US legislators regret NATO airstrike, want to rebuild ties

Pakistan

US legislators regret NATO airstrike, want to rebuild ties

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US legislators have stressed the need to resolve differences with Pakistan after NATO airstrikes.

07 December,2011 03:06 pm

While addressing a symposium organised by the Association of Pakistani Physicians in North America (APPNA) at Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Congressman Dennis Kucinich said relationship with Pakistan is critical for US and there are so many issues we need to work on together.We need to apologise to Pakistan for the tragic airstrike on airstrike and NATO must pay compensation to aggrieved families of soldiers, he said adding that it is not just about Americas national security but the security of Pakistanis as well because 24 soldiers have died.Kucinich also called for abolishing NATO because it is creating problems and is not needed anymore after the cold war. He regretted that the airstrike had put important relationship of US with Pakistan at risk.Congresswoman Sheila Jackson, who also chairs Pakistan caucus in Congress, offered sympathy for the loss of lives of Pakistani soldiers and reassured Pakistan of full investigation. US-Pak relationship is stronger than this and should not be affected by this heavy burden, she stressed.We should not allow our relationship to fall on the tracks of trashy diplomacy, because it will not be good for both countries, she opined adding that Pakistani community could play a strong role in bridging these differences.Senator Bob Casey said taht relationship with Pakistan has to work, because there is no other option. Even if it is a very limited relationship, which I would not want it to be, we have to remain engaged, he suggested. We must figure out common understanding on strategic issues in a critical but very important relationship, he argued.Senator Claire McCaskill oped that the Pakistani-American community could help US fix the relationship with Pakistan. We give importance to Pakistan and need it as an ally. We need to move forward and work together with Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, she said.There are internal challenges in Pakistan with the military and civilian government. We cant imagine how hard and tricky this relationship has become. There is a need to step up and help this relationship at a precarious time, she opined.Director Pakistan office of the US state department, Tim Linderking, termed the relationship with Pakistan as difficult but important, which is in a crisis moment. We are trying to engage with Pakistan in a more respectable and productive way and need guidance of Pakistani-American community in doing so, he stated.Nov 26 airstrike was a terrible incident and leadership all across US has reached out to Pakistan with messages of condolences. Loss of lives of soldiers serving in extremely dangerous environment is felt very painfully by US, he said echoing the sentiments already expressed by the top American leadership.We want Pakistan to work with us because Haqqani network and Taliban keep surging in Afghanistan. Things like this will keep happening unfortunately in a violent environment but it is not an excuse, Tim said urging the need to move from the state of crisis in relationship with Pakistan towards calmer waters.Former speaker and current minority leader of Congress, Nancy Pelosi and Muslim Congressman Keith Allison were amongst more than 20 legiuslators, who spoke on the occasion and urged the need to resolve differences with Pakistan as there was no other option for both countries in the lonfer run.The legislators also lent their support for resolving the issues pertaining to delaying of visa on the grounds of security-check, which had put careers of several young and aspiring Pakistani doctors in jeopardy and their numbers were constantly on the decline after 9/11.President APPNA, Dr Manzoor Tariq, said that around 150 or more doctors were coming to US for residency till 1999 but the number has shrinked to 93 last year. This is in stark contrast to the doctors coming from India and other countries, whose number has doubled in the same period.The state department and the department of homeland security were responsible for delaying visas, and the situation has reached a stage where the directors of hospitals have started losing interest in the applications of Pakistani doctors fearing that they will not be able to make the session intime, Dr. Tariq regretted.He said that APPNA, with its 17,000 strong membership presence across the US, was trying to apprise the US legislators of the gravity of the situationa nd seek their help for troubleshooting it. Several legislators, on the occasion, also pledged to sign a letter that will be sent by APPNA to the state department deamnding a solution of this problem.Contributed by Awais Saleem, Washington, DC correspondent of Dunya News