28 October 2009

United States Stands with Pakistan Against Violent Extremism

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the suicide attack on innocent people in a women’s market in Peshawar as “cowardly.”

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned those behind a suicide attack in Peshawar as “cowardly,” and said the United States stands “shoulder to shoulder” with the Pakistani people as they confront violent extremists.

The attack, which coincided with Clinton’s first trip to Pakistan as secretary of state, targeted a women’s market and reportedly killed 80 people.

Speaking with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad on October 28, the secretary challenged the attackers, saying “If the people behind these attacks were so sure of their beliefs, let them join the political process.”

“Let them come forth to the people of Pakistan in this democracy and make their case that they don’t want girls to go to school, that they want women to be kept back, that they believe that they have all the answers and that the rest of us who are people of faith have none. Let them make that case in the political arena and see how far they would get,” she said.

Instead, those behind the attack “know they are on the losing side of history, but they are determined to take as many lives with them as their movement is finally exposed for the nihilistic, empty effort that it is,” Clinton said.

This fight “is not Pakistan’s alone,” she said. “The terrorists and extremists are very good at destroying, but they cannot build,” and the United States will give Pakistan the help it needs in the struggle to achieve peace and security in the country.

While calling for a defeat of the hard-core elements of extremism, Clinton also said there should be openness to those who renounce violence and wish to begin reintegrating themselves into mainstream society.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said Pakistan faces terrorist attacks daily, but said his country’s resolve and determination to fight remains firm in the face of the latest violence.

Addressing those behind the attack, he said Pakistan will be “more determined to fight you and defeat you for our own reasons, because we have a vision for Pakistan, and that vision does not fall in line with what you stand for.”

The foreign minister welcomed Clinton’s visit and the U.S. commitment to help develop Pakistan’s democratic institutions, saying, “That message is a powerful message for the people of Pakistan.”

In a separate statement October 28, Clinton also condemned an attack claimed by Afghanistan’s Taliban on a United Nations guest house in Kabul that killed six U.N. employees, including one American, and three members of the Afghan national security forces.

“The United States remains steadfast in its support for the United Nations and its vital work to help the Afghan people build a better future. We remain firm in our commitment to Afghanistan and the Afghan people and to working with the Afghans to conclude their presidential election process,” she said.

CLEARING UP MISUNDERSTANDINGS

In remarks before her arrival in Pakistan, Clinton addressed misunderstandings over a $7.5 billion nonmilitary assistance bill passed by the U.S. Congress, known as the Kerry-Lugar bill, which was intended to provide “more help than has ever been offered to Pakistan on the civilian side.” She said there has been “misinformation” over what the legislation requires from Pakistan.

In an interview with Sami Abraham of Geo TV on October 26, before she left for Pakistan, Clinton said “there are no conditions on Pakistan” imposed by the bill. “There are conditions that we place on ourselves,” she said, which are the same as for other U.S. assistance programs in place around the world.

“We have an obligation to the American taxpayer because in effect, we’re saying to people who live and work in Chicago or in Los Angeles, you have to help us to help Pakistan. And so we do have a reimbursement accountability schedule which we use with everyone around the world,” she said.

Both the United States and Pakistan “have governments with bureaucracies,” the secretary said, and “they’re not the easiest things to move and make do what they should do. But we are very committed to this relationship.”

En route to Islamabad October 27, Clinton told reporters that the Obama administration is trying to turn a page in the U.S. relationship with Pakistan from “what has been in the last several years primarily a security anti-terrorist agenda” to a much broader engagement.

The United States recognizes that, like everyone else, the Pakistani people “want good jobs, they want to improve their incomes and their livelihoods, they want reliable electricity and energy so that they can maintain commercial enterprises and avoid the regular disruption of their electricity supply. They want education. They want health care,” she said.

There are misperceptions and misunderstandings existing not only between the two governments, but also between the Pakistani and American peoples. Clinton said it is important for Americans and others “to recognize the high price that the Pakistanis are paying” in taking a stand against violent extremism.

She told Anwar Iqbal of Pakistan’s Dawn TV on October 26 that for their part, Americans have a “generosity of spirit” and have sent troops to protect Muslim lives on many occasions over the past 15 years.

“We believe strongly that Islam is an extraordinary religion that deserves the support and the protection that should come with people being able to stand up and say ‘I’m a proud Muslim and I’m a proud Pakistani and I am in favor of peace and coexistence.’ … We can’t leave the arena to the extremists who intimidate and oppress people,” she said.

That type of sentiment is “hard to convey through the screen of everything that’s going on in the world today,” and unfortunately, unlike conflicts and disagreements, “that kind of everyday experience doesn’t make headlines.”

“Let’s narrow the area of difference so that we can see how much more we have in common,” she told Dawn TV. “That will begin to dissipate the fear.”

Transcripts of Clinton’s interview with Dawn TV, interview with Geo TV, and briefing en route to Pakistan are available on America.gov.

For more on Clinton’s trip to Pakistan, see South & Central Asia on America.gov.