Announcement

Eid Mubarik

PAKPAC wishes its readers Eid Mubarik, at the time of joy and festivities PAKPAC would like you to think of the needy of the world, and share your resources with them. May your year ahead continue to be filled with a healthy and prosperity life, and May you have a Joyous and Spirited Eid Mubarak (Blessings) day with all your dear ones, including people of all faiths and humanity, filled with Love, Peace, and Happiness .... Ameen

Happy Thanksgiving

PAKPAC wishes its readers a happy and safe  Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.  May the joys and blessings of thanksgiving fill your hearts and home. Let's not forget to cherish and give thanks  for what we have, and pray for fulfillment of the needs of others. Let's collectively pray for peace and harmony in the world. Have safe travels during the holiday season. Please checkout TSA guidelines to travelers during the holiday season.

Hajj Mubarik

PAKPAC wishes its readers Hajj Mubarik, who were fortunate to perform  the obligation of Hajj, including Dr. Noor Khan of PAKPAC BOD. May your Hajj and sacrifice be accepted. Ameen. Please check  and advise your friends about TSA travel guidelines for Hajjis.

USAID Job and program Announcements

Job opening for General Engineer (Energy) Apply by Dec 7th

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in providing PSC services as described in the attached solicitation. See Complete Job posting

Submissions shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified and must include signed and completed federal employment form SF-171 or OF-612 and a written statement that responds to the requirements of the position (Education/ Experience required for the position).

Any questions regarding this solicitation may be directed to Rizwana Khan, Human Resources Specialist, Pakistan phone – 92-51-208-2793, fax – 92-51-287-0310, E-mail: hrislamabad@usaid.gov.

Job opening (multiple) for Contract Specialist  Apply by Nov 27th

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking applications from qualified individuals interested in providing PSC services as described in the attached solicitation. See Complete Job posting

Submissions shall be in accordance with the attached information at the place and time specified and must include signed and completed federal employment form SF-171 or OF-612 and a written statement that responds to the requirements of the position (Education/ Experience required for the position).

Any questions regarding this solicitation may be directed to Rizwana Khan, Human Resources Specialist, Pakistan phone – 92-51-208-2793, fax – 92-51-287-0310, E-mail: hrislamabad@usaid.gov.

USAID asks Private Voluntary Organizations to register

Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives held a conference call on USAID’s Private Voluntary Organizations (PVO) registration process. The notes from the call have just been uploaded to:

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_partnerships/fbci/pvo_091022.html

PVOs register with USAID to become eligible to compete for specific types of funding, e.g., development and humanitarian assistance grants and cooperative agreements. Generally, only US-based and international NGOs need to register. For more information on PVO registration, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/private_voluntary_cooperation/reg.html

Registration allows USAID to:

• Identify PVOs that engage in, or intend to engage in, voluntary foreign aid operations
• Determine whether PVOs meet certain general operating guidelines and accountability standards
• Approve registration of those PVOs eligible for USAID assistance

White House to accept applications for Fellowships from Jan 1^st

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program is one of America's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. White House Fellowships offer exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government.

Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. Fellowships are awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis.

The purpose of the White House Fellows program is to provide gifted and highly motivated young Americans with some first-hand experience in the process of governing the Nation and a sense of personal involvement in the leadership of society.

Starting January 1, 2010 you can go to www.whitehouse.gov/fellows to access the final application and full instructions on how to submit your documents, including recommendation letters. The deadline to submit your application is February 1, 2010 at 11:59 PM It is estimated that the application may take at least 25 hours so we encourage you to start this process as soon as possible.

