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Meet “Friends of Pakistan” ?!
Pakistani Americans are deeply concerned about the current economic situation in the United States. We feel empathetic towards American people and anticipate that the administration will change its policies for the benefit of ordinary citizens instead of helping corporations and their CEOs.
The Pakistani community living abroad strongly feels that the effort of the so-called “Friends of Pakistan”, formed on September 26, 2008, in New York, to help Pakistan is not the right way to support the country. We believe that an independent nation like Pakistan does not need a charity summit but is owed reparations. Pakistan helped the USA and the rest of the world to defeat the USSR during their occupation of Afghanistan and became host to 5 million refugees from Afghanistan due to this war. During the terrorism campaign Pakistan is playing a pivotal role as a frontline state. Pakistan has deployed more than 150,000 soldiers in the tribal areas to support NATO forces. Pakistan has lost more people than NATO and has suffered tremendous economic loss due to its direct involvement. The result is bad law and a poor economic status due to this war. After such extraordinary sacrifices Pakistan needs compensation for those losses from these so called “Friends of Pakistan,” not charity.
The Pakistani people would be very happy if these friends (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, etc.) can help Pakistan by asking NATO to leave Afghanistan and Iraq and influence Americans to stop selling arms to Israel and India, since this is against international peace pacts and will negatively affect the peace process in Asia and Middle East. They can also set up international committees to start working on disputed territories (Kashmir and Palestine), and correct their discrimination towards Pakistani immigrants living in Europe and America. We think the best way to help Pakistan is to stop cross-border attacks and respect Pakistani sovereignty. Instead of holding such degrading conferences, these “friends” should ensure that NATO reimburse Pakistan for the use of its land for moving NATO troops and goods to Afghanistan, exploiting its other resources (such as the loss of Pakistani lives due to cross-border attacks), and should ensure payments of compensation to victims of cross-border attacks, as they did in the case of the alleged Libyan attack on a civil airline in England.
We are worried and concerned about the deteriorating relationship between the Americans and Pakistanis due to undue pressure of America on the democratic government. Pakistan is in great danger as a result of 10 years of Musharraf’s dictatorship. A lack of democracy ruined its economy and the law and order situation is in shambles. There is poverty across the country. According to international economists, the country needs at least $150 billion to survive and to rebuild institutions that suffered badly from the support Pakistan gave to the US and Western powers and from the destruction by US and Western-backed dictators. This is definitely not sufficient, since 60 years of alliance with America and Allied Forces has put the country at collateral and economic damage. In addition, the friends of Pakistan, the US and European universities should make available immigration and scholarships to Pakistani students. We need technical cooperation to develop civil nuclear technology to overcome our energy shortage which is hampering economic development.
Our record shows that we are a nation of great principles, that we have stood by our friends, and have fought wars against aggression, and now we deserve support from “Friends of Pakistan”; after the $150 billion in reparations are paid, they need to really show they are friends of Pakistan by continued support until Pakistan is back on its feet. At the same time it has every right to use any weapon (F16 / F18) to defend its boundaries against anyone who will use Air Strikes and war on land.
| Shahid Comrade | Dr. Mohammed Shafique |
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