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| PAKPAC Condemns attack on sites inside Pakistan by ISAF forces US commandos along with ISAF forces attacked so called Al Qaeda target in Pakistan this week in an operation that could signal more intense American efforts to thwart militant attacks in Afghanistan, US officials said. PAKPAC condemns incursion into Angoor Adda by the ISAF forces as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. We urge US & ISAF forces to practice restrain as such acts are un called for and lead to more bitterness amongst Pakistani citizens. |
 PAKPAC Press Releases in Aug
The Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee was shocked to learn about the news of the murder of five women in the province of Baluchistan in Pakistan. The information about these women being buried alive was a shock. Such heinous acts hurts not only the victims and their families but also the Pakistanis and Muslims of the world. The lack of appropriate response and the statements made by some members of the parliament in Pakistan supporting and accepting such actions was nauseating.
Pakistan’s current government need to take complete action to protect all of its citizens. The rights of the women need to be protected at any and every cost. Any such extra judicial measures, which are criminal, need to be evaluated and the perpetrators and supporters of such crimes need to be punished to the maximum after due process.
We are hopeful that the democratically elected leadership will listen to the voices of the people of Pakistan, who ask them for due process and equal treatment that the people in power receive. We also urge the Government of Pakistan to settle and come clean on the issue of the multiple missing people in Pakistan, who have been missing since the Musharraf Government’s time. More on this issue
Archived Press Releases
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 PAKPAC
COMMUNICATIONS
Gustav Gone
PAKPAC members are relieved that destruction from
hurricane Gustav was a minimum. We pray for the people affected by it and hope
that they can return to their homes and daily routine at the earliest. We
approve of US Government's preparedness this time thereby saving lives and
property.
Ramadan Mubarik
PAKPAC wishes its readers Ramadan Mubarik. We pray
for your health and peace on earth. We encourage our readers to conduct
interfaith meetings to educate others about fasting and how to interact with
Muslims during this month.
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 PAKPAC Fund Raisers
PACPAC encourages its members to support and spread the word for the following events Congressman Courtney - Sep 7th Connecticut - More Info Gov. Mark Warner - Sep 26th Virginia- More Info Congressman Keith Ellison - Sep 26th at Dr. Noor Khan's residence in Long Island NY - More info call 516 626 6384 Congressman Keith Ellison - Houston TX; Contact Zafar Tahir at 713 504 0156
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 PAKPAC COMMITTEES
Formation of Endorsement Committee The Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee has created an endorsement committee. The endorsement committee would be involved in evaluating specific races and candidates for assessing the views of the candidates with respect to the issues of concern of the Pakistani-American community.
The issues of concern to the community include the broader civil rights related challenges, the policy which would impact the daily life of Pakistani-American citizens and other immigration related issues, but also a long-term strategy for Pakistan-US relationship. Pakistani American community includes entrepreneurs, small business owners and health care professionals and other professionals as well. Policies which are helpful for the local economy, health care, education with minimum taxation is also important to the community. The accessibility would of the member of the congress and his/her openness towards the community will be weighed in as well. The candidates previous policy decisions and a scorecard with respect to our community would also be kept his perspective before endorsement.
Once the member is endorsed by the committee and the majority of the Board members are in agreement. , further support and strategies would be identified and implemented. PAKPAC endorsement would carry support and outreach to the members of the community in this specific races and outreach will be created to help the supported candidate win. If you are a candidate and interested to be assessed by PAKPAC for endorsement, please send us an e-mail to endorsement@pakpac.net. |
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 Meet the PAKPAC Board of Directors
Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee
Board of Directors
Becoming a PAKPAC Board Member
PAKPAC has more openings for active community members to join in and become Board of Directors.
Write to
Nomination@pakpac.net
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Community Action Needed
Please email, fax, or call your Senator and Representative asking them to support Bill #'s S3263; S 2776, HR 6387 & HR 5882 bills aimed at providing economic assistance to Pakistan. To read the full text of the bill, and add appropriate bill number. Find your Senator or Representative by entering your zip code.
Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act Introduced in US Senate (Bill # S3263)
Sen. Biden & Sen. Lugar introduced a bi-partisan bill number S 3263 in US Senate to provide economic help to Pakistan.
