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Inspection of Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan, and Constituent Posts PDF version Embassy Islamabad, Consulate General Karachi, and Consulates Peshawar and Lahore. It provides critical support for the U.S. antiterrorism efforts in Pakistan and for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The embassy’s experienced Ambassador has forged excellent working relationships with the many U.S agencies at post. The embassy, however, faces challenges in personnel and management. Responding to the stringent security precautions in place, the mission’s staff has been drawn down, and there are significant staffing gaps in many positions. With few exceptions, family members can no longer accompany Foreign Service officers assigned here, limiting the pool of willing bidders for jobs. Most officers serve for only one-year assignments, and the resulting lack of continuity in leadership, program management, and contacts challenges all of the mission. Access to the embassy and consulate compounds is limited, posing particular problems for public diplomacy efforts to provide people in this overwhelmingly Muslim nation with increased access to accurate information about the United States.
Office of Inspector General (OIG) also found these other shortcomings: · A majority of mission personnel are from other agencies, but the Department of State pays the majority of costs for administrative services. The proposed expansion of other agency positions at this post will further strain support services;
· Even with all appropriate security procedures in place, a cumbersome name check/security opinion process inhibits the prompt adjudication of visa applications for a significant number of Pakistanis;
· The consulate buildings in Karachi and Peshawar provide inadequate secure working space for their staff, and both should be relocated as soon as possible; and
· The lack of a Status of Forces Agreement should be rectified to provide protection for U.S. military forces.
The United States has vital interests in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, as does neighboring India, and its complex relations with India and Afghanistan have significant implications for regional stability and key U.S. interests. Pakistan is a poor country of 150 million people and suffers from low literacy, insufficient foreign investment, religious extremism, and sectarian and terrorist violence. U.S. relations with Pakistan are expanding rapidly. Pakistan is a key partner in the war on terrorism, arresting more than 600 terrorists since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, helping shut down the financing of terrorism, and providing logistical support for our military forces in Afghanistan. The Pakistani government has embarked on a transformation of the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, combining military operations against al-Qaida and Taliban remnants with economic development to earn the loyalty of the tribal people. The government also has attempted to steer away from religious extremism and to bolster Pakistan as a modern, moderate Islamic state. The United States, meanwhile, is focused on implementing significant economic, military, and counter terrorism and law enforcement programs.
Although visa numbers are still much lower than before the September 11 attacks, workloads have increased because enhanced procedures and technology to prevent unlawful travel to the United States are labor-intensive. The mission also provides services to the approximately 9,000 Americans resident in Pakistan, the majority of them dual citizens |
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