live in well-defined areas of villages called the “Christian Colony” or “Christian Town.”

“I praise God for their courage to even meet and worship under such circumstances,” Kendel said. “Our daily prayers are for their protection and for God’s comfort in these uncertain times.”

[See ANN report from September 18, 2001 titled, “Expatriate Adventist Employees Removed from Pakistan”]