Speeches
Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter on U.S.-Pakistan Relations at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad
April 11, 2011
Islamabad, April 11, 2011 - U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.
As Delivered
Ladies and gentlemen, it's truly a pleasure to be here today and to speak at the Institute of Strategic Studies. I'm especially grateful to thank Ambassador Qazi for that great introduction. An introduction that did what has happened in so many of the meetings that I've had in my time in Pakistan; told it like it was, told it directly, told it with all of the details and the problems, and yet with all of the hopes that we have in this relationship. And he encapsulates in many ways my optimism about the relationship. The optimism of people who can speak openly with one another, the people who are very up front and well informed about the tasks they face. That is to say, those people who can have a friendship based on openness and based on respect. That's what we've come to know from him in our time with him, and from this institution.
I want to talk to you all today about our partnership. America and Pakistan need to work together on a number of common issues, and we have many. I want to say, from the start, how important it is that we do so, because it remains vital for us both to see progress in Pakistan and in the region, in the interest of peace, stability, and prosperity of Pakistan and its neighbors. We don't see Pakistan simply as a problem alone, we see it in the context, as I'm sure the Pakistanis do as well. This is a region that is key for you, it is key for us. In all these areas what we want to see in the relationship of the United States with Pakistan, and in the relationship of Pakistan with its neighbors, we want to see renewal. We want to see renewal of the possibility and the hopes that we worked on, all of us, many of you, for all these many years.
Why renewal? Why do I talk about renewal today? It's because as Ambassador Qazi has said, we've had some difficult days in the recent past. But I'm here today to talk about the opportunities of the future, not these problems of the past. Those problems were acute in recent months, symbolized by the case of Raymond Davis. I want to repeat, once again, my own sorrow over the tragic events in Lahore in January, and my respect for the Pakistani law under which the case was resolved. In the ensuing weeks, in the time since last January, I believe both sides -- both the elites of this country, but also the people of this country, the elites in the United States and the people in the United States -- have reflected on the importance of our ties, and how we must not let this very regrettable incident stop us as we work together for Pakistan's bright future with America's determined help. Instead, let us look for renewal.
Today I am going to emphasize some of the areas where we have a strong partnership, and our renewed commitment to make it even stronger.
May I begin with a personal note?
This is a great country. I am as delighted to be here today as I was months ago when I first arrived. I believe now, as I believed then, that our countries have a great deal in common: our diversity, our openness, our potential. Just yesterday, in Karachi, I was struck again by the energy and talent of the Pakistani people. Pakistanis are frank with me, Pakistanis are open with me. Pakistanis don't hide their problems, and they don't hide the American problems they see as well. That's the way I like it. That's why I focus on Pakistan, and I truly believe Pakistan's success will be a gift to the entire region.
And when the Ambassador talks about Af-Pak -- yes, that's one of the issues. But I'm here as an Ambassador to Pak, to Pakistan, to the country that we're focused on because we believe it has a bright future and can be a great friend to us.
Let me talk, though, in the region on what I think you've achieved and how important that is to us.
Looking east, Pakistan has made progress with India in a series of meetings that culminated, symbolically, in the recent Cricket match attended by both Prime Ministers that showed the will of both sides to address the key issues that face these countries, close neighbors with a troubled past. We applaud the discussions on both sides, from possibilities of economic development and commercial exchange to security issues. When I travel throughout your great country, I find that those I meet support this effort strongly. So here we go beyond the elites. I'm talking about simple people. I'm talking about business people. I'm talking about the women and the children who I meet in this country. And I've been lucky enough to be able to travel in this country as well. Those who support an opening to India include businessmen who want to take advantage of opportunities for cross border trade and investment, students who want to see an opening for great opportunity for study and knowledge, and just common people who hope for the ease to travel to renew family ties or to make new friends. Indeed, we want Pakistan and India to build a strong friendship that will benefit both countries. We believe that we can and should be close friends of both, and that such a friendship between India and Pakistan can be a benefit to the region and the world.
What is our role in this? We are ready to support the agreements that you make, in public and in private. We look to our Pakistani friends, and our Indian friends to take the lead. It is out of our respect for you and your choices that we do so. Let that same respect flourish between the Indians and Pakistanis, India and Pakistan will be a success story that's hard to match. This is something that we strongly support and that we will continue to work on both sides to see as a success.
Looking west, Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy strong relations, the result of great efforts on both sides to find common interests. Just yesterday a meeting of Pakistani, Afghan, and international experts concluded in Islamabad, an update of the so-called Dubai Process, an agreement which over the last couple of years, has worked on concrete, specific projects that enhance cross-border issues. From border crossings to road trade arrangements, officials from both countries are working together to build the basis for a strong relationship between friends whose institutions and economy are, and should be, intertwined now and for years to come. Recent visits by the Prime Minister to Kabul, and Afghanistan's neighbors in Central Asia, only reinforce the Pakistani commitment, one which we support, to regional integration and to common efforts.
For our part, America remains committed to progress in Afghanistan, as outlined in the February 18th speech by Secretary Clinton in New York. In that speech, the Secretary emphasized that we will support Afghanistan in its efforts to achieve peace. And something that, of course, is crucial for the peace in Pakistan. Afghanistan's leadership is central in this effort, and so is Pakistan's commitment to help. We salute Pakistan for this.
