Pashtun

The Pashtun people are situated in the rugged mountains and valleys of
northwestern Pakistan. They are the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan with a population of over 40 million and are a people defined by four pillars of identity: heritage, Islam, the Pashtunwali code of honor, and the Pashto language. This ancient tribal code emphasizes hospitality, loyalty, revenge, and the protection of honor shaping every aspect of Pashtun life.

The Pashtun homeland has become a battleground for decades. Many of the Pashtun people were settled into camps in Pakistan during the Soviet
invasion and subsequent civil wars. These camps became seedbeds for
radicalization birthing the Taliban movement. Today, the Pakistani Taliban
continues to destabilize the region, and Pakistani military operations have
displaced millions of Pashtuns, creating deep resentment.

Spiritually, the Pashtun remain almost entirely unreached. Islam is
inseparable from their ethnic identity as to be Pashtun is to be Muslim.
Conversion to Christianity is seen as the ultimate betrayal and the cost of
following Jesus is staggering with the possibility of honor killing by one’s own relatives. For a Pashtun woman to convert is even more dangerous, she risks being forcibly married to a Muslim man or killed to preserve the family’s honor.

Yet despite these immense barriers there are small numbers of Pashtun
believers worshipping in absolute secrecy. They meet in homes, often alone or in groups of two or three, unable to gather openly for fear of betrayal. Reports of dreams, visions, and divine encounters are increasing, as God reaches into closed hearts and reveals Jesus to those who have never heard His name spoken with love.