Internship with the Department of Homeland Security: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

"Duties may include, but are not limited to, researching topics and helping to coordinate, and participate in, a broad scope of activities related to engagement with American Arab, Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Somali communities on civil rights issues, researching and developing enterprise-wide training on civil rights and civil liberties issues for DHS staff in support of the Civil Liberties Institute, providing support to the Disability Policy Team in its effort to proactively integrate principles of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all of DHS policies, programs and activities, including but not limited, to emergency preparedness and response, assessing existing and proposed Department policies to determine whether they comply with the U.S. Constitution and other applicable laws, regulations, and policies, conducting policy research and analyses on various topics to inform and guide CRCL's impact assessment and program work, establishing, revising, coordinating, implementing, and advising on the civil rights and civil liberties impact of program planning and management across component lines within DHS, and with DHS information sharing, law enforcement and intelligence community partners, charting recommendations made through final reports issued or memos sent to components, and component responses received, to assist in the effort to monitor compliance with the implementation of our recommendations in closed complaints, designing the EEO & Diversity Program's section of the CRCL website and lay foundations for building up a greater web presence, and drafting final agency actions for adjudication of employment discrimination complaints, and catalog appellate activity on findings of discrimination and reprisal in cases before the EEOC and federal district courts."

To see the full internship program, including opportunities in other fields, please visit the posting on the DHS website. We hope that you may know some driven, qualified individuals in your community that would benefit from this internship program. Applications are being taken online.

State Department Launches Video Contest to Amplify U.S. Public Diplomacy: "Change Your Climate, Change Our World"

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton launched the Department of State’s second annual Exchanges Connect Video Contest, “Change Your Climate, Change Our World,” with a video message on the Exchanges Connect social network at http://connect.state.gov.

The contest is a call to action for global citizens around the world to engage in cross-cultural community building and mutual understanding. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State launched ExchangesConnect social network in October 2008 and it has attracted over 14,000 members.

People all over the world, ages 14 and older, are invited to submit their 2-minute videos to Exchanges Connect at http://connect.state.gov. Two international and two American winners (one in each of the two age categories: 14-17 and 18 and older) will receive one of four Grand Prizes: an all-expense-paid two-week international exchange program. Last year’s contest drew over 8,400 new ExchangesConnect members from 170 countries and the winners were featured at http://exchanges.state.gov/news/ovc.html.

Video submissions will be accepted November 17, 2009 through January 12, 2010. The ExchangesConnect community will vote on video entries and an expert panel of judges, all ECA exchange program alumni, will rank the “top 40” videos based on originality, creativity, effectiveness and production quality. The panel of judges includes:

Please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/news/2009/exchangesconnect-videocontest.html. or  Catherine Stearns, 202-632-6437 or StearnsCL@state.gov

News

Corruption still prevalent in Pakistan

According to Transparency International report on corruption perception index (CPI) for 2009, Pakistan ranked 138 out of 180 nations, with New Zealand taking the top honors and Somalia being the most corrupt nation in the world. See complete rankings. Pakistan’s ranking dropped from 135 to 138 from 2008. The rank shows how one country compares to others included in the index. The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public-sector corruption in a country/territory. The CPI is based on 13 independent surveys. However, not all surveys include all countries. The surveys used column indicates how many surveys were relied upon to determine the score for that country. To read more about corruption in Pakistan visit Transparency International Pakistan website at http://www.transparency.org.pk/

500 Most Influential Muslims in 2009

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in collaboration the Centre for Christian Muslim Understanding  at Georgetown University Washington DC published its list of most influential Muslims in year 2009. The report breaks down influential Muslim either by their field of interest or country. 71 American Muslims including many Pakistani Americans made the list. There are about  16 Muslims from Pakistan that made the list including Chief Justice Iftikhar, General Kiyani, Barrister Aitizaz Ahsan, and Bilawal Zaradi Bhutto. Read other publications on Islam by the Centre

Poll shows Pakistan Media not responsible for Destabilizing Pakistan

A recent Gilani poll (Gallup Pakistan) found that almost one-third of all Pakistanis (31%) blame media for political instability in Pakistan. According to a Gilani Research Foundation survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan, despite being enthusiastic audience of media, nearly one third of all Pakistanis (31%) blame media for political instability in the country; however 57% disagree while 12% of the respondents were unsure. The latest survey was carried out among a sample of 2765 men and women in rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during October 2009.

Pakistan PM Yousaf Gilani 38^th  most powerful person in the world

Forbes magazine has compiled their listing of most powerful persons in the world. To calculate the final rankings, five Forbes senior editors ranked all potential  candidates in each of the following four dimensions of power.

• Does the person have influence over lots of other people

• Financial resources controlled by these individuals

• Are they powerful in multiple spheres

• Do they  actively use their power.

