“News from Pakistan is a huge challenge to pray for our land, our people and us. Since 14th January an "Arab Spring" like situation has developed in our capital city, Islamabad. Several hundred thousand men, women and children have congregated in Islamabad calling for an end to the present corrupt government, electoral reforms and a new caretaker government to carry out elections. The government has adopted a wait and watch attitude hoping that the movement will fizzle out; the opposition parties have rallied together to oppose what they call a "circus" in Islamabad; civil society is also against the gathering in the Capital and we are praying that no violence will ensue as there are women and children in the gathering. The whole shebang is being led by a religious scholar who has recently returned from Canada to bring about reforms in Pakistan. As a dual-nationality holder he is barred from taking part in national politics but has adopted this novel way of bringing about reforms.

Islamabad has been under lock down for the last four days with millions of man-hours wasted due to which the economy has been adversely affected. In addition the Taliban and other militant groups are carrying on a brutal wave of bombings, target killings and suicide attacks on the general public, security forces and especially the Shia'ite community, minority sect in Islam. In one city alone over a hundred people were killed by bombings. Later, the affected people brought out the coffins of their loved ones and laid them in a street for three days before the government even decided to talk with them! Death and destruction have become so commonplace in our country that it takes a jolt like this incident to get people out protesting against such excesses. Unfortunately, the "circus in Islamabad' overshadowed this event also. Please pray that our country will see peace and a return to “normality.”