Jashan-e-Azadi Mubarik to PAKPAC readers on the 62^nd Anniversary of Pakistan Independence Day. In the last two weeks Pakistan’s Independence Day was celebrated through out major cities in USA with rallies, processions, melas, musical programs, and seminars. In Washington DC at the Pakistan Embassy Pakistani‑Americans celebrated the Independence Day in a lively manner here Friday as they joined flag‑hoisting ceremony at the Pakistani embassy and renewed their resolve to work for the cause of the country. An exhibition of Pakistani cultural handicrafts and traditional costumes was also held at the embassy, attracting the attention of Americans participating in the event. Pakistan’s Ambassador Husain Haqqani hoisted the flag while the national anthem was played at the embassy compound.

In Pakistan, the whole nation celebrated Independence Day with traditional zeal, fervor and renewed commitment to make Pakistan a stronger, progressive and prosperous country. A large number of colorful events were held across the country to celebrate the Independence Day in a befitting manner and pay homage to those who offered greater sacrifices to create an independent motherland. The Prime Minister, in his address, spoke on a host of issues including the challenges faced by Pakistan, terrorism, economy, power crisis, democracy as well as the foreign policy.

Pakistan’s undisputed leader Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah laid his vision for Pakistan as a modern secular democratic state 60 years ago. He had envisioned a state where every citizen would be equal and there would be no distinction the basis of faith or caste or creed. He stood for justice and fair play for every one regardless of religion caste or creed. PAKPAC would like all Pakistani’s to honor Quaid’s vision of Pakistan as a pluralist, inclusive and progressive democratic state.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton send messages on Pakistan Independence Day

Both President Obama and Secretary Clinton sent congratulatory messages to people of Pakistan and reaffirmed a stronger US-Pakistan relationship.

In his message on Pakistan’s Independence Day, President Obama enumerated the profound contributions of Pakistani poets, qawali and ghazal singers, cricket, hockey, and polo sports players. President Obama acknowledged the sincere contribution of Pakistani Americans to US economy and culture. President Obama reaffirmed the unyielding support for democratic institutions in Pakistan. President Obama’s message on Pakistan Independence day .

Secretary Clinton  confirmed her plans to visit Pakistan in the next few months.

Secretary Clinton message on Pakistan Independence day

PAKPAC’s Message on the Atrocities in Gojra, Pakistan and Appeal to the People of Pakistan.

August 3rd, 2009, Maryland, The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) joins all our fellow Pakistani Americans in condemning the recent incidents in Pakistan, when a small but organized group of thugs attacked a village in Gojra, Pakistan and took innocent lives of Christian minority community members and then destroyed their homes. These extremists claimed to commit these inhumane acts and atrocities as a response to an alleged blasphemy of the Holy Quran.

PAKPAC asks the Government of Pakistan to arrest the perpetrators of these crimes and extend severe punishment to them for the murder of the innocent people. Punishment to such people should be strong enough to serve as a strong deterrent to anyone in Pakistan who dares to contemplate such actions.

PAKPAC extends condolences to all the faith communities in Pakistan, and ensures them that we support them towards eradicating these hate based, misguided beasts who go against the very basic teachings of the Quran and Islam that they pretend to protect.

We ask the larger society in Pakistan to get seriously involved in a meaningful and focused dialogue to look at how various laws are being abused in stripping the minorities in Pakistan of their rights. We need to enlighten ourselves and the world on how these crimes are against the principles and spirit of the creation of Pakistan and the core essence and teachings of the Quran.

Read Complete Press Release

Archived Press Releases

News

Pakistani Public Opinion: Growing Concerns about Extremism, Continuing Discontent with U.S.

Pakistanis see their country in crisis. They give their national government lower ratings than at any time in this decade, and almost no one is satisfied with national conditions. Crime and terrorism are seen as major problems by virtually everyone. And huge percentages of Pakistanis also see their country struggling mightily with corruption and a deteriorating economy. These are the latest findings from the 2009 Pew Global Attitudes survey of Pakistan. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1,254 adults in Pakistan between May 22 and June 9, 2009. The new poll finds broad support for harsh punishments: 78% favor death for those who leave Islam; 80% favor whippings and cutting off hands for crimes like theft and robbery; and 83% favor stoning adulterers

Some other findings of the survey are:

• The nation-state is of great significance to Pakistanis, and despite important ethnic and regional differences, national identity is strong throughout the country. Overall, 89% say they think of themselves first as Pakistani, rather than as a member of their ethnic group.

• Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's ratings have plummeted: Last year, 64% had a favorable opinion of him; now just 32% hold this view.

• Zardari is much less popular than the other public figures tested: opposition leader Nawaz Sharif (79% favorable), Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (67%) and Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (61%).

• About seven-in-ten (72%) want the U.S. and NATO to remove their military troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible. Only 16% approve of Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

• In 2008, 53% said the economy would improve in the next 12 months. This year, only 23% believe the economy will get better.

• The Pakistani media receives very high ratings – 77% say it is having a good influence on the country.

• While views about national conditions are overwhelmingly negative, most Pakistanis are upbeat about their personal lives – 74% say they are very or somewhat satisfied with their overall lives, and most are satisfied with their family lives and incomes. Nonetheless, compared with other nations, levels of personal satisfaction in Pakistan are relatively low.

Read Complete Survey report

US will spend $1 B to fortify its embassy in Islamabad 

In what could be a recipe for a new controversy, the United States will spend nearly one billion dollars from its $2.4 billion war supplement aid for Pakistan on the construction and fortification of its new embassy in Islamabad and additional staffing of the mission, in what is seen here as a departure from the usual practice of using State Department finances for such projects.

Under a program to strengthen its presence in Pakistan, the US will bring here about 1,000 personnel, including a large number of Marines. It has already undertaken a project to rebuild and refurbish the embassy building and construct accommodation for the new staff and a massive complex for the Marines to be stationed in the capital. The project, US official estimates show, will cost about $1 billion. And the Obama administration has worked out an easy way out, footing the bills from Pakistan’s $2.4 billion share in the Pentagon War Supplemental Package for the fiscal year 2009.

A breakdown of the war supplemental aid package shows that $707 million has been earmarked for economic assistance, $700 million for counter-insurgency capability fund, $896 million for the new secured US embassy and consulates in Pakistan and $46 million for enhanced diplomatic operations covering logistics for civilian staff surge and security. From the package, Pakistan will practically receive $707 million as economic assistance and that will include $225 million announced by Washington as assistance for displaced persons.

Closer scrutiny of the much trumpeted aid package shows that the government after subtracting the assistance for IDPs will be getting a mere $482 million and some improved counter-insurgency capacity,’ a senior Pakistani official dealing with aid said.

Pakistan Government plans new scheme to simplify foreign remittances

Paksitan government will launch a new scheme on August 21 to encourage money transfer through legal banking channels and eliminate ‘unhealthy practices’ like hundi and hawala, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar said on Tuesday.  The scheme would be launched in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan and would be implemented in three phases, adding that the final phase would “revolutionize” the entire concept of remittances by enabling Pakistani workers to send remittances legally through mobile telephones. He also said a number of other welfare measures were also under consideration.

Right to vote: Sattar said his ministry was consulting the Law Ministry and the Election Commission to examine the possibilities of extending the right to vote to the overseas Pakistanis, adding that a number of suggestions were presently under consideration in this regard.

Spotlight

Editors Note: If you would like to nominate a young Pakistani heritage Professional to be spotlighted by PAKPAC, then please send an email with nominee details to ED@PAKPAC.net

Shahid Buttar, Executive Director - Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Shahid Buttar is a civil rights lawyer, non-profit leader, hip-hop & electronica MC, independent columnist, grassroots community organizer, singer and poet. Professionally, he leads the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), a national grassroots organization defending civil liberties eroded by the War on Terror, as BORDC's Executive Director.  In this capacity, he organizes opportunities for grassroots activists to promote the rule of law and executive accountability, while opposing secrecy, surveillance, detention without trial and torture.  Buttar frequently writes about these topics and offers frequent commentary for media sources.

Buttar also serves as co-Director of the Rule of Law Institute (ROLI), a U.S.-based organization supporting international efforts to defend the Rule of Law against threats imposed by U.S. foreign policy.  In this capacity, he helped coordinate a factfinding delegation to Pakistan that investigated the impacts of the Provisional Constitutional Order declared by then-President Musharraf in 2007.  The delegation's report, Defending Dictatorship: U.S. Foreign Policy and Pakistan's Struggle for Democracy, examined how U.S. foreign policy undermined both democracy in Pakistan and U.S. interests in the region.

From 2008-2009, Shahid directed a national advocacy program to combat racial & religious profiling while based in San Francisco. While in DC from 2003-2008, he represented the campaign finance reform community in an ultimately successful appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and built the media and communications operations of the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy, as well as the groundbreaking ACS ResearchLink program.

