Pakistan on the March: Ambassador Karamat

By Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui

Los Angeles: Ambassador Jehangir Karamat met a select group of journalists on Friday and held out the assurance that Pakistan was on the march and there were manifest indicators to testify to the wholesome change.
Informally chatting with the media at the Wilshire Pakistan Consulate on his first visit to Los Angeles as Ambassador of Pakistan, the General-turned-diplomat surprised one and all with his candor and polite disposition. He was visibly forthright and considerate in answering questions addressed to him.
At the outset, the Ambassador stated that in his address to different fora he was successful in presenting a convincing case of a positive change taking place in Pakistan. The audience at the fora consisted of a large number of mainstream Americans who evinced keen interest in his insightful observations. During his five-day stay in Los Angeles, he addressed the Rand Corporation, US-Pakistani businessmen, Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Council of Pakistani-American Chambers of Commerce, Rising Leaders Conference, and Council of Pakistani American Affairs.

Ambassador Jehangir Karamat,Consul General N.M.Jadmani,COPAA President Hamid Malik,
Tanwir Khan and Dr.Zeba Vanek at the COPAA reception

At the Rand Corporation, Ambassador Karamat presented a convincing case of a buoyant Pakistan responding to the challenge of the time by following pragmatic and well-meaning policies to usher the much needed change on several fronts - economy, education, healthcare. After successful restructuring of the country’s macroeconomics the focus is now shifting to poverty alleviation, mass education and healthcare. He asked the audience at the various fora to be cognizant of the initiatives taken and sustained efforts made in the last five years. Development constraints plaguing the country are now a thing of the past and a new chapter in Pakistan’s history has been written in the last five years. We have covered a lot of distance and chalked out a course that would impart renewed momentum to well-meaning developmental initiatives, he said.
There were several indicators of the country’s buoyant economy - real estate prices have steadily climbed, the Karachi Stock Exchange has maintained an upward trend, the same is true for the Lahore and Islamabad Exchanges, foreign investment is on the rise and is mounting, Far East companies are especially keen to invest in Pakistan, and the IT sector has shown sustained growth. The spinoffs of this trend will have a bearing on the life of the common man in the not too distant future.
In his talks at the various fora Ambassador Karamt described Pakistan’s role in the war on terror and her sustained strivings to put effective checks on nuclear proliferation. A great deal of anxiety was shown about the activities of the A.Q. Khan network but the Ambassador was able to assure the audience of Pakistan’s firm and steadfast resolve to enforce fool-proof measures to curb nuclear proliferation.

L to R :Commercial Counsellor Shahid Tarar,Consul General N.M.Jadmani, Ambassador Jehangir Karamat and Vice Consul Ahmad Farooq.

Ambassador Jehangir Karamat said that “a multi-faceted approach” is needed to deal with militants and extremists “who wish to destroy the progress made by the people of Pakistan”. At the RAND Corporation think tank on Thursday, he said the immediate security threat had to be dealt at the operational and technical levels. He said that terrorists would not go unpunished, but it was equally important to address the reasons why some individuals turn to militancy and violence. He said: “We feel that this errant behavior is rooted in economic deprivations.”
Ambassador Karamat said Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used against any other state. “We remain committed to fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and will continue to closely coordinate our policies with all like-minded countries.”
He added that the US-Pakistan defense cooperation had been restored following the end of sanctions. “This is a vital area since it has a direct bearing on both regional stability and the war on terror. The Pakistan-US Defense Consultative Group was revived in Sept 2002 after being dormant for nearly five years.”
“There are also concerns about democracy in Pakistan,” Ambassador Karamat informed the newsmen. “There is democracy, there is freedom, there is a free media,” in the country today and the next elections are scheduled to be held in 2007. If they are held as scheduled it would be the for the first time that the an elected parliament has completed its full five-year term, he said.
The Ambassador also assured the newsmen that the Embassy would take speedy measures to put an end to discrimination shown to religious scholars in the award of the American visa. “Yeh nahin hona chaiae aur meri kosish hogi kae iska saddaebab kiya jae,” he promised.
Ambassador Karamat talked of the “electronic media revolution” in Pakistan. He also promised to create community awareness about the important role of the Pakistani-American media in the USA. He complimented the Pakistani-American community for its dynamism and lauded its role in launching several well-meaning projects in Pakistan. He urged members of the community to forge unity and present a better image of Pakistan in the US.

 

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