Key highlights of the proposed legislation:
Ø Authorizes $7.5 billion over the next 5 fiscal years ($1.5 billion annually) in non-military aid. Advocates an additional $7.5 billion over the subsequent 5 years
Ø Urges a reorientation of engagement towards the Pakistani people rather than merely towards the Pakistani government (civilian or military).
Ø Non-military aid. The heart of the bill—shifting the center of gravity in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship from military to non-military engagement. The bill authorizes a figure more than triple the current levels of non-military funding.
To insure that the aid reaches the people directly, as much as possible goes directly to projects such as improving the secular educational system, building clinics, drilling wells, reforming police. Some of this money would be used in the border areas, but it would be available for projects throughout Pakistan.
The ten-year timeframe (5 years authorized, 5 years advocated) is intended to address persistent Pakistani fear that the U.S. is interested only in a short-term tactical (and highly transactional) relationship.
Ø The $1.5 billion annual authorization is intended not merely to enable measurable progress, but to signal a serious shift in policy, and provide some insulation from the vagaries of the budgetary process
Ø Expanded engagement with the people of Pakistan. This is a key element of the overall strategy, but must rely on Administration policy implementation rather than on legislation. A deepened and broadened engagement would address issues of concern to the Pakistanis, rather than merely focusing on issues of concern to the U.S. Such topics include trade policy (textile quotas, etc.), visa policy, U.S. agricultural subsidies, U.S. policy in the Middle East, Guantanamo, or Kashmir.
Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (Bill # S 2776 & HR 6387)
Sen. Martin Cantwell & Congressman Chris Van Hollen have introduced the above bills in US Senate and House of Representatives to help reconstruct the war torn area between Afghanistan & Paksitan The bill calls for a private public partnership of the order of $750 million for economic uplift of the area.
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Month's News & Activities
PAKPAC at DNC The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) President, board members supporters and friends participated in the Democratic National Convention in Denver Colorado August 2008.
PAKPAC supported one of our board members who were serving along with his wife as a Delegate from New York, Dr. Mushtaq Sheikh and Bushra Sheikh. Meetings were held with other delegates from different parts of the country including Pakistani American, American Muslim, South Asian American and Asian Pacific American groups of delegates. Some of the PAKPAC members in their personal capacities joined in and supported and helped organize the first ever American Muslim Democratic Caucus meeting at the DNC convention.
Some of these delegates included Mushtaq Sheikh, Bushra Sheikh, Asif Mahmood, Mushir Hassan, Shah Haqqi, Awais Khaleel, Ather Pasha, Rashid Burney, Kamil Hassan, and James Yee among many others. DNC National Standing Committee Members including Mr. AJ Durrani and Mr. Malik Mujahid were also present.
The PAKPAC President Dr. Saud Anwar along with Mr. Zafar Tahir, Mr. Ali Mirza, Mr Umair Khan met with Congressman Andre Carson, Congressman Keith Ellison, Congressman Brad Sherman, Congressman Mike Honda, Congressman Al Green. They met with Governor Bill Richardson of NM, Governor Deval Patrick of MA, Senator Benjamin Cardin or MD and other many other Members of Congress. Meetings were also held with Hollywood Actress and human rights activist and children help ambassador and environment protection educator Ms. Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman fame), Mr. James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute, Justin Aldrich Rockefeller, a political activist and co-founder and National Program Director of Generation Engage and the the youngest son of West Virginia's prominent Senator, Jay Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, and is a fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family. Other meetigns included those with Ambassador of Pakistan to United States Mr Hussain Haqani and Joshua Dubois, Director of Religious Affairs for the Obama Campaign.
Many meetings and discussions were held with many of the other Pakistani American community members, Pakistani American Organization leaders, American Muslim Organization leaders, Indian American organization leaders and Asian Pacific American Community leaders. The PAKPAC board members all had invitations to attend the main events at the Pepsi center and later at the IVESCO Field.
