Pakistan on its 64th year

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Iftikhar Hussain Kazmi greets the 64th national day of his country today with high spirits. The photo story that came out in the papers recently about a cricket team from India hopping over to Pakistan for a tournament is a good development in view of the bitter conflict between the two countries.

As in several cases, efforts have been made to defuse the tension between the protagonists in the dispute over Kashmir, a province Pakistan claims belongs to it but which India is reported to have taken over for its own, and in this case, the friendly athletic match is "a confidence-building measure", the ambassador told this columnist over lunch in a plush restaurant in Makati.

One will recall that the two countries of Pakistan and India were created by decision of the British government, thus giving independence to Pakistan on August 14, 1947, and to India, on August 15 of the same year.

The long drawn-out dispute, reported killings and rigged elections are for the countries to resolve, not this column, but let‚s allow the Pakistani ambassador, who arrived in Manila on September 11, 2002, to say that "a military solution to the Kashmir dispute . . . has failed. We want to give peace a chance in order to resolve the problem by negotiation and dialogue".

"The problem is not a territorial dispute," he said, "but a human problem. It‚s a problem of fundamental freedom and human rights of the people." Affected in the disputed area are not Pakistanis, but Kashmiris, with their own direct language, history and culture, he added.

He spoke glowingly of the Pakistan people’s willingness to make sacrifices after they got their independence. "In 1947, we were very poor, although we were very rich in resources. In some areas, there was no water. We are still developing irrigation systems. But with sacrifices, our quality of life is higher than a large number of countries."

With his government launching an anti-poverty program, with help from the International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, Pakistan boasts of a per capita income of $700 a year. There are also highly developed places, including infrastructures, and shopping districts..

As to combating international terrorism, Mr. Kazmi said Pakistan "took the principled decision to be a front-line country in the fight against international terrorism. We joined the Coalition of the Willing. Our position is that terrorism is a very dangerous threat that undermines peace and security in the world." Since September 11, Pakistan forces have arrested more than 500 al-Qaeda terrorists – a mix of Arabs, Afghans, and Pakistanis.

On his country’s having nuclear facilities, the ambassador said these are necessary "to deter aggression" from his country’s enemies. Russia is not en enemy, he said. "We have a strong relationship now with Russia, we have buried the past."

Pakistan’s politics is an interesting exercise like ours. The election of Madame Benazir Bhutto as the first woman prime minister of Pakistan was cheered by women advocates around the world. I had the fortune of listening to her talk about women’s rights – including improving the rights of Muslim women – at the Fourth World Conference for Women in Beijing in 2000. Unfortunately, she has been replaced, charged with graft and corruption, and now lives in exile in another country.

Mr. Kazmi attended the University of Punjab in Lahore for his bachelor of science (with honors) and master’s degree. He has held diplomatic assignments in Jeddah, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, and Bonn, and served as minister and deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing.

He expressed appreciation for the Filipino people, and said that 98 per cent of Pakistanis are Muslims who are "pragmatic, open and friendly, and can integrate with other people easily".

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