America, for its part, is building on the civil and military "surges" of recent months with a diplomatic surge in support of Afghan efforts to achieve reconciliation and promote reintegration there. As the Secretary noted, we will call on the insurgents there to renounce violence, to break ties with terrorists, to accept the Afghan constitution. She noted the key point that women must participate in all stages of this process. We have shared these points with our Pakistani colleagues and we will continue to do so, bilaterally and multilaterally, because of the important role Pakistan can and should play in ensuring peace in the region. Pakistan and the United States have a strong mutual interest in working together towards a stable and peaceful Afghanistan, and we will do so.
This is a partnership that takes effort and care on both sides, one which contributes to peace in the region and stability throughout. That's why we are looking at a series of meetings between your experts and ours, your leaders and ours, in coming days. We need to talk about the issues that matter not only in diplomacy, but in Pakistan's economic development and role in the war on terror. And this requires a strong Pakistan.
Recently I met with a Pakistani opinion leader, a person prominent in business and media, who implied to me that America seeks a weak Pakistan. Nothing could be further from the truth.
All the evidence indicates, instead, that we want to see a strong and stable Pakistan, one in which democratic institutions are effective and transparent, one in which the extraordinary potential of Pakistanis can be unlocked for the benefit of all, and one in which the strength of Pakistan -- its vibrant culture and diversity -- serves as a symbol of success.
America has supported a great variety of programs to make this vision of a strong Pakistan a reality. Where has this happened? Ask the Lady Health Workers of the Sindh province who, through our public health efforts, bring health care to women who otherwise might not receive it. Ask the young students of Balochistan who receive our support for their studies in universities so that they can build a better future for their country. Ask the farmers of KPK who, in the aftermath of the 2010 floods, received seeds from the United States government to plant the winter crop after everything had been washed away; that has now been a bumper crop, and those farmers have a chance to recover from the floods. Ask the students of Karachi who study business in institutions supported by American grants, who will soon learn the skills to be tomorrow's business leaders. Ask the curators at Taxila, guardians of the cultural heritage of Pakistan which Pakistan be so proud of, whose excavations into the rich history of the region are supported by funding from the United States government. Ask the officials of the Pakistani government who in areas of power generation and water management have received support from America to complete dams, maximize electricity generation, and build in the long run to prevent the kind of floods that were so disastrous last year. This list of projects goes on and on.
And here's where I take issue a little bit with the Ambassador. These are not just elites, these are not just institutions. These are people-to-people projects. The more time I spend outside Islamabad, the more time I see the impact this has on people. People who are working with one another, people who are developing the kind of respect and professional expertise that will make Pakistan a success in the long run.
It's a list we have worked out with our friends from the government of Pakistan focusing on priorities like energy, education, economic growth; responsive to the needs of immediate challenges like floods but also to the long-term sustainability of our efforts. These are activities, and this is our expenditure which we are happy to spend, to strengthen Pakistan, to help the Pakistani people, not to weaken Pakistan. We are committed to working together in partnership with Pakistan in the short, medium, and long term for a strong and successful country.
Let me give you another personal example. I repeatedly run into graduates of American universities throughout your country -- in business, in government, and in fact I think many of you here in this impressive group here at ISS. In general, they are leaders. American education has given them the opportunity to use their talents to succeed. Now, most of these people who studied in America did so when our program was smaller than it is now, when it was much more modest. Today we have a Fulbright program and other educational programs that are the largest in the world. Larger than what we have with China. Larger than what we had in Russia. Larger than what we have in India. The largest Fulbright program in the world. This is our commitment not only to today in Pakistan. This is our commitment to years from now in Pakistan. It's more recipients from Pakistan than any other country anywhere, which means those educated in America now, multiply them by five or ten, and that's what you will have in twenty years. The results of our scholarships will be felt not only today and tomorrow, but twenty years from now. This is not transactional. This is not immediate. This is a long term commitment to your bright future and our belief in your bright future and the ties between our two countries.
We are in constant dialogue with our Pakistani colleagues to improve this effort at the federal level and increasingly at the provincial and local level, through a mix of government and private programs, hoping to build the capacity of Pakistani officials and support civil society where we can. All of this is intended to build a strong Pakistan with trustworthy institutions and a broad array of alternatives.
But a strong Pakistan is not just a matter of civil assistance. We support a strong Pakistan as a partner in fighting terrorism. We support the Pakistani military and law enforcement authorities in their efforts to keep Pakistanis safe. The Pakistani military has made great sacrifices in recent years, losing thousands of soldiers and committing to tough battles against terrorists in the northwest. We salute their efforts and their sacrifices, and we commend their successes in the battles against the insurgents.
The terrorists target Pakistani society, make no mistake. We are horrified, as are you, that they send fourteen-year-old boys on suicide missions against Sufi shrines, attacking places of worship. These are attacks on the traditions of Pakistan, attacks on us all. Attacks on the traditions clearly established by the Qaid-i-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, that call for tolerance and harmony, the kind of tolerance and harmony that Pakistan so needs. Our commitment to work with you remains strong, our admiration for the courage of your soldiers is high, and our sorrow at your losses is profound.
This, my friends, is the relationship of America and Pakistan. These are shared values, shared efforts to build a better future, shared commitment to strength at home and good relations abroad. This is a future that I am optimistic about -- more optimistic than when I arrived a few months ago because I've learned what the Pakistani people can do. I've seen the potential, especially in the youth of this country, but in the talent that we have in places like this room.
I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about this, and for the chance to work with you for renewal of that relationship, despite these tough times that we've gone through, because ultimately it will be a fine relationship, a strong relationship, and a partnership that we will all treasure.
Thank you.