Based upon the above criterion the top three are President Barak Obama of US, President Hu Jintao of China, and Prime Minister Vladamir Putin of Russia. Taking the 36^th, 37^th and 38^th slots are Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Osama Bin Laden, and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani. Read the complete list

Viewpoint

India must be included By Adnan A. Zulfiqar

While the nation awaits the administration's plans for Afghanistan, few expect that decision to make any mention of India. But it should.

When Richard C. Holbrooke was introduced as the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, India was a glaring gap in his portfolio. However, during the last nine months it has become clear there is no sustainable solution in the region until this gap is filled. Success in the region will largely depend on whether we are able to bring India back into the mix.

India is crucial to any resolution. First, whether real or imagined, Pakistan considers India a serious threat. As the recent debate over the Kerry-Lugar bill suggests, few things agitate Pakistanis more than a perceived threat to their sovereignty. These nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan, lived through a partition only 60 years ago that cost more than a million lives, they have fought three major wars since, and they continue to maintain thousands of troops on their shared border. As a result, Pakistan's paranoia over the eastern border they share with India directly impacts its political will and resources to support U.S. efforts on their western border with Afghanistan.  Read More

Three lives, three choices By Faiz Rehman

Three individuals with totally different life paths and backgrounds made the headlines in the United States and international press in the same week. The following news items, in chronological order, about these three Americans deserve contemplation and analysis: 

1-      A US Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who reportedly feared an impending war deployment is in custody as the sole suspect in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas that left 13 dead and 31 wounded, an army official said.

2-      2- Rajiv Shah, the 36-year-old US Department of Agriculture chief scientist and undersecretary for research, education and economics, a medical doctor and health economist who previously managed vaccine and agriculture programmes at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the US Agency of International Development (USAID).

3-      3- John Allen Muhammad, the sniper who kept the Washington region paralyzed in 2002 by fear for three weeks as he and a young accomplice gunned down people at random, was executed by lethal injection in Virginia. Read More

Community Action

Support Immigrant Inclusion in Health Care Reform

House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). Health care legislation will now be debated and voted on in the Senate. The House's passage of legislation is a vital step forward towards health reform in this country. As the debate progresses in the Senate, it is important that immigrants are not left out of sweeping policy changes aimed at increasing access to affordable health care. This issue is crucial to the South Asian community. For example, did you know that:

• Approximately 1 in 5 South Asians lacks health insurance?

• Approximately 40% of South Asians under the age of 65 reported no regular source of care?

• Many legal immigrants must currently wait five years to be eligible for Medicaid and Medicare?

Take a simple step today and sign a petition, coordinated by the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, to Congress and the White House that calls for:

• Removing the five year waiting period for legal immigrants in Medicaid and Medicare;

• Allowing public access to purchase the public option in the new marketplace for health insurance; and

• Letting everyone who subsidizes the health system to participate in it, and make informed health decisions, regardless of immigration status.

Events & Activities

PAKPAC BOD discuss status of US Economic Assistance with Ambassador Raphel

PAKPAC BOD'S Dr. Parvez Shah, Dr. Hassan Bukhari, Rafat Mahmood, and Irfan Malik met with Ambassador Robin Raphel Coordinator of US economic assistance to Pakistan to discuss the current status of US economic assistance. US government plans to have more effective control of assistance dollars on how and where they are spent. Bulk of the US economic assistance will be disbursed trough Pakistan federal and provincial governments, making Pakistan government to provide the needed services for its citizens. Initial emphasis of US economic assistance will be on mega  infrastructure projects like energy distribution, north-south highway construction; cold storage facility for agriculture products. Large centers of excellence like IIT in India are also being looked into. Other areas being considered for US economic assistance are social sectors  like health and education; governance and reform measures like tariff introduction and implementation, tax reforms and tax education. 

Assistance to NGO's will be given through USAID small grants office, mostly in the areas of  primary education, preventive health care, and local transportation. PAKPAC is working towards having Pakistani Americans and Pakistan NGO's to have increased participation in the US economic assistance. PAKPAC BOD shared this objective with Ambassador Raphel. She agreed about the value Pakistani Americans and Pakistani NGO's bring to improving US-Pakistan relationship in particular in winning the "hearts and minds". Academic and cultural exchange programs are also being considered.

