WASHINGTON: The United States has officially responded over the issue ofthe anti Pakistan campaign in the US cities that has drawn ire of Pakistanigovernment as Pakistan believes that Indian agencies may be behind suchcampaign to malign Pakistan internationally.
US has assured Pakistan that it does not support any group threatening thecountry’s territorial integrity, a traditional US position re-emphasisedfollowing a recent advertising campaign targeting Islamabad.
“We took it up with the State Department and they assured us that theycontinue to support Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity asstrongly as they always have,” said Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington,Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary.
He noted that during a recent visit to Islamabad, US Assistant Secretary ofState Alice Wells gave a similar assurance to Pakistani officials, tellingthem that the “US considers Pakistan’s enemy as its own enemy”.
The ambassador said that some “negative posters and billboards” hadappeared in New York, including some on cabs and were removed when Pakistanprotested. Similar signs appeared on a few cabs in Washington, “but onlyfor a short while”, he added.
Pakistan reacted strongly to the campaign, raising it with the StateDepartment as well as with other US government agencies that assuredPakistan that the groups behind these campaigns had no support from any USagency. They were using the space provided by US freedom of expression lawsto propagate their views, US officials added.
‘FreeKarachi’ media drive under way in America
Similar advertisements had appeared in London and Geneva and Pakistan wasable to get them removed.
Ambassador Chaudhary said people behind such campaigns had “no support, novoice”, either in Pakistan or abroad. “But there are unknown hands behindit, having their own agenda,” he said.
“[These] forces [are] not in this country [the United States] but linked toour eastern neighbours, as we saw in the recent past,” said Mr Chaudharywhen asked to identify the hidden hand.
The ambassador pointed out that Balochistan had an elected government andthere had been “unprecedented economic development” in the province, which“exposes the hollowness of the propaganda” conducted by these tiny groupson outside encouragement.
But a recent, anti-establishment campaign shows that the ongoing tensionbetween the United States and Pakistan has created new space for suchgroups, who are now putting up billboards, posters and newspaper ads toproject their views.
The campaign began with “Free Balochistan” signs on a number of yellowtaxicabs — 100 according to the World Baloch Organisation — in New Yorklast month. And it came to the US capital this week when “FreeKarachi”signs appeared on some Washington cabs.
On Thursday, a local newspaper — the Washington Times — distributed a wrapwith its regular edition, repeating the demand for a “Free Karachi”.
The “Free Balochistan” campaign, which came to US cities from London andGeneva, was handled by a private advertising agency called Clear ChannelOutdoor. But it’s not clear if the agency is also involved in the Karachicampaign.
“It’s very disturbing. Obviously, hiring a mainstream advertising agencyrequires a lot of money and somebody is providing that money,” said M. Ali,a Pakistani-American businessman who has been involved in charity campaigns.
“Charities are fine. But turning political grievances into a commercialcampaign is dangerous. Anyone with funds can start a campaign. There’s noend to it,” he said. “There are many financers with grievances againstvarious states.”
The advertising agency, when contacted by Dawn, refused to respond.
A press release from the so-called Free Karachi campaign claimed thatNadeem Nusrat, the US-based former convener of the Muttahida QaumiMovement-London is the main spokesperson for this campaign.
The group said it launched the campaign on Jan 15, when America observesthe Martin Luther King Jr Day, to link it with the human rights champion.
The Washington Times wrap called for ending disappearances of politicalactivists and alleged abuses of human rights in Pakistan. It also demandedjustice for Prof Hasan Zafar Arif, identifying him as an MQM leader.
Talking to Pakistani journalists in New York, Nusrat said they were notdemanding Karachi’s separation from the Pakistani state. “The campaign isagainst atrocities and abuses,” he claimed.
“We want this campaign of terror — not just against Muhajirs but [also]against the Baloch, Sindhis and other ethnic and religious minorities — toend.”