News

PAKPAC supports President Obama Afghan Strategy with reservations

PAKPAC welcomes President Obama Afghanistan strategy, as a minimum it now provides some direction. After more than 800 American lives lost and more than 200 billion taxpayer dollars spent fighting eight, one year wars in Afghanistan, finally a strategy and accountability has been unveiled. Though the strategy encompasses Diplomacy, Intelligence, Military, and Economic Assistance (DIME), the current strategy details military option only, unfortunately the military option is still a one year strategy. PAKPAC believes such short term focus will not work. PAKPAC has advocated for long that to bring stability to the region all players Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Pakistan must be part of the solution, with support from Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China.  

The basic features of President Obama strategy are:

• The plan commits 30,000 additional US troops supplemented with additional 10,000 NATO troops.  It sets an initial timeframe –July 2011 for withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan but does not set down a final exit date.

• The deployment will be rapid and will be completed by summer of 2010.

• The strategy assumes that in three years, the Afghan government will be able to stand up to the Taliban.

• It hopes to begin the first handover of security responsibilities to the Afghans in 18 months.

• In the new plan, the Obama administration also acknowledges that the Taliban in both Pakistan and Afghanistan have made dangerous advances in the past few years.

• The strategy also promises to help Islamabad better protect its nuclear weapons and pledges to prevent a Taliban takeover of the country’s strategic assets.

• It hopes to win the loyalty of more Afghans with massive civilian aid. Read Complete Strategy

The main concern here is how the strategy with the troop surge in Afghanistan affects Pakistan. President Obama's focus on Afghanistan is well-founded as the major threat to global security stems from the instability in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan is not removed from this threat. The potential threat within Pakistan mirrors that of Afghanistan. For the past 30 years, Pakistan supported the Taliban because it viewed them as an extension of their foreign interests.   Today, Pakistan is paying a price for its support of Taliban’s in the past, with its assaults in both the SWAT and South Waziristan. So far, in 2009 alone, 9000 Pakistanis have died in Pakistan because of terrorism – that is bombings, suicide attacks and other acts of extreme violence against Pakistan, and Pakistani society by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. We do not want to see Pakistan going down the Afghan route and therefore, believe that the US spending should be dollar for dollar in both Pakistan and Afghanistan -- presently, there is a huge disparity in the funding for both countries.

The current strategy for Afghanistan is fraught with perils and uncertainty, nonetheless, if successful - a stable and democratic Afghanistan will be in the best interests of Pakistan as well. The U.S. surge, coupled with a concentrated effort from the Pakistani military - can literally trap the Taliban between the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. .  If this strategy is to succeed, their must be unprecedented cooperation between Pakistan and the U.S. military.  Joint military operations from both sides of the border can increase both trust and effectiveness of the American surge.   This would require that US and NATO troops work in conjunction with Pakistan forces; otherwise the surge will create more problems for Pakistan with Taliban’s looking for safe heavens in Pakistan. The people of Pakistan also need to take part in this effort by not providing safe heavens to any anti Pakistan forces.

Although there are significant risks, doing nothing will hurt the region for a significant period of time. It is critical to succeed in Afghanistan. But at the same time, it is equally important to help Pakistan crush the militants. And currently, America runs the risk of losing Pakistan while the policy makers here in Washington focus heavily on Afghanistan. Today, most of Washington’s energy, money and time is being consumed by Afghanistan, when in fact; Washington’s should be equally concerned about the effect of Afghanistan strategy on Pakistan.

PAKPAC categorically demands US to rethink its drone attack policy in FATA area, and at no point engage in hot pursuits within Pakistan borders.

US starts talks with Taliban

Pakistan Youth Survey Show Alarming Trends

Pakistan will face a “demographic disaster” if it does not address the needs of its young generation, the largest in the country’s history, whose views reflect a deep disillusionment with government and democracy, according to a report. The report, commissioned by the British Council and conducted by the Nielsen research company, drew a picture of a deeply frustrated young generation that feels abandoned by its government and despondent about its future.

An overwhelming majority of young Pakistanis say their country is headed in the wrong direction, the report said, and only 1 in 10 has confidence in the government. Most see themselves as Muslim first and Pakistani second, and they are now entering a work force in which the lion’s share cannot find jobs, a potentially volatile situation if the government cannot address its concerns.

