Panel to discuss politics in Pakistan

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The last time Rauf Arif was in Pakistan, in 2007, peace was relatively commonplace.

Arif, Islamabad, Pakistan, graduate student, said that in the two years he had been in the United States, violence had rapidly descended upon his home country and showed no signs of letting up.

“I am afraid to go home,” Arif said, “I fear for my family every day.”

This afternoon a panel of experts, including Arif, will discuss the situation in Pakistan and some possible solutions to ensure future stability in the region.

“Students need to know what’s going on because it will affect everybody in the future,” Arif said. “The Middle East can’t achieve stability without Pakistan.”

International Program: Pakistan Panel III: Internal Crisis/External Impact

Date: April 01, 2009

Time: 03:30PM - 05:00PM

Location: Kansas Union, Jayhawk Room

Speakers will be Rauf Arif, Fulbright journalism graduate student from Pakistan; Associate Professor Bill Lambert, Department of Joint, Interagency and Multinational Operations, Fort Leavenworth; Col. Tom Wilhelm, director, Foreign Military Studies Ft. Leavenworth; and Dr. Rose Greaves, professor emeritus of history

Hodgie Bricke, assistant vice provost for International Programs, said the panel was a continuation of previous panels on Pakistan because of how quickly the political situation was unraveling. The first panel dealt with former military leader Pervez Musharraf and the second with the establishment of the new government.

Bricke said International Programs decided to host a third panel in light of the violence that had been increasing since last year’s death of Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister and someone who many Pakistanis thought could bring peace.

President Obama has drafted new policies to help achieve stability in Pakistan, and The New York Times said a special envoy visited both Afghanistan and Pakistan last Friday to solidify relationships with both.

Rose Greaves, retired history professor, said the problem areas were along the northwestern border with Afghanistan. It is a semi-autonomous region ruled by tribal law and largely uncontrolled by the central government. She said its porous borders allowed the area to become a breeding ground for insurgent groups and also made smuggling drugs and weapons easier.

“We are not winning the war against terror in these areas,” Arif said.

With President Obama’s military focus shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan in the coming months, Bricke said students should be aware of the situation in Pakistan.

“You can’t deal with Afghanistan without taking into account Pakistan,” she said.

The speed at which Pakistan is descending into chaos was one thing Arif said made him fear for his family. He said that he was afraid of what he would return home to, and that the country would be something he didn’t remember.

Greaves will be participating in today’s panel and said she hoped to bring light to the history of the country. Greaves has studied Pakistan most of her life and visited at least once a year from 1982 to 1999. She said there were beautiful valleys and places she once visited that she wouldn’t dare venture into now.

“Americans especially wouldn’t be very welcome along the northwestern frontier because of all the violence,” Greaves said.

Along with Greaves and Arif, the panel will consist of military professors from Ft. Leavenworth who will provide perspectives from the military and discuss diplomatic problems.

— — Edited by Chris Horn

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