Pakistan (MNN) ― Pakistan's turmoil continues as terrorists continue to try to undermine the democracy movement.
President Asif Zadari believes November's Mumbai attacks were aimed at the peace process with India. India retaliated by accusing Pakistan of trying to shift blame and demanded the central government do more to dismantle militant networks.
As relations with India deteriorated further, Pakistan's air force went into high alert. India's Foreign Minister announced that the peace process between the two countries was on hold.
However, World Bible Translation Center President Eric Fellman says reconciliation efforts have opened the door to the message of Jesus. "[Zadari] said in the current environment, reconciliation is the best revenge against the dark forces of terrorism. The only path to reconciliation is through Jesus Christ, so our goal is to take this bit of an opening in a Muslim country and get in as many copies of the Gospel as we can."
Further, Fellman says that Zadari, the widower of assasinated Benazir Bhutto, had been involved in a reconciliation effort "in the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth" four years ago. While "Christian" is an inflammatory term, the team discovered that there is a great respect for Jesus and the path to hope.
As tensions increase, though, there is an urgency in getting the Gospels to the people who are so ready to hear them.
The Urdu translations of the Gospels are finished. Now, funding is needed, as well as prayer. "We intend to accomplish at least 100,000 copies in the next year, in the coming year, 2009. Exactly where they can go in and how they can be distributed all has to be negotiated."
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