Of the several thousand youths surveyed, over 90% directly asset that the generally poor quality education is an urgent issue for them. Half the young people said they do not have sufficient skills to even enter the workplace.

Four in ten young Pakistanis of age 18 to 29 admit they cannot read.

Less than half--only 40% actually--of school age Pakistani children are now even enrolled in any school (compared to the South Asia region’s average of nearly 58%).

While most do not trust their government, they attach their loyalty to religion. Three-quarters identified themselves primarily as Muslim, with just one in seven identifying themselves as Pakistani. Young people’s biggest concern — far above terrorism — was inflation, which rose to 23 percent in 2009, pushing 7 percent of Pakistanis back into poverty, the report said. More than 90 percent agreed better quality education was a priority.

There were bright spots. The young people were civic-minded, with a third saying the purpose of education was to create good citizens. They were also more interested in collective action and volunteer activities than their parents. But they were deeply disillusioned with politics, which they saw as corrupt and based on a system in which personal connections mattered more than merit. Read Complete article

President Obama message on Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha

Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha.  The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions.

During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat.  The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God.

This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj.  Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration's commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak.

Viewpoint

America vs. The Narrative  - Thomas Freidman

What should we make of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who apparently killed 13 innocent people at Fort Hood?

Here’s my take: Major Hasan may have been mentally unbalanced — I assume anyone who shoots up innocent people is. But the more you read about his support for Muslim suicide bombers, about how he showed up at a public-health seminar with a PowerPoint presentation titled “Why the War on Terror Is a War on Islam,” and about his contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni cleric famous for using the Web to support jihadist violence against America — the more it seems that Major Hasan was just another angry jihadist spurred to action by “The Narrative.”

What is scary is that even though he was born, raised and educated in America, The Narrative still got to him.

The Narrative is the cocktail of half-truths, propaganda and outright lies about America that have taken hold in the Arab-Muslim world since 9/11. Propagated by jihadist Web sites, mosque preachers, Arab intellectuals, satellite news stations and books — and tacitly endorsed by some Arab regimes — this narrative posits that America has declared war on Islam, as part of a grand “American-Crusader-Zionist conspiracy” to keep Muslims down. Read Complete Article

Why they hate us (II): How many Muslims has the U.S. killed in the past 30 years? –Stephen Walt

Tom Friedman had an especially fatuous column in Sunday's New York Times, which is saying something given his well-established capacity for smug self-assurance. According to Friedman, the big challenge we face in the Arab and Islamic world is "the Narrative" -- his patronizing term for Muslim views about America's supposedly negative role in the region. If Muslims weren't so irrational, he thinks, they would recognize that "U.S. foreign policy has been largely dedicated to rescuing Muslims or trying to help free them from tyranny." He concedes that we made a few mistakes here and there (such as at Abu Ghraib), but the real problem is all those anti-American fairy tales that Muslims tell each other to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions.

I heard a different take on this subject at a recent conference on U.S. relations with the Islamic world. In addition to hearing a diverse set of views from different Islamic countries, one of the other participants (a prominent English journalist) put it quite simply. "If the United States wants to improve its image in the Islamic world," he said, "it should stop killing Muslims."

Now I don't think the issue is quite that simple, but the comment got me thinking: How many Muslims has the United States killed in the past thirty years, and how many Americans have been killed by Muslims? Coming up with a precise answer to this question is probably impossible, but it is also not necessary, because the rough numbers are so clearly lopsided.

Here's my back-of-the-envelope analysis, based on estimates deliberately chosen to favor the United States. Specifically, I have taken the low estimates of Muslim fatalities, along with much more reliable figures for U.S. deaths. Read Complete Article

Nation-Building in Afghanistan -Adil E. Shamoo

The United States has spent nearly a trillion dollars over the past seven years, fighting two wars in vastly different places. A small portion of this effort has been dedicated to what has commonly been called nation-building. In fact, our mission has been a mixture of both state-building, which further develops the institutions of government, and nation-building, which constructs roads, schools and other projects. This approach is not entirely new, but these initiatives have become an important and accepted paradigm for the conduct of war in this century.

