Reaffirming US support to Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday called on Pakistani-Americans to help foster greater understanding between the two countries and contribute to the South Asian country's stability as well as its social and economic development.
In a speech at the inaugural dinner of the newly established American Pakistan Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the social and economic condition of Pakistani people, Clinton said, Pakistan needs to build up democracy, while confronting the Taliban and al Qaeda.
But she acknowledged that there was a trust deficit between the two countries. "During my October trip, I experienced the scepticism felt by many in Pakistan about America's motives and commitment," she told a large gathering of Pakistani-Americans in a posh New York restaurant.
"This trust deficit holds us back from working together as well as we could and as well as we must," the top US diplomat said, and urged Pakistani-Americans to help close that gap, "We have to work hard and we have to help our friends in Pakistan... you are poised to forge new connections to be unofficial ambassadors between our countries", she said.
"As donors, you convey the generosity and sense of solidarity that the American people feel with Pakistan. As advocates, you can help the American Government identify how we can best meet the needs of the Pakistani people, and then tell us whether we are succeeding or not.
"And as unofficial ambassadors, you can help people in both nations see through the misconceptions, the stereotypes that obscure our relationship, recognise that underneath our differences, there is so much that we share and so much we can accomplish together," she added.
The secretary of state said the work of American Pakistan Foundation, which will raise funds for the organisation, can go far to ease the burdens of many Pakistanis as their government battles the militants and strengthens its own economy and institutions.
The United States, she said, plans to focus future additional aid on energy, transportation, agriculture, water and education. But the work that needs to be done in Pakistan, beyond aid to bolster the economy and military operations against Taliban, can't be done by governments alone, she said.
"Initiatives like these can help lighten the burdens that too many Pakistani families are now struggling to lift on their own." Earlier, Dr Nafis Sadik, a special adviser to the United Nations Secretary General who is the foundation's chairperson, said having Clinton's support will help the organisation raise the funds needed to enhance social development in Pakistan.
She said the foundation comes about at a crucial time. "There is a certain amount of mistrust between the US and the Pakistani public." The new organisation is the result of a meeting in May 2009 in New York at the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Dr Sadik said the group will enlist the help of the Pakistani diaspora and pursue financial support from corporations and individuals to build partnerships on the ground in Pakistan. One of the first tasks, she said, will be to seek out organisations in Pakistan to partner with that have good records and whose operations are transparent.
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Moeen Qureshi are honorary co-chairmen of the group. Both leaders spoke at the dinner, which was attended by some 500 people, saying the foundation had great potential to help the Pakistani people. Among those present were US Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani and Pakistan's UN Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon.
Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York City, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, the co-chair of Friends of Pakistan also participated. In his speech, Mrs Clinton said, "As we look around this room and we see the extraordinary turnout, I want to say to you that this is a network of the some smartest, most successful people in the United States.
And we need not just your very generous contribution, but your ideas about what we can do better. "To achieve the long term progress that Pakistan seeks and deserves, we must go further in two areas: helping Pakistan to strengthen its democratic institutions and improve security by defeating the extremist groups who are waging a campaign of violence against Pakistan and threaten stability in South Asia and beyond."
She noted that Pakistan's military had taken on Taliban groups inside the country, but not militants using Pakistan as a rear base to attack US-led Nato troops in Afghanistan. "There are other terrorist groups who have set up camp in Pakistan, where they are plotting global attacks and waging war against the troops from 42 nations. in Afghanistan," she said. "Pakistan has a critical role and an abiding interest in helping this international effort," she said.
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