PAKPAC meets with USAID Health staff

PAKPAC BOD Dr. Parvez Shah, Dr. Hassan Bukhari, and Irfan Malik met with health specialists in charge of Pakistan at USAID. In particular their discussion was focused on utilizing US economic assistance towards preventive health care in particular amongst pregnant women and infants. Areas of common interest were discussed and filed trips to existing facilities are being planned for Jan 2010.

PAKPAC starts work for maximum funding for Kerry Lugar-Berman Bill through senate appropriations

PAKPAC BOD Dr. Hassan Bukhari and Irfan Malik initiated PAKPAC efforts to seek maximum funding for Kerry Lugar-Berman bill in 2010 budget with their presentation and discussions with the office of senior Senator from Maryland Barbara Mikulski, who is a member of senate appropriations committee. PAKPAC highlighted the urgency of needs of Pakistani people in the areas of health and  education. Senator Mikulski's office recognized the efforts of Pakistani and Pakistan Americans in making America safe.

US Institute of Peace holds seminar on Challenges and opportunities in Pakistan and Afghanistan

USIP held a seminar in Washington DC to discuss the challenges and opportunities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with participation by Ambassador Taylor  Imtiaz  Ali , and Robin Wright of USIP. PAKPAC BOD Rafat Mahmood and Irfan Malik attended the seminar and USIP International Advisory Council Meeting. Ambassador Taylor presented an overview of current situation in Afghanistan elaborating on the US policy of clear, hold, and build. He stated that US is helping build a major circular highway in Afghanistan, but did acknowledge that an awful lot of time and resources have been spent on clear and hold phases. Imtiaz Ali traced the history of Taliban. He referred to the following four reasons for increased insurgency in Pakistan

• Lack of political will, and bad governance like negligence of FAT area

• State of denial of real enemy, India centric

• Blurring and changing definition of good and bad Taliban

• Porous Afghanistan and Pakistan border with over 350 illegal entry points

Imtiaz suggested that Government of Pakistan should be providing basic services to FATA people which at this time are being fulfilled by Taliban. Robin Wright talked about the recent four phases of Islamic world

• First phase being post 1973 Middle East war leading to Iran revolution, in this phase religion was sought to provide answers for many of the ills of bad governance.

• Second phase in 80's gave rise to militancy, Beirut bombing, Afghan war

• Third phase gave birth to sectarian strife, shia - suni conflict, Iran/Iraq war

• In the fourth phase Muslims rulers started using Islam in politics to achieve their objectives

She was optimistic that in the current phase post 9/11, there is a soft revolution in Islamic countries where proactively a need to find an Islamic identity is on the rise, there is rejection of Jihadism, however still high level of alienation from US due to Iraq war. She cautioned that though days of global unipolar power is over, the outcome of Afghanistan and Pakistan will determine where US stands amongst leading global powers. She eluded that pull out or long engagement in Afghanistan or Pakistan are recipes' for failure, and noticed that increase troop level will not result in appreciable difference. Unfortunately, citing lack of consistency and direction in US policy, she concluded that US has fought 8 one year wars in Afghanistan. She also cautioned that preventive steps should be taken towards a potential next trouble spot of Yemen.

Pakistan Higher Education delegation visits USA

A 18 member higher education delegation under the leadership of Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Javaid Leghari is on a three week visit to USA. The purpose of the delegation is present the status and needs of higher education (post graduate level) to US Administration, Legislators, Academics, University Administrators,  and Corporate America. PAKPAC Executive Director Irfan Malik met with the delegation at a meeting arranged by US Pakistan Business Council with representatives of Corporate America.  The delegation presented a list of projects to be undertaken in major universities for which they are seeking funding and technical guidance.

Currently about 745,000 thousand students are enrolled in 128 Universities in Pakistan, with over 90% students enrolled in Public Universities. Only 5% of the Pakistan University going  population is enrolled in a university program, compared to 35% in Egypt. To overcome these challenges  a total of $960 million are needed over the next 5 years, a third of that would be provided by HEC, funding for remaining  to be requested from various donors and partners.

