Asif Alam is the President of the Association of Pakistani Professionals, a New York based think tank of Pakistani professionals that aims to produce better understanding of the issues that confront Pakistan. Peter Manikas is a Senior Associate and Regional Director of Asia Programs for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and has been involved in NDI's democratic development work in more than 20 countries. Adil Najam is Associate Professor of International Negotiation and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and is a specialist on political communication. Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a Visiting Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and is one of Pakistan’s leading experts on internal politics in Pakistan.

Please RSVP to Jenika Kaul @ southasia@jhu.edu with your contact details and affiliation if you want to attend the program.

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The coming election in 2007/2008 is critical to the existence of Pakistan as a nation. It is also critical to the global perception of Pakistan in the community of nations. 

Pakistani Americans must re-group and seriously consider the consequences of an election that is deemed less than fair by the domestic voters and the international community. Expatriate communities within the United States have played pivotal roles and been forces of change for their home countries.  It is now time for the Pakistani American community, as well as Pakistani-expatriate communities in other countries, to voice their opinions regarding the upcoming elections in Pakistan.  The Association of Pakistani Professionals (AOPP), an online organization with approximately 500 members within the United States, will embark on a new project this year: Election Pakistan.  Project Election Pakistan will disseminate information to Pakistani Americans regarding events surrounding the elections. We plan to start a blog that will be dedicated to this topic. The concept behind the blog is to instill the importance of the election in the community and provide a forum where they can discuss their views on the topic. We will also form a committee that will be tasked with meeting the leaders or representatives of all the political parties to discuss their agendas.  Another key aspect of the project is to let the political leadership in Pakistan know that Pakistani Americans are a viable, strong community who have an opinion and are concerned about the process during and outcome of, the elections. 

How are expatriate Pakistani communities affected by the election results in Pakistan?

Expatriate communities around the globe have worked hard to achieve economic and social standing in their adopted countries. In the United States, Pakistani Americans have lobbied hard for causes affecting Pakistan, from immigration reform to military and economic aid to Pakistan. Pakistan’s status, i.e., as a democracy or military government, affects the ability of expatriate communities to continue lobbying for issues affecting Pakistan. It affects the standing of its expatriate communities and their ability to influence public policy in their countries of adoption. This is especially the case since similarly situated nations have achieved success in their internal institutions.

Isn’t the military role critical to the continued War against Terror?

Many argue that the military government is critical to the success in the War Against Terror. This argument does not affect the proposition of Pakistan’s readiness for full and fair elections. The people of Pakistan have now lived under a military government for the last ___ years.  The focus here is on Pakistan, its institutions and bureaucracy, and the willingness of its citizens to take part in its internal political process.

Many argue that the democratically elected governments in Pakistan have served their own interests, cultivated the graft, and been economically detrimental to the nation.

It is true that corruption was rampant during the 1990’s, a period during which Pakistan enjoyed democratic rule.  It is also true that the economic sustainability of Pakistan was severely impacted during this time. However, most studies have shown that countries with democratic processes and internal stability are economically more prosperous. This should be a goal for the people of Pakistan as well. The long term effects of democracy are unquestionably more beneficial.

If Musharraf does not win the election, then is there a threat of the Islamic parties becoming more powerful, and this in turn, destabilizing the country?

AOPP will gather more information on this topic and post this on its Election Pakistan blog. This blog will be useful in compiling information on this topic.