A Stimulating Evening
with Ambassador Karamat
By Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui
Los Angeles: A singular demonstration
of community unity was in evidence at the Hilton Los Angeles
Airport Hotel on March 13 when members of the Council of
Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA) hosted a reception in
honor of Ambassador Jehangir Karamat.
A COPAA announcement about the event had promised a “stimulating
evening” in store for prospective attendees. The crowd
that came to attend the reception was not disappointed.
The evening did turn out to be stimulating with a lively
question-and-answer session enlivening the proceedings after
a number of scintillating speeches.
Gracing the occasion were popular community members besides
a large number of distinguished non-Pakistani officials.
They included: Mr. Keith Atkinson, Director, The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Mr. and Mrs. Terry
Buchanan, community leaders; Mr. Richard Eldred; Rabbi Alan
Freeling, Executive Director, Human Relations Commission,
City of LA; Mr. Paul Greene, community leader; Mr. Jason
Hamlin, Ministries International, Elder and Mrs. Randall
Huff, Area Authority, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints; Mayor Sukhee Kang, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Irvine,
CA; Major Adil Mujtaba, President Pakistani American Veterans
Association; Dr. Maria Rochart, Chairperson, Glendale Commission
for Women & Children; Bishop and Mrs. Tom Thorkelson,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Councilman
Antonio Villaraigosa, Council member, 14th District City
of LA.
Glimpses of COPAA ’s stimulating
evening with Ambassador Jehagir Karamat
In his welcome remarks, Mr Hamid Malik, President, COPAA,
thanked Ambassador Jehangir Karamat “for taking the
time to visit the community in the Greater Los Angeles Area.”
He also defined the goals of COPAA:
“Participate in the US political process through an
organized community effort.
“Our community makes a significant contribution to
the American society. We need to ensure that the overall
society understands this contribution.
“Be the eyes and ears for our community. Be pro-active
on issues that affect us. We need to take action before
it becomes too late.
“Work with other minorities and other religious faiths
to promote a better understanding of our community. We have
a lot in common with other faiths, religions and minorities.
Let us start to work on what unites us all. What we have
in common should become the foundation for building a society
that cares for all and leaves no one behind.
“Build our community of tomorrow on the foundations
of our strengths and our common beliefs.
“I would also like to see our community helping each
other like one big family….
“America is a great society and a great country. Let
us not forget that our community adds to this greatness.
We must continue to work for the greatness of this country…
“COPAA has accomplished a lot, but a lot more remains
to be done. COPAA seeks your help, your support and your
involvement in the organization. It is by working together
that we can move mountains. “ Before concluding, Mr.
Malik urged the community members to support the Pakistani
American Liaison Center (PAL-C) which has established a
Congressional Pakistan Caucus at the US House of Representatives.
In his address, Ambassador Jehangir Karamat touched on a
number of issues that have a close bearing on the life of
the Pakistani-American community. At the outset, he paid
glowing tributes to the community: “You are extremely
high achievers…, made a life for yourself here…,
you have strength as a community…” He also assured
the gathering that the Embassy would do its utmost to redress
community problems with the solemn declaration, “Your
problems are our problems and we will resolve them.”
Complimenting Consul General Noor Mohammad Jadmani for his
his zest in fulfilling multifarious responsibilites, Ambassador
Karamat spelled out a number of well-meaning initiatives
that have been taken in Washington to achieve a qualitative
improvement in the Embassy’s day-to-day working. Ninety
percent of consular work is now done through mail and people
don’t have to come to the Embassy. The Embassy also
maintains a regular rapport with the community across the
length and breadth of the United States through its mass
email system. Its website too is becoming increasingly popular.
The Ambassador referred to the Embassy’s successes
following the formation of the Pakistan Congressional Caucus
in Washington. Besides, he mentioned several initiatives
taken by the Embassy to testify to a quantum change in its
working. An ‘Internship Program’ has been launched.
The interns are groomed as prospective leaders and accompany
Embassy officials to various meetings held at the Hill with
Congressmen. They draft minutes, undertake research, and
study important issues relating to US-Pakistan ties.
Following the Internship Program, the Embassy has launched
PSA - a national organization of Pakistan students associations
- that meets periodically.
In this regard he asked the community members to “reach
out and tell us if you have any ideas.”
About Washington-Islamabad ties, the Ambassador remarked
that “the future is bright for US-Pak relations…The
relationship is resilient and has endured.” He added
that in the post-9/11 period, Pak-US relations were “better
than ever before.” He went on to spolight the many
facets of the relationship: economic, social, and defense-related.
“It was an exciting time to be in the US,” the
Ambassador said as he referred to his tenure of office in
the States. “We would like to move this relationship
from ‘aid to Pakistan’ to ‘trade with
Pakistan,’ ” he said to the spontaneous applause
of the audience. “We would like to have more business
contacts,” he told the receptive gathering.
Ambassador Karamat also highlighted the wholesome changes
that are taking place on several fronts in Pakistan: an
elected government is at the helm with all the trappings
of democracy as the focus shifts to the 2007 elections;
the economy is buoyant and there are several indicators
to testify to this trend - manufacturing is up, growth rate
is on the rise, credit ratings are improving, and Pakistan
is considered an ideal place to invest; the external security
environment has vastly improved with the ongoing dialogue
with India while the internal security situation too has
taken a turn for the better with the arrest of 700 aliens
who were fomenting trouble in different parts of the country.
He quoted figures to dispel misperceptions about madrassahs,
poverty and joblessness in the country. He observed that
the social sectors would require massive investment, sustained
strivings, and time to usher meaningful change.
The Ambassador’s observations were well received by
the community.
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