Ministry Hopes Improved India-Pakistan Relations Bode Well for Persecuted Church
by Chad Groening
April 13, 2004
(AgapePress) - An international organization dedicated to the persecuted Church is encouraged by the apparent recent thaw in relations between India and Pakistan, which have been historic rivals since Pakistan gained independence from India.The Oklahoma-based Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is concerned about the ongoing persecution of Christians in both Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, two nations that have nuclear arsenals. But VOM spokesman Todd Nettleton says relations between the two countries have improved recently.
"There's definitely a problem," Nettleton says, noting for example the countries' long-term conflict over the disputed ownership of the region of Kashmir. "There's disputes, but there's been a thaw really, in the relationship over the last 18 months or so," he says.
Nettleton says VOM is seeing more and more steps being taken towards a resolution of the difficulties between India and Pakistan. A recent cricket match between the countries was a positive sign, he points out, and there is a renewed hope that the two nuclear powers will resolve their differences.
"People really saw that as a great step forward, to have the two countries competing on an athletic field in a peaceful and a respectful way," Nettleton says.
VOM's spokesman observes that the two nations have a common past on which to build. "You know, at one point they were part of the same country," he says, "and so they do have a history of being joined and working together. Hopefully we can see a return to that in the near future."
However, Nettleton notes that despite the apparent improvement in relations between India and Pakistan, both countries continue to receive poor marks in the area of religious persecution against Christians.