Generally, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has engaged in limited state-building rather than nation-building. U.S. efforts, so far, have concentrated on building the security infrastructure. This infrastructure of military and police serves to provide security and prop up U.S.-friendly governments rather than build the political and economic infrastructure for sustainable economic reconstruction and democratic institutions.

In the 20th century, the United States made a name for itself in the nation-building business in Europe and Asia. But these efforts have been superseded in this century by a unilateral and, at times, questionably moral enterprise, exemplified in our actions in Iraq and repeated, mistake for mistake, in Afghanistan. Read Complete Article

Manmohan in Washington By Mowahid Hussain Shah

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's Washington visit has been sandwiched between President Obama's China trip and Obama being on the verge of announcing a new surge in US troops to Afghanistan - since mid-September, the president has held 10 meetings on his Afghan strategy review. According to NBC News: "On the day the president welcomed India's prime minister at the White House, it was Afghanistan that dominated."

At Washington, DC, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Woodrow Wilson Centre co-sponsored a discussion with the visiting Indian Prime Minister, where this writer was invited.

The remarks of the Indian Prime Minister - delivered in an unassuming and low-key manner - dilated on Pakistan and Afghanistan. The questions, too, were dominated on Indian perspectives on both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The gist of Manmohan's remarks were that the US and India have a "strategic partnership", they share the common values of democracy, rule of law, and Gandhian tenets, while also confronting the common threat of terrorism. He maintained that India enjoys "enduring civilisational links" with Afghanistan and India has a "sustained commitment" to continue to assist Afghanistan. He did not elaborate, however, how his impoverished country could afford to invest $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan.

With respect to Pakistan, Manmohan said that India believes in normalizing relations and discussing issues including Jammu and Kashmir as long as Pakistan is willing "to break with the past", "abjure terrorism and come to the table with good faith". Read Complete Article

Fundraiser

Event for Annise Parker in Houston 

Pakistan American Community of Houston is holding an event for the benefit of Annise Parker Candidate for Mayor of Houston on Monday Dec 7th , Read for further details

Events & Activities

PAKPAC supports Physicians in their fight against reduction in Medicare payments

PAKPAC Executive Director Irfan Malik and Members of Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions met with Senator Mikulski and Senator Cardin to discuss with them impact of substantial reduction in Medicare payments for preventive services and testing on Physician practices.  Both Senators were sympathetic towards our concern, and vowed to push back on Medicare to reconsider the amount of increase and phase in the increase over an extended period so that Physician practice can make necessary cost adjustments.  A meeting between Physicians and Medicare Administrators is beings setup to explore the issue further.

Community Alert

PAKPAC concerned about increase in US media Pakistan bashing

PAKPAC is starting a campaign to check increase of Pakistan bashing in US media. PAKPAC President has  sent letters of concern  to major media outlets requesting for balanced and fair reporting. Though a lot of blame is correctly put on Pakistan Government and Pakistani people for the state of affairs, but there are many other players who are equally responsible for the turmoil in the region, and PAKPAC  is asking that they take responsibility for their actions.

The Pakistan Army is fighting the Taliban in an all out war where the military loss of life has reached over 3000.  Pakistani civilians have felt the impact of this war greatly. Latest counts on Pakistani civilian loss of life are approximately 9000 in 2009 alone. There are thousands of others who have been killed in terrorist attacks while conducting activities of daily life – praying, shopping, celebrating a wedding, going to work, etc . Not much recognition is provided in eth US media for the sacrifices made by Pakistanis.

PAKPAC is starting a grassroots level campaign to ask its readers to reach out to US media outlets to give Pakistan a fair chance. We request other Pakistan Advocacy organizations to join us in these efforts so that Pakistan is not blamed for everything that goes wrong in that region. 

Announcement

State Department Hiring IT professionals

Click here to read the vacancy announcement, and to start the online application process. Please note: applicants must be U. S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 59, and able to qualify for a top secret security clearance.

• FOREIGN SERVICE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST(IMS): http://careers.state.gov/specialist/opportunities/infomanage.html

• Information Management Technical Specialist (Digital): http://careers.state.gov/specialist/opportunities/infotech.html

• Information Management Technical Specialist (Radio): http://careers.state.gov/specialist/opportunities/infotechradio.html

• Information Management Technical Specialist (Telephone): http://careers.state.gov/specialist/opportunities/infotechphone.html

the deadline to submit completed applications for Foreign Service Information Management Specialist vacancies has been extended until January 30, 2010.

