National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) President, Rev John Gilmore, on 8 May 2025, expressed grave concern about the escalation of violence between India and Pakistan after the killing of tourists in the disputed Kashmir region that borders the Indus River.
“The targeting of civilians in the ‘tit-for-tat’ cross border attacks must be condemned by the international community”, says Rev Gilmore.
Both countries have nuclear arsenals and Rev Gilmore says “together with our partners in the region we call on the immediate intervention of the international community to de-escalate the situation.”
Rev Gilmore is on the Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and says that there are close and historical regional ties with the churches in Pakistan and India and longstanding concern over the unresolved Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
At the last CCA General Assembly, the members of CCA issued a statement ‘Let Peace be the Imperative, Not the Alternative: Concern about Increasing Militarisation in Asia’ expressing concern about “the alarming surge in militarisation and the frenzied arms race sweeping across Asia. The signs are unmistakable … including in territorial disputes between neighbouring countries in South Asia”.
CCA called for active engagement and “regional collaboration with churches in the affected countries and assistance with programme development and advocacy initiatives … to support vulnerable communities who often lack a voice in these matters and where peacebuilding means prioritising essentials like food over arms”.
Most recently CCA expressed grave concern over increasing persecution of religious minorities across South Asia citing the death sentence on Good Friday, 18 April 2025 for a Pakistani Christian found guilty under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Says CCA of these laws, “they are vaguely worded and widely criticised by human rights organisations, and disproportionately impact minority communities, particularly Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis”.
Rev Gilmore urges prayer for the affected cities, refugee settlements and ethnic communities in Pakistan and India during the current conflict. “Peace is the gift and the task given by the Risen Christ to his followers in this Easter season. Jesus asked us to pray for peace and let us also pray for the persecuted Christians in Pakistan (Matthew 5:44)”, says Rev Gilmore.
ENDS