Shahid also served as a spokesperson for grassroots resistance at the 2005 Counter-Inaugural and the 2004 Republican National Convention – where Democracy Now! named one of his public addresses among "The Best of 2004." As an organizer, Shahid founded a variety of grassroots groups across the country, including the Stanford Spoken Word Collective; the San Francisco Collaborative Arts Insurgency; the DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency; the DC Resistance Media Collective and Shanti Salaam.

Shahid graduated in 2003 from Stanford Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, as well as the 2002-03 Teaching Assistant for Constitutional Law. He worked in the investment banking industry while pursuing his undergraduate degree from 1991 until 2000, when he graduated summa cum laude from Loyola University Chicago and was invited to join the Foreign Service of the U.S. State Department.

As a musician, Shahid has performed around the world for audiences as large as 50,000. His debut CD, Get Outta Your Chair, was released in 2008 and features music from the funk, blues, hip-hop, house, drum 'n bass, and South Asian fusion traditions, including Bumpin’ in My SUV and the Baghdad Blues. A comprehensive list of Shahid’s prior publications, as well as his music, is available at www.shahidbuttar.com.

LINKS

US News

Congressional News

Pakistan News

World News

USAID Wants Pakistani American Groups to Take upon Projects in Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) held an unprecedented meeting at its public affairs offices in Washington with the representatives of Pakistani American organizations invited from across the country.. This was the first time ever that the agency reached out to several Pakistani American groups and invited them to seek funding for projects in Pakistan. USAID Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan and several other Agency officials addressed the meeting and walked the participants through the processes with which organization can  apply for funding from USAID for projects in Pakistan. Faiz Rehman, a member of the PAKPAC Board of Directors also attended the meeting.

The meeting came about after instructions from President Obama that his Administration wants to offer funding to smaller groups, especially, the Diaspora groups, who are interested in development projects in Pakistan. Currently, USAID typically works with larger non-profits or through established contractors. USAID budget for the year 2008 for Pakistan was about $408 million. With the passage of a joint Kerry-Lugar Bill and Berman Bill, hopefully in September after Congress returns from recess, the budget will swell to $1.5 billion per year for the next five years.

The officials asked participants to wait for the agency's Annual Projects Statement (APS) due in a few days. The APS will list all the upcoming projects for Pakistan in the areas of education, healthcare, governance, and economic growth. The participating groups were encouraged to submit proposals on those projects. Organizations can also submit unsolicited proposals to the agency for funding on projects which do not appear on the APS. For more information, please visit www.USAID.gov. PAKPAC will post information about the APS and information on how to apply for grants on its website.

Dr. Mushtaq Sheikh hosts an event for Congressman Eric Massa

PAKPAC BOD Dr. Mushtaq Sheikh hosted an event for Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY). About thirty Physicians , Engineers and other Professionals of Pakistani descent attended the event. House Majority Leader Congressman Steny Hoyer(D-MD) was the keynote speaker at the event. Both Congressman Hoyer and Congressman Massa  presented President Obama's healthcare plan in detail, and answered questions concerning the proposed bill from the audience. Congressman Massa acknowledged the tremendous contribution of Pakistani Physicians to US Healthcare system.

Awards

Civil Awards for Sen. Kerry & Prof. Adil Najam

On Pakistan’s 62nd  Independence day President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz award to Professor Adil Najam of Boston University,  for his public service in the area of Environment Protection. It maybe recalled that Professor Najam was part of a team led by Vice President Al Gore that received 2007 Noble peace prize for environment protection. President Zardari also conferred Hilal-I-Pakistan to Senator John Kerry (D-MA) for his services towards Pakistan

Dr. Mushtaq Sheikh recognized for his services at US Congress

PAKPAC BOD DR. Mushtaq Sheikh was recognized for his continued services to the healthcare profession in the US Congress.

Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY) recognized that Dr. Sheikh along with the entire community of Pakistani Physicians that live an work in his district and our nation serve not only as an example of what medical professional can do to make a difference in the world, but as a great example for all of what hard work, generosity of spirit, and commitment to service can do to better our communities and our Nation., Read complete citation.

