The United States believes Pakistan has the potential of becoming a world leader and wants to help it in these testing times as the country is facing a number of serious threats in the wake of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s killing, argued US Consul General in Karachi, William Martin, on Thursday at a workshop organised by the US Consulate General in Karachi in collaboration with the Karachi Press Club.
The workshop, English Language Communication & Writing Skills Development Training, had been organised at the newly-inaugurated US Consulate on the Mai Kolachi Road in connection with the World Press Freedom Day. Some 30 print and electronic journalists participated in the two-day workshop, with renowned English language trainer and US English Language Fellow Gretchen B. Coppedge conducting the final session on Thursday.
“When the US forces launched the Abbottabad operation, al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was present inside the house and he was certainly killed. But no photos or video footage have been released as they are disturbing images,” Martin said, adding that US President Barack Obama had already confirmed to the world that bin Laden was killed. Martin said that bin Laden was everyone’s common enemy, especially of the US and of Pakistan, and his killing is better not only for the US but also for Pakistan.
“I hope that after bin Laden’s killing, the world will witness peace,” he said. When asked about the dichotomy in US policy vis-à-vis helping Pakistanis by arranging special workshops and other missions on one hand, but on the other carrying out drone attacks that challenge the sovereignty of Pakistan, Martin termed this a “misunderstanding.”
“Once again, I say that it is nothing but a misunderstanding. I personally feel that we all have common threats, and Pakistan is especially suffering from these threats,” he said. When asked about the veracity of claims that visa sections in different consulates had been shutdown for security reasons, he rejected the assumptions and said that the visa section in the US Consulate was open and working as usual.
“Bin Laden’s killing has not disturbed any consulate, and US aid agencies in Sindh and Balochistan have been working as per routine,” he said. But security of the Americans has been a concern of Pakistani authorities: following the killing of bin Laden, authorities blocked one side of the Mai Kolachi Bypass – the portion that runs along the boundary wall of the US Consulate. When asked if the Mai Kolachi Bypass will be closed permanently like Abdullah Haroon Road, where the old Consulate building was situated, Martin said that he was not aware of such happening.
“Pakistani authorities and police have closed that portion of the Mai Kolachi Bypass, not the US Consulate, and I have no idea how long they will keep this road shut,” Martin told Pakistan Today. Information Officer at the US Consulate in Karachi, Andrea De Arment Andie, said that journalists play a vital role in society, and such training workshops are necessary to enhance their journalistic skills. “This is the beginning, and we are planning several workshops for media persons in Sindh and Balochistan.
This one was planned to highlight the importance of and to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day, and we are sure that such programs will help journalists to enhance their skills,” Andie said.
