A Rare Day for Pakistan
at Capitol Hill
By Anwar Iqbal
Left to right: Ted Poe,
Bill Pascrell, Sheila Jackson, Major R. Owens, Nick
Rahall, Dale A. Kidlee and Danny K. Davis |
Washington,
DC: It was a rare day for Pakistan on Capitol Hill, with one
US legislator after another hailing the country as a ‘champion
ally’ and some even urging the Bush administration to
offer Islamabad a similar nuclear deal that it offered to
India.
“Pakistan has always been an ally … and good to
the US. I can’t say the US has always been good to Pakistan,”
said Congressman Ted Poe, a Texas Republican.
On Thursday, Pakistani American Congress, a non-partisan and
non-profit group, brought together dozens of Pakistani physicians,
teachers, computer engineers, lawyers, congressional aides
and other prominent citizens to lobby for Pakistan on the
Hill. In the evening more than a dozen US lawmakers spoke
at the concluding session of PAC’s 14th annual conference.
At least two legislators, Congressman Bill Pascrell and Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson Lee, also underscored the need to support democratic
reforms in Pakistan. “There are no good dictators or
bad dictators. The US government should not support any dictator
at all,” said Rep. Pascrell.
Congressman Major R. Owens, a Brooklyn Democrat, spoke on
the Indo-US nuclear deal. “I don’t understand
if we can offer a nuclear deal to India, why can’t we
offer a similar deal to Pakistan as well,” he said.
“Pakistan is one of our favourite nations.”
Rep. Pascrell, a ranking Democrat at the Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, questioned the dichotomy
of the Bush administration’s approach to the nuclear
issue. “You either support non-proliferation or you
do not,” he said. He said he did not understand the
administration’s decision to deny a deal to Pakistan
that it offered to India.
Congressman Dale E. Kildee, a Michigan Democrat and a graduate
of the Islamia College, Peshawar, said that living in Pakistan
as a young man, he “learned that real Islam is: surrendering
to God’s will in a way … which brings peace and
stability to your life.”
Congressman Nick Rahall, a West Virginia Democrat, said the
US and Pakistan shared common goals that go beyond the war
on terror and he saw “no reason why this relationship
should diminish once the war is over.”
Congressman Danny K. Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said the Pakistani
community in the US was growing both in number and influence
and would soon be in a position to influence the process of
decision making in this country.
Congressman John T. Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, also emphasized
this point saying that his communications director, Nayyra
Haq, was a Pakistani. (Courtesy Dawn)
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