Zafar Tahir nominated to Houston Crime stopper Board

PAKPAC BOD Zafar Tahir has been nominated to Crime stopper Board in Houston, TX. Crime Stoppers of Houston is a community-based organization dedicated to solving and preventing serious crime in partnership with citizens, media, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system in the greater Houston area. Given the large presence of South Asian community in Houston retail industry, Zafar’s appointment on the board would mean easier access to law enforcement authorities and a better reporting of crimes against the South Asian immigrants.  For more information on Crime stoppers see http://www.crime-stoppers.org/About/Board/boardmembers.html

Mazhar Abbas – Pakistani Journalist wins prestigious Journalism Award

Mazhar Abbas, a veteran Pakistani journalist has won a major prize from the Missouri School of Journalism. Six prominent media leaders and a pioneering online publication will receive one of the profession's highest honors, the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism, from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Mazhar Abbas is a fearless fighter for press freedom in Pakistan. During his 27-year career as an award-winning journalist, he has endured repeated threats as a result of his tireless work to win and protect an independent voice for citizens. Abbas' indefatigable devotion to the democratic principles of journalism has resulted in more than 2,000 front-page stories on political, social and human rights issues. These have been published in The Star, the leading English-language evening newspaper from Pakistan's economic hub, Karachi, and a member of The DAWN Media Group, the country's largest network of English-language newspapers. He provides analysis of events and policies for other major English-language print and electronic news outlets, including a weekly talk show called "Do-Tok," meaning straight forward in Urdu. Abbas previously hosted other news commentary programs on Pakistan's leading news portal, ARY One World (now ARY News), and one called "Spotlight" for the private channel Hum. He has conducted exclusive interviews with some of the country's most controversial and prominent military and government figures. Abbas was one of only five journalists to receive the coveted 2007 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. He currently serves as the deputy director of news and reporting for ARY One World. Abbas is active in Pakistan's journalists' unions, serving for four years as secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. He also has been elected to several union positions including three terms as secretary of the Karachi Press Club. Abbas is a frequent speaker on the topics of journalism and freedom of expression on television talk shows as well as at universities and colleges.

Immigration

USCIS to Accept New H-2B Fiscal Year 2009 Petitions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today reopened the fiscal year 2009 H-2B petition filing period and will immediately accept new H-2B petitions.

Although on Jan. 7, 2009, USCIS announced it accepted and approved a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated annual cap of 66,000, the Department of State received far fewer than expected requests for H-2B visas and as a result, has issued only 40,640 H-2B visas for fiscal year 2009 to date. This means that there are approximately 25,000 visas that may go unused, as they have not been granted. Because of the low visa issuance rate, USCIS is reopening the filing period to allow employers to file additional petitions for qualified H-2B temporary foreign nonagricultural workers.

To qualify for a fiscal year 2009 H-2B cap number, employers must:

• Submit the Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker to USCIS with all required documents, including an approved Alien Employment Certification from the U.S. Department of Labor that is valid for the entire employment period stated on the petition.  

The petitioner must also indicate an employment start date before Oct. 1, 2009.

Petitions received on or after Oct. 1, 2009, and/or requesting a starting date on or after Oct. 1, 2009, will be considered towards the fiscal year 2010 H-2B cap and are subject to all eligibility requirements for fiscal year 2010 H-2B filings, including 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iv)(D), which requires that the start date listed on the petition be the same as the starting date authorized on the temporary labor certification.

For more information about this reopening of the H-2B fiscal year 2009 filing period, please see http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/E1eng.pdf or by calling USCIS’ National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Future Activities

US-Pakistan Economic Assistance Stakeholders meeting Sep 9th

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) is holding a second of the series of US-Pakistan Economic Assistance Stakeholders meeting on Sep 9th at Capital Hill, Washington DC. Participants of the meeting include staff members from  Ambassador Holbrooke and Congressman Cummings offices, and members of Pakistani-American community.  The purpose of this meeting is to better understand how oversight can be provided to such assistance, and how this assistance can create maximum economic benefit. Former Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin will provide background to oversight mechanism, and USAID Director will cover metrics of economic benefit.

USCIS National stake holder meeting - Washington DC Aug 25th

PAKPAC will attend monthly National Stake holder meeting with Immigration and Naturalizations officials in Washington DC.  PAKPAC would like to highlight community cases that need attention by USCIS authorities, please send your issues or concerns related to Immigration and Naturalization cases to ED@pakpac.net

Community Alert

PAKPAC Starts Census 2010 Campaign

PAKPAC has started a campaign to have individuals of Pakistani heritage accurately accounted for in the 2010 Census. One important item is, when filling personal particulars one must correctly answer the question about ethnicity, this must be answered as  "Pakistani". For more details about  filling the form please visit the following link http://pakpac.net/Census2010/Census%202010%20info.asp.

PAKPAC is working to get Urdu translation for instructions on how to fill 2010 census forms. Please contact PAKPAC at ED@pakpac.net with any questions.