As the Olympic and Paralympic Games proved this summer, sports have the unique ability to bring people together peacefully.
As part of its Empowering Women and Girls Through Sports Initiative, the U.S. Department of State brought 18 young female athletes and two coaches from India and Pakistan together recently for the first joint India-Pakistan sports exchange program.
Regardless of their country of origin, these athletes and coaches became a team. They shared laughs, started a new conversation with one another, and encouraged each other to excel both on and off the soccer field.
With a focus on peace building, the India-Pakistan soccer exchange also highlights the importance of using sports as a means of empowerment. According… more »
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in New York, New York on September 24, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
U.S. Embassy Islamabad: Provincial Government Expresses Solidarity with U.S. Consulate General Peshawar
Peshawar – September 4, 2012 – On behalf of the provincial assembly, the Speaker, Mr. Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmati, offered solidarity and condolences to the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar. On Monday, a vehicle belonging to the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar was hit in an apparent terrorist attack injuring four U.S. Consulate personnel.
The speaker called on the U.S. Consul General Robert Reed and assured him of the support and commitment of the Pakistani government, stating, “The whole province is very unhappy with this type of violence. It goes completely against Pakhtun culture, customs and Islam.” He was accompanied by MPA Israr Ullah Khan Gandapur.
Immediately following their visit to the Consulate, the KP government officials checked on the constabulary police members also injured during the attack. In expressing his gratitude for the heroic assistance of the Pakistani police force, U.S. Consul General Reed stated, “We are very thankful to the Pakistani authorities for such support from all levels of the government in this difficult time.”
The U.S. government stands ready to work with Pakistani authorities on a full investigation so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice.
U.S. Embassy Islamabad: Media Note on Terrorist Attack in Peshawar
Islamabad – September 3, 2012 – U.S. Embassy Islamabad released the following statement by Charge d’affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland:
“I am grateful for the humane professionalism of the local Pakistani security forces who saved the lives of the two American diplomats and two Pakistani local staff of the U.S. Consulate General Peshawar by pulling them to safety after their vehicle was attacked. In this dangerous world where terrorists can strike at any moment, we must all work together — Pakistanis and Americans alike — because we have a strong mutual interest in defeating terrorism.”
NYPD Study Tour Inspires New Policing Efforts in Karachi
Like New York City, Karachi is one of the world’s largest cities with a dynamic and diverse population of approximately 18 million. But, apart from the common concerns of police working in any major city, the police of Karachi must also contend with extreme violence perpetrated by sectarian and organized crime syndicates resulting in hundreds of deaths per year. Outnumbered and under armed, Karachi Police combat kidnappings, face systematic targeted killings, and respond to daily civilian demonstrations that frequently turn violent.
Though Pakistan’s problems may seem a world away, the instability and pernicious crimes expereinced in a city like Karachi are felt the world over. At the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), we work to combat these corrosive trends in the interest of local and regional stability. INL works to expand access… more »
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton participates in a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, left, and Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, right, on the sidelines of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2012. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the July 8 Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, where she reaffirmed our enduring commitment to the Afghan people, met with Afghan civil society leaders, and joined the international community in supporting Afghanistan’s development needs.
Building on the decisions made in Bonn and Chicago, as well as the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement, the United… more »
Joint Statement by U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rassoul, and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khar at the First Ministerial-level Core Group Trilateral Meeting
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
July 8, 2012
Capitalizing on the opportunity afforded by the Tokyo Conference – which represents the culmination of a period of intensive engagement between Afghanistan and the international community – we convened the first ministerial-level Core Group meeting today. We reaffirmed that the purpose of the Core Group is to enhance cooperation between Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States to support an Afghan peace and reconciliation process, and further affirmed that:
Afghanistan should be a peaceful, secure, stable, and prosperous nation living in a peaceful, secure, stable and prosperous region supported by enduring partnerships with the international community. Great effort and sacrifice by the people of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and the international community has decimated al-Qaida’s core leadership in the region, reducing the threat to international peace and security that led the international community to intervene in Afghanistan in 2001. Afghanistan should never again be a safe-haven from which al-Qaida or other terrorist groups threaten international peace and security. Read more: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/07/194680.htm.
State Department Spokesperson Toria Nuland responds to questions posed in English and Arabic during a Twitter Briefing at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]
“Center Stage” Brings International Artists to Main Street, U.S.A.
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in New York, New York on September 24, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121018080029im_/http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mawxg7K9jY1qcug8io1_500.jpg)
![Jimmy Hall, New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Patrol meets with NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly at the NYPDs Joint Ops Center in New York, New York. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121018080029im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0802_nypd_pakistan_m.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton participates in a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, left, and Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, right, on the sidelines of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2012. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121018080029im_/http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6wj3nCjYs1qcug8io1_500.jpg)
![U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2012. [State Department photo by William Ng/ Public Domain]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121018080029im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0709_clinton_japan_m.jpg)
![Haitian artists Ti-Coca and his band Wanga-Neges perform, undated. [Photo by Courtney Correl/ Courtesy of Center Stage]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20121018080029im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0618_center_stage_m.jpg)
