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Pakistan’s image discussed at Washington conference

WASHINGTON: A conference on Pakistan’s image abroad heard from a variety of speakers, ranging from one who thought that the marketing of a flawed product was difficult, to another who asserted that the Muslim world was convinced that the war on terrorism was actually a war on Islam and Muslims.

The conference – Branding Pakistan – what is Pakistan’s image? – was organised by the Association of Pakistani Professionals and the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University. The speakers’ panel was made up of Pamela Constable of the Washington Post, Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation, Ken Ballen of Terror Free Tomorrow, Bill Black, a public rations consultant and Asad Naqvi, a business entrepreneur.

Ballen said since 9/11, the Muslim world is convinced that the real enemy in the war on terrorism is Islam. He said this sentiment is common to all Muslim countries, as a large number of surveys have revealed. He called President Bush’s “unfortunate” use of the word “crusade” in the wake of 9/11 as having stamped the impression on Muslim minds that the US is at war with Islam. On the other hand, many in the US feel that the Muslim world wants to “get at” the United States and associate Islam with terrorism. He said most Americans believe that Osama Bin Laden is in Pakistan.

Constable told the conference that Pakistan is a complicated country with a “multiplicity of brands”. She said Pakistan’s greatest strength is its diversity but Pakistan also suffers from a “domestic schizophrenia”. Pakistan, she emphasised, has “extraordinary potential”. She praised the hospitality Pakistanis show to foreigners but to earn their respect, foreigners have to respect their culture, she stressed. Pakistan, she said, has produced terrorists, but it has also produced poets, artists and politicians. Pakistan, in short, has a lot to offer. Pakistan’s image was high immediately after 9/11 but since then it has gone down considerably. In the war on terrorism, Pakistan has exhibited highs and lows. At times, the government has done a lot, while at other times is has done little and therein lies Pakistan’s “inconsistency”. She said the resurgence of extremism is a cause for worry both for the region as well as Pakistan.

She also spoke of the “love-hate” relationship between Pakistan and the US, while pointing out that everybody wants to come to America, as long queues of visa applicants outside the US embassy show. She said Pakistan and Pakistanis have a “chip on their shoulder” vis-à-vis the United States. A great deal of Pakistani “schizophrenia,” according to her, is to be attributed to Pakistan’s obsession with India. There is also a “fundamental distrust” among Pakistanis of the US. In the end, everyone, she suggested, has to do something about these negative perceptions. She said some of the practices, such as treatment and control of women, that have been associated with Islam, are actually cultural hang-ups and must not be made the basis of judging Islam, or Pakistan, which, she repeated, is an extremely diverse country.

Constable admitted that because of lack of space, time and commercial pressures, the coverage of Pakistan in US media tends to be “tele-centric”. Even newspapers are no longer in a position to offer the space and the treatment they used to reserve for in-depth analysis, which makes it difficult to convey or communicate “nuances”. She felt that after the present “moment of obsession” with terrorism is past, Pakistan and the US may be able to form a long-term, stable relationship.

Curtis, who lived and worked in Pakistan at the US embassy for two years, said that there is a “genuine hunger” in Pakistan for democracy. She also urged Pakistani-Americans to involve themselves in the ongoing debate within Islam on a number of issues. She stressed that the United States has no choice other than to establish a long-term relationship with Pakistan. She noted that there are differences between the two states on security issues. The US thinks the Taliban are being protected in Pakistan, while Pakistan thinks it can live with the Taliban.

The Pakistani entrepreneur, Asad Naqvi, narrated how after he had shown around a group of American business associates around Pakistan, including the picturesque Northern Areas, they received a very negative briefing about Pakistan from a US embassy woman diplomat, to whom one of the American businessmen said after she had finished speaking, “Ma’am, you need to get out more.” khalid hasan

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