From Muna Habib Washington Correspondent
“Efforts are underway behind the scenes to bridge differences between United States and Pakistan. People from both sides are working very hard to make this relationship a success,” U.S. State Department official Martha Patterson told Daily Times at a convention recently organised by the Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C.
Earlier, speaking at the convention, she said that while security was important to the U.S., its bilateral relationship with Pakistan was much broader in scope. She said that at $6.4 billion, trade between the two countries was ‘at an all-time high’.
Speaking on the South Asia strategy, she lauded the sacrifices and efforts made by Pakistan to fight terrorism but urged the need to address issues related to the burgeoning nuclear arsenal and to reduce tensions with India.
The convention was divided into panel discussions that featured Pakistani youth, academia, USAID officials and civil society representatives. The evening showcased a musical event demonstrating Pakistan’s rich cultural history and heritage.
In welcoming the participants, Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry encouraged the endeavours of the Pakistani-American youth that bridged the two countries ‘by cultivating strong people-to-people relations the Pakistani youth will continue to contribute to American life and society by excelling in their selected fields’. He said, “an engaged and civic-minded expatriate community is key to enhancing mutual goodwill and understanding between Pakistan and the U.S.”
In a session titled ‘Youth Engagement’, panellists discussed the American-Pakistani youth’s political, civic, and business engagements, including representation in the U.S. communities. Pakistani student Saad Farooq, who had travelled from North Carolina to attend the convention, described his inspiration following Ambassador Chaudry’s address. “I realised how important it was to step up and be a part of the political movement.” He added, the Ambassador’s comments following the panel discussion had motivated him to get involved. “He made me realise if you don’t have a facial representation then no one will actually listen to you, we are the future.”
In the session titled, ‘Voice in Academia and Think Tanks,’ panellists discussed the role of Pakistani-Americans in the two sectors. Dr Moeed Yusuf, the associate vice president of the Asia Centre at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), encouraged “the youth to get involved in the community of the country they live in to explain to people in Washington D.C., why people are thinking and making the decisions the way they are in Pakistan.” He further advised them to take the information they learn in the U.S. to their communities in Pakistan and explain to them “why people in Washington, D.C., make such decisions.” He stressed the urgency for people to become involved ‘Pakistanis are grossly underrepresented in the field’.
Yusuf highlighted that “one of the biggest losses since 9/11” was that ‘the Fulbright programme had become a one-way street’. Due to heightened security concerns. U.S. students are no longer able to travel to Pakistan to study; U.S. institutions offering programmes to study Pakistan, have diminished. He urged the U.S. government to ‘bring back Pakistan Studies’ including ‘the chairs that used to exist to study the country and relationship’.
In a panel on the ‘Role of Women,’ Pakistani CEO of Invest2Innovate, Kalsoom Lakhani, said, “since 2012 we have graduated 35 companies in Pakistan, 65% have been female-led.” Her company provides business support to early stage entrepreneurs. Her company has been operating in Pakistan since 2011. Kalsoom has trained young entrepreneurs, change makers, and civil society leaders in Pakistan.
Speaking on the role of women in U.S. politics, political activist Shaista Mahmood said despite the assertion that women do not enter Pakistani politics, ‘an equal number of women are involved in politics in the U.S. and Pakistan’. She said, “we need to be involved in order to make a difference.”
The entirely female panel of experts agreed: “lack of girl’s education continues to be an impediment on the progression of girls in Pakistan.”
Following the session, Houston Consular General, Aisha Frooqui said, “there is a general perception that women in Pakistan are marginalised. But I think there are many instances in public service where the stats actually favour women, there is a sense of positive discrimination.”
She described an increasing number of women taking on full-time employment in the private sector. “The rise of women in employment in Pakistan remains unknown by the international community,” she said.
Published in Daily Times, April 21st 2018.
