‘My name is Mahtab. I’m from Kabul...
Many years ago, my father accepted Christianity. In our house, my father conducted worship like an underground church. We were living a prosperous life.
When the Taliban government came to Afghanistan, because many people knew my father was a preacher, the Taliban came to our house and threatened us. Then one day they stormed our home and shot and killed my father in front of our eyes.
Despite that, their threats did not stop. They continued to harass us and used to come to our house and threaten us. Then one of the men from the Taliban threatened to abduct my sister as he wanted to marry her. We instantly fled Afghanistan and entered Pakistan without any documentation.
With the support of some Pakistani Christian organisations we have settled here and were able to save our lives. Life in Pakistan is also not easy or safe, but we feel we are safer here than in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.’
Last year we released a report on the plight of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Mahtab bravely shared his testimony about the 2021 Taliban takeover, and the devastating impact on his family as Christians. It is heartbreaking to read, and we surround them in prayer this week.
We remember, too, the countless others who were forced to flee terror and targeting. Among them are the Shia Hazara, Ahmadiyya and Jewish communities. Find out more at csw.org.uk/Afghanistan
Please pray:
- For those under oppression in Afghanistan – especially for religious or ethnic minority communities; women and girls; and others who are particularly vulnerable.
- For those who have fled and are still not safe or settled, including those at risk of being sent back to Afghanistan.
Since February 2024, the Pakistani government has once again stepped up their efforts to round up Afghan refugees and repatriate them. Amnesty International said the decision ‘endangers the lives of over 800,000 Afghan refugees across Pakistan.’
‘He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.’ (Deuteronomy 10:18)