U.S. Department of State 2010 Summer Clerical Program

To qualify for a Summer Clerical position, you must be:

• a U.S. citizen, age 16 or older at time of appointment.
• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.,) seeking student.
• taking at least half-time academic/vocational/or technical course load in an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, 2-year or 4 year college or university, graduate or professional school.
• able to complete a background investigation to determine eligibility for a security clearance.

For more information, and to start the online application process, please visit   http://careers.state.gov/students/programs.html#SCP

Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is January 4, 2010

Job Opportunities at US Census

The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training, and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work. Best of all, census takers work right in their own communities.

Census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs, or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community.

Bilingual applicants are strongly encouraged to reply. Priority will be given to United States citizens. For more information visit US census website

Request for Proposals: International Religious Freedom Programs

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that promote international religious freedom as part of overall good governance in the countries in: Near East including Pakistan. Applicants must submit SOIs using www.grants.gov December 21, 2009

For questions related to proposal submissions, please contact Landon Taylor at 202-647-1212 or TaylorLR@state.gov or Rozina Damanwala at 202-674-3561 or DamanwalaRR@state.gov. Read for complete details

Immigration

USCIS Clarifies Requirements for Extraordinary Ability Visa Classifications

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  published a guidance memorandum entitled Requirements for Agents and Sponsors Filing as Petitioners for the O and P Visa Classifications. 

The O nonimmigrant visa classification provides for the admission of people with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, athletics, motion picture and television production, and their essential support personnel. The P-1 nonimmigrant visa classification provides for admission into the United States of certain athletes, entertainers and artists.

The memorandum clarifies the standards for adjudicating “O” and “P” petitions filed by a U.S. agent for a beneficiary(ies) who will be working for more than one employer within the same time period.  This guidance also reaffirms the definition of a U.S. sponsoring organization for the “P” visa classification. 

USCIS reminds all “O” and “P” petitioners of their obligations of being jointly and severally liable, in certain instances, for the reasonable cost of return transportation of the alien abroad. For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov.

USCIS Standardizes Process for Accommodating Customers with Disabilities

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has established a streamlined, standardized process for receiving requests for accommodations from customers with disabilities. Customers in need of accommodations from field offices and Application Support Centers should now call the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD: 1-800-767-1833).

USCIS offices have historically provided accommodations for customers with disabilities as federal law requires. We are building on this practice to ensure that customers have a central point of contact for requesting accommodations and that across the country, customers with disabilities have a consistently positive experience when they visit USCIS offices.

Customers wanting to attend an event or schedule an appointment online to meet with USCIS can call the NCSC at any time to request an accommodation. Customers who have an appointment in conjunction with an application, such as an ASC or interview appointment, should request their accommodations after they have received their appointment notices. Customers needing accommodations at asylum offices should continue to contact the asylum offices directly.

For more information about requesting accommodations, please visit the USCIS Resource page at www.uscis.gov.

Future Activities

PAKPAC Eid Dinner on Dec 7th 6 PM

PAKPAC is holding an Eid Celebration dinner for Muslim Staffers at Capital Hill on Monday Dec 7th at 6 PM in Room 2226 Rayburn House Office Building. For more details call 202 558 6404.

PAKPAC to share  Pakistan Geo Political position with American Jewish Groups

PAKPAC Executive Director Irfan Malik is holding  a dinner meeting with members of American Jewish Committee, Baltimore Jewish Council, and Jewish Federation of Howard County on Tuesday Dec 8th in Ellicott City, MD. For more details call 202 558 6404.

American Pakistan Foundation Dinner on Dec 11th in New York

American Pakistan Foundation is holding its Inaugural Benefit on Dec 11th in New York. honoring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other dignitaries from State Department including Ambassador Holbrooke will be in attendance. Honorary Co-Chairs of the event General Collin Powell and Mr. Moeen Qureshi will attend the event. For further details call 212 675 9474

Upcoming Seminars at Think Tanks

To get information about future seminars and events relating to US-Pakistan relations, please visit the following websites

Atlantic Council

Brookings Institution

Heritage Foundation

Middle East Institute

SAIS