Pakistan

PAKISTAN

A. THE COUNTRY

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a country in South Asia.  The government alternates between inept civilian parties crippled by infighting and corruption, and autocratic military dictatorships.   Most recently, politics is increasingly polarized between modern secularists and an Islamist extremist minority that has close ties  with the Taliban in Afghanistan.  The problems with Afghanistan, an awkward dynamic with America and the West and tensions with India (especially over disputed Kashmir) dominate foreign relations.  The economy is based on agriculture, light industry and service. High inflation, huge budget deficits and widespread corruption cripples the economy.  The fight against radical Islamist groups is costly.  The August 2010 monsoon floods were devastating.  Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority nuclear state.

B. THE PEOPLE

The population is ~184,754,000.  The official language is English.  Urdu is the national language. Poverty affects much of the population, especially in rural areas. Poverty and unemployment creates dissatisfaction and resentment against government and foreign influences. Pakistan’s ethnic population are arranged in groups and clusters lacking clarity; affiliations remain under review in the context of geography, ethnicity, language and caste.

South Asian (9 main groups) are ~81.4% of the population, Indo-Iranian

(2 main groups) ~18.1%, Others ~0.5%.

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

Despite the contravention of the constitution, shari’a law is increasingly applied to Christians, Hindus, Ahmaddiyas and Shi’a Muslims.  The notorious blasphemy law imposes the death penalty on anyone who defames Mohammed, and life for anyone who defies the Quran. Muslim represent ~95.8% of the population (15-20% are Shi’a Muslims), Christian ~2.45%, Hindu ~1.6%, Baha’i ~0,05%, Sikh ~0.03%, Other ~0.03%, Non-religious ~0.02%, Ethnoreligionist ~0.02%. In the Christian category: Protestants are ~1.39%, Catholic ~0.71%, Independent ~0.35%. Evangelicals are ~0.6% of the population. Charismatics are ~0.4% and of those ~0.2% are Pentecostals.

Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.