Press Releases 2007
Amb. Patterson Sees Imposition Of Emergency As Serious Setback For Democracy
11/09/2007
Islamabad – The U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, spoke
at length at the National Defense University here today and observed
that “Pakistan’s move toward democracy has been seriously set back” by
the events of November 3.
“The United States is urging your
government not to throw away in weeks what it has taken years to
achieve,” the U.S. Ambassador emphasized while speaking on the
U.S.-Pakistan relationship. “Our Embassy and our consulates have tried
to make sure that American business representatives know that Pakistan
is a good place to do business, and I have always highlighted the
enormous economic opportunities which your country offers.”
The
senior American diplomat said that Pakistan’s economic progress,
particularly the seven per cent annual economic growth, has been one of
the greatest accomplishments of President Musharraf’s administration.
“The
November 3 imposition of state of emergency put this economic growth of
Pakistan and upward mobility at risk. This is an ominous development,”
Ambassador Patterson.
The topmost American diplomat said
anecdotal evidence indicates that American investors “have adopted a
wait and see attitude now,” adding that the longer the
extra-constitutional measures stay in place, the greater the long-term
damage to Pakistan’s economy.
Ambassador Patterson urged that
for the elections to be credible, the government must release
opposition party leaders and workers from jail or house arrest, and the
media must be free to report on events and criticize the government.
“One
of President Musharraf’s greatest achievements was the flowering of a
free and vibrant media. There is no way to put this genie back in the
bottle by cutting off the media now,” the U.S. Ambassador noted.
“Our
bilateral relationship now encompasses a broad range of shared
interests that go beyond security,” Ambassador Patterson said,
repudiating as “untrue and a distraction from the problems that
confront both countries” the oft-repeated assertion that “America is an
undependable ally to Pakistan.
Saying that “Pakistan’s fight
against terrorism is also the world’s fight against terrorism,” the
Ambassador expressed her astonishment over claims that “Pakistan is
fighting America’s war.” She urged, “Pakistan must tackle the
extremists and militants operating within its borders to continue its
economic progress and protect the right of the Pakistani people to
choose how they live their lives.”