ADDRESS TO
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
BY AMBASSADOR JEHANGIR KARAMAT
JUNE 8, 2005

Honorable Speaker Douglas Scamman, Jr.

Legislators,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor to be invited to address this house – an honor for me and my country Pakistan. Thank you.

I know that the New Hampshire House of Representatives is the largest State Legislative body in the US and it is also the third largest parliamentary body in the English speaking world. This House gave this great country its first State Constitution. So it is truly a privilege to be here.

Let me take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my Government and our people to this Legislature for adopting HCR (House Concurrent Resolution) 16. This resolution rightly urges increased diplomacy to achieve a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It correctly focuses on the atrocities and violence in Kashmir. Pakistan has always asked for a resolution of this issue according to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. We appreciate the U.S. role in facilitating the present peace process underway between India and Pakistan.

The US-Pakistan alliance has a long history. Today it is based on shared values, perception and a convergence of interests and concerns. A stable, democratic, economically thriving Pakistan capable of defending itself has been a consistent U.S. goal in pursuit of its interests. The tragic incident of September 11 reinforced this goal and led to the present robust alliance between our countries.

Pakistan joined the international coalition led by the U.S. in the global war on terror because we knew that there would be no successful campaign against terrorism without Pakistan. Despite security concerns on our eastern border we have deployed more than 70,000 troops along the Pak-Afghan border to tighten the net against Al-Qaeda. We have suffered casualties in facing this threat but have never looked back. We have so far apprehended and deported to the U.S. more than 700 Al Qaeda members including several high value tgargets. We have also provided the lead to many other arrests around the world. A very effective Border Security Force has been built up with U.S help.

I would also like to add that Pakistan joined the international coalition against terrorism because we see terrorism not only as a threat to peace and security around the world but also as an obstacle to our endeavors to improve the socio-economic status of our people and their security.

It is of course very important to confront the immediate threat of terrorism but it is equally important to address the root causes of terrorism. People loose hope, when societies breakdown and countries fragment. These then become recruiting areas for terrorists.

The world can be made a safer place by investing in people, strengthening economic opportunity, responding to global challenges, alleviating poverty, eradicating hunger, fighting disease and spreading literacy to the poor and marginalized people around the world.

Cultural and religious harmony can also play an extremely important role in addressing the root causes of terrorism. As a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference and a close ally of the U.S. and the world community in the global war on terror Pakistan is in a unique position to serve as a bridge between the Islamic World and the West.

Besides our role in the war on terror, Pakistan is fully cooperating in preventing and countering proliferation. We have secured our nuclear assets and enacted laws to ensure their integrity and safe custody. We continue to cooperate fully with the IAEA and the U.S. in the counter proliferation efforts against global black market networks. Without Pakistan’s total support, an international network would not have been so quickly broken up.

Pakistan considers regional peace as an absolute essential to world peace. The composite dialogue process with India is a manifestation of our desire to ensure peace for the betterment of the people of both India and Pakistan. The relationship between India and Pakistan today is better than it has ever been. Improved people to people contacts have made the peace process irreversible but we must not forget that without finding a just and fair solution to the problem of Kashmir which has always been the main irritant between the two countries, it would be difficult to sustain the on-going peace process In fact our bilateral relations with India and Afghanistan are aimed at promoting harmony, stability and economic interaction in the region. Now let me give you a quick insight into today’s Pakistan.

The structural and economic reforms introduced by the government have had a remarkably positive effect at the macro-economic level. The currency exchange rates are stable, tax revenues, foreign exchange reserves and FDI growth rates are the highest in the history of the country. We have achieved an economic growth rate of 8.4% this year which makes Pakistan one of the top five fastest growing economies in Asia.

The Government is trying to improve and expand access to education for all Pakistani citizens. We consider education absolutely essential to our development as a moderate, democratic, forward looking nation. The constitution of Pakistan obliges the state to provide compulsory secondary education. Recognizing the crucial role of education sector reforms the government has launched an ambitious national plan of action which is projected to cost about 7.2 billion dollars over the period 2001-2015.

One of the major objectives of education reforms is to bring Madrassa curriculum into the main stream of our general education system. We are making progress in this direction.

The empowerment of women is another priority area for the present Government. For the first time, more than 30% of the seats have been reserved for the women in the Parliament as well as in the Provincial and Local Bodies.

US financial assistance has played an important role in supporting these ambitious social sector reforms of the government. Pakistan looks forward to an enduring strategic relationship with the U.S.

Thank you.