Pakistani pastor wants to reach Taliban in Afghanistan

Pastor Anwar Fazal Masih, founder of Eternal Life Ministries International and Isaac TV ministries has a remarkable aim - he wants to take the message of Christ to the Taliban in war-torn Afghanistan.

He told ANS that he believes this can be achieved if his Pakistan-based Isaac TV can transmitted via satellite by August 2010.

Pastor Fazal said, "The setting up of Isaac TV in Pakistan, a 170 million nuclear-armed nation in South Asia, has been commended, not only by the Christians of Pakistan, but also by many Christian brothers and sisters abroad who had known my ministerial work from the platform of Eternal Life Ministries Pakistan International.

"Their appreciation was shown through letters, e-mails, cards, telephone calls and SMS messages to me," said Pastor Fazal.
Asked to elaborate on the work of Eternal Life Ministries Pakistan International he said that he had set up the ministry in 2000 with just four people.

"A hallmark of the ministry was the convergence of some 5,000-10,000 believers for a healing crusade every Wednesday in a massive ground in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore, an eastern city of Pakistan.

"The Holy Spirit works through me and the participants of this weekly healing Crusade are experiencing the Holy Spirit in all its fullness," claimed Rev Fazal.

The Rev Fazal says that he set up Isaac TV in 2004 to "fulfill the spiritual needs of Pakistani Christians."

He says that he prayed about it and stated that he "received a sign from God" to go ahead with the opening Isaac TV ministry.

Describing his choice of the word "Isaac" for his TV ministry, he explained: "I thought since both Christians and Muslims believe in the Prophet Isaac therefore I would name the TV channel after the Prophet Isaac (the son of Abraham and Sara)."

The pastor went on to say, "The overwhelming response from our Isaac TV audiences has led me to believe that it can steer the disillusioned people of Pakistan out of pessimism, cynicism and negativism."

Reaching out to the Taliban in Afghanistan


Rev. Fazal said that he was "deeply concerned" about the young people who, he said, "are falling prey to the Taliban.

He added, "I want to take the Love of God into their homes through expanding the network of Isaac TV."

Asked how he believed that people would turn away from the Taliban by watching Isaac TV, he cited a verse from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, which says that the killing of one person is tantamount to killing of the entire humanity.

According to Bible, he said: "God is love."

Citing another verse from the Quran, he said Muslims believe that Jesus Christ performed miracles during His time on earth.

"God does not approve of killings," he said. Those who shed the blood of others cannot become heirs to the Kingdom of God. I believe that the Taliban can turn out to be good people if they learn about God and His Love."

Asked if he was not afraid that he might be persecuted because of his TV ministry, he said: "God has given me a spirit of bravery, not a spirit of weakness. I will continue to serve God. I am not bothered by possible persecution."

He also said that Isaac TV has the potential of foiling the "nefarious agenda of miscreants to propagate hatred and violence."

Despite daunting financial odds stacked against his calling to preach the Word of God to a maximum number of people, the Rev Fazal says that he started his TV ministry from his kitchen.

"I put a computer on the kitchen table and fixed it with a modulator and then linked it with area cable station in Lahore," Fazal told ANS.
Inter-faith harmony

Participants of Interfaith harmony conference in Sialkot
Emphasising the need for inter-faith harmony in Pakistan, he said that the TV channel would "help improve fractured inter-religious relations in Pakistan."

The pastor then made it clear that he did not launch Isaac TV to oppose the Quran, adding, "I just want to take the message of Christ to people of other nations. I want them to know who Jesus is.

"I preach face-to-face to people from 5,000 to 10,000 through my weekly crusades, but I can reach millions for Christ through Satellite TV."

He said that Isaac TV had been operating though Cable network in several Pakistani cities since 2004.

The pastor claimed that he has received an "overwhelming response" from Christian viewers of Isaac TV. "Even girls from other nations have started to sing hymns after watching praise and worship programs on Isaac TV," he said.

He said the people from all over Pakistan have asked him to "expand" the Isaac TV network, but he said he regretting that he could not make it accessible to people across Pakistan "due to limited resources."

Asked when he expected the Isaac TV to go on a satellite soon, he said he was aiming to launch it by August 2010. He added that a studio of Isaac TV "had already been constructed" and that he had had "negotiations with Asia Satellite".

After going on the satellite, he said that Isaac TV could then be viewed in some 62 Asian countries.

Asked what programmes he was planning to air on Isaac TV after it goes satellite, he said they will present programmes on "persecution, sermons, prayer, praise and worship, unity and interfaith harmony".