Sec. Clinton: Pakistani Students Respectful
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer
Washington - A portion of Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton's three-day visit to Pakistan was
spent trying to reach young people through a discussion of
issues and emotions, and that became clear during a brief
exchange with a young medical student in
Lahore.
"There was one young woman who was standing up
and she was very, very kind about me personally and all the
kinds of things that people say," Clinton said in an
interview with NBC News in Islamabad on October
30.
"And then she came with a zinger and I thought,
'Oh my gosh, there but for accident of birth go I 40 years
ago,' because it is to the young people that we're trying to
reach out," she said.
A young woman who was identified
as a medical student at King Edward University rose to ask
Clinton a question at a town hall session that was held at
Government College University in Lahore on October 29. The
town hall was a scheduled part of the secretary's trip so
she could talk with college students, listen to their
concerns and try to improve understanding.
"I think if
I were sitting where those young students are - and
remember, young students are more likely to say the things
that other people are thinking - I would have had some of
the same tough questions," Clinton said.
Clinton told
NBC News that one of the reasons her trip to Pakistan
included a speech at Government College was so she could
hear directly from young people. It's as relevant to her
personal diplomatic mission as the normal interaction with
government leaders, business executives and tribal leaders
that she held over three days of visits in Islamabad and
Lahore.
"Hello, ma'am. I am a medical student at King
Edward Medical University. First of all, I'd like madame to
know what an inspiration she is for all the aspiring young
women all around the world for being who she is. Madame,
thank you so much for coming here today," the young woman
said as her comments drew applause from other
students.
Then she went into a detailed question about
intelligence sharing between the United States and Pakistan
and the use of unmanned drones in remote regions of Pakistan
to strike at insurgents that have been launching raids into
Afghanistan and into Pakistan's populous areas. U.S.
officials believe elements of the al-Qaida terrorist group
and former Taliban regime are in hiding in the Hindu Kush
mountain range that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan, and
are using those areas to stage operations on both sides of
the border.
For Clinton, the exchange was polite and
respectful and precisely what she hoped for, even if she
could not answer in the detail the student might have
wanted. "There's all this pent-up desire to be out there
talking, and I think it's a healthy sign. So for me, it was
exactly what I expected," she said.
Clinton announced
a new service that the United States is partnering with
Pakistani telecommunications companies so young people will
be able more easily to talk about what is on their minds,
and is also an effort to advance civil society. (See
"Clinton Encourages Use of New Media Communications in
Pakistan: http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/October/20091029111927eaifas0.2466394.html
.)
"It's not only the fear that is now
unfortunately part of their daily lives, because of the
attacks that they are suffering, but for eight years, they
feel as though they lost their democracy," Clinton
added.
"Everybody was very respectful and personally
very supportive, but they had questions about our
government's policy," she
said. "And I feel like I have a responsibility to try
to answer them."
(This is a product of the Bureau of
International Information Programs, U.S. Department of
State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
ENDS