Immigration

DHS to Audit NSEERS at the Request of ADC and Other Major Organizations including PAKPAC

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is pleased to announce that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be conducting an audit reviewing the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) in early January 2010.   Implemented in the wake of September 11, 2001, NSEERS required non-immigrants from predominantly Arab and Muslim Countries to register at ports of entry and local immigration offices and complete fingerprints, photographs and lengthy questioning.  Earlier this year, ADC successfully organized more than 40 local, state and national organizations including PAKPAC to sign a letter calling for the OIG to audit NSEERS. The announcement of the audit was made yesterday at a meeting between the OIG and the DHS-Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Committee, a working group of NGOs of which ADC is a member. Read More

USCIS to hold Naturalization seminar on Dec 8^th  in Alexandria VA

USCIS is holding an information session for legal permanent residents and interested naturalization applicants. Topics covered at this FREE session will include:

• the Naturalization Process

• the New Naturalization Test

• Rights and Responsibilities of U.S. Citizenship

Read more details about the event. While the event is intended primarily for immigrants interested in the naturalization process, USCIS conducts other informatory sessions as well.  A list of upcoming naturalization information sessions is available on our website at http://www.uscis.gov/citizenshipsessions.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Speaks on Immigration Reform

The United States’ current national immigration policy is “an affront to every law-abiding citizen and every company that plays by the rules,” said Napolitano. Yet the very laws that are supposed to regulate immigration policy are part of the reason law enforcement agencies are struggling to control immigration. There is a dearth of effectual laws, and there are practical technological problems that are undermining our ability to solve the problem of uncontrolled migration across our borders. In response to the oft-utilized criticism that the government simply does not want to enforce immigration laws, Napolitano stressed that, “DHS needs reform to do our job of enforcing the law.”

Now is the time for such reform. The flow of undocumented persons into the United States has declined by half since the failed initiative of 2007. This is largely a response to recent economic conditions, but it is also due to the efforts of agencies such as DHS that are not waiting idly for reform. The federal government has strengthened security on the southwest border and committed more resources to the area in the wake of increasing violence related to drug cartels and human-smuggling outfits. Napolitano cited these facts as the most powerful impetus for reform. “We have replaced all policies which merely looked tough with those that are effective,” she said. Read more

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights organizations call for torture investigations

PAKPAC and a coalition of other Civil rights organizations have sent a letter to President Obama addressing transparency, torture, and to express our support, in the strongest possible terms, for a complete and independent investigation of all former U.S. officials allegedly complicit in incidents—or policies—of torture of detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. The letter asks the President to direct the Defense Department to release photos documenting torture, rather than exercising the authority recently granted by Congress to keep them secret. Coalition also exhort you to reconsider your administration’s refusal to disclose evidence of torture even in the face of court orders mandating disclosure.  More broadly, we write to remind you of the context in which this issue arises, explain why transparency and robust accountability are a strategic national security imperative, and to expose the self-interest of voices counseling against accountability.

Religious Freedom

TSA Provides guidelines for Hajj Travelers

TSA has provided travel guidelines for Hajjis on their website. Hajji's returning from Hajj who wish to bring back water from Mecca should pack it in their checked baggage if the container is larger than 3.4 ounces, pursuant to TSA's 3-1-1 liquids regulations. TSA has also included a link directly to the Office of Civil Rights and Liberties section of the website for the traveling public.  TSA is also working on other fact sheet and information pieces which will be uploaded to TSA website, please visit the website regularly. Please share this with your loved ones who may have already left for hajj.

Justice Department explains forfeiture process of Alavai Foundation assets

In the wake of the Department of Justice filing a forfeiture action against properties owned by the Alavi Foundation last week, there has been a lot of confusion about exactly what this means, and what it does not mean.  A letter that the U.S. Attorney's office has mailed to occupants of the properties that are the subject of the forfeiture action explaining the process. In this letter DOJ advised the property occupants that their property is not seized or taken into custody. No tenant or occupant of the property is charged with any wrong doing. Also linked here http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/nyfo111209a.htm is the press release issued on November 12.

Future Activities

Kashmir Peace Rally, Washington DC , Nov 24^th

In Front of the White House Lafayette Park

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 / 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Contact: Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai at 202-607-6585 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

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