The presence and participation of PAKPAC was a useful step in being present at the main convention with a strong outreach to the various groups and legislators, however with the current needs assessment and comparing ourselves with other similar size or larger size communities our communities participation needs to improve significantly. There is a need for community members to become active politically in their local communities and work within both the parties from within to help them better be educated on our issues of concern both here in the United States and beyond. PAKPAC is encouraging the board members and the larger Pakistani American community members to plan to attend and be an important part of the Republican National Convention as well.
Civil Liberties
Terrorist Watch List Jumbled in Translation
NOBODY likes the way the terrorist watch lists work. Not the federal government, not the airlines, and certainly not the innocent travelers who are flagged and delayed at the airport when an airline finds a match of their name on the federal master list. More
Hate Crime Data Collection Proposal Becomes Law
On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed into law the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, H.R. 4137. This law revises and reauthorizes the Higher Education Act of 1965 which strengthens resources to U.S. colleges and universities and provides financial assistance to students. The law also requires colleges and universities to compile and report data to the U.S. Department of Education regarding campus hate crime incidents. Accurate data on the rates and incidences of hate crimes are needed not only to determine when and where they occur, but also to identify ways to effectively address and prevent them. The need for broader policies addressing crimes and violence against Pakistani Americans is crucial given the increase of incidents perpetrated against the community since 9/11. This bill will help the Pakistani American community members and all other communities who are victims in the colleges of hate and bias incidents and crimes to make sure that they are reported. This is a welcome addition to the bill
Language Access: Lawmakers Consider Various Policies to Overcome Language Barriers
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, over 50% of Bangladeshis, 32% of Pakistanis, and 23% of Indians read, write, speak, or understand English "less than very well." As a result, many South Asians encounter linguistic barriers when attempting to navigate various government entities in the United States, including public benefits offices, health service providers, and the court system. Policies are needed at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure that linguistic ability does not prevent individuals from accessing fundamental services and benefits. Recently, various lawmakers have considered or enacted policies that would permit greater access to such services for those who are limited English proficient.
On July 24, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York and Congressman Mike Honda of California announced the "Strengthening Communities through Education and Integration Act of 2008" (S. 3334) This legislation aims to assist limited English proficient immigrants by: increasing funding towards adult education for English language learners; providing resources for English language learners in schools; and offering incentives to employers who offer English as a Second Language classes for their employees. SAALT has expressed its support for this legislation and encourages community members to call their Senators and Representative to ensure its passage. You can reach your members of Congress by contacting the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 225-3121.
Immigration
PROJECTED NATURALIZATION PROCESSING TIMES
USCIS estimates that Naturalization application times vary from 5 - 15 months depending upon the state. They estimate b y next year maximum processing time will be 10-12 months. For complete state by state info click
House Immigration Subcommittee Passes Visa Recapture Bill (HR 5882)
Due to bureaucratic delays and caps placed on visas, many South Asians wait years to be able to sponsor loves ones for immigration to the United States or to gain green cards through employment-based categories. In fact, Paksitani siblings of U.S. citizens must currently wait 11 years for their green card applications to be processed. In addition, certain skilled workers from South Asia applying for employment-based visas must wait almost seven years.
To alleviate some of these delays, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren from California and Congressman James Sensenbrenner from Wisconsin have sponsored a bill, H.R. 5882, which would allow family and employment-based unused immigrant visas to be applied towards the current visa backlog. It would also ensure that more visas are not wasted in the future. In addition, it would provide some relief to immigrants who came under temporary high-skilled employment visas under the H-1B program. The bill recently passed a significant hurdle when it passed the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
USCIS announced a series of proposed rule changes that will streamline procedures for hiring workers under the H-2B program. This allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural temporary jobs for which U.S. workers are not available More
USCIS ESTABLISHES GENEALOGY PROGRAM USCIS help in researching their family’s immigration history through the agency’s new Genealogy Program.
USCIS maintains historical records documenting the arrival and naturalization of millions of immigrants who arrived in the United States since the late 1800s or and naturalized between 1906 and 1956. Until today, the process to request these records was handled through a Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act (FOIA) request. More
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Future Activities Sep 8th - DOJ meeting about voting rights and participation by Pakistani Americans in the upcoming US elections Sep 30th - USCIS - Stakeholders meeting
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