[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 4, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E777-E778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          VIOLENCE IN KARACHI

                                 ______


                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 4, 1995
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to my colleagues 
about a great tragedy that is now occurring in Karachi, Pakistan.
  Karachi is by far Pakistan's most important city, as well as its 
largest and wealthiest. It is 
[[Page E778]]  the country's only port and therefore accounts for 
almost two-thirds of its trade and industry. The population of 10 
million is a varied one that includes trades of the Karachi Stock 
Exchange, businessmen affiliated with international firms and over 
3,000 United States citizens. Karachi's potential for growth on the 
international business scene is immense, yet this promise is also 
tempered by the underlying currents of a troubled society.
  Long before two Americans in the U.S. consulate were brutally slain 
on March 8, violence and terror had gripped this city with a firm 
chokehold. Since the beginning of 1994, 1,260 people have been 
murdered, 340 since the start of this year and 100 in the month of 
March alone. Kidnapings, ambushes, and bank robberies have become a 
daily occurrence. Worst of all, the city's inhabitants have lost all 
faith in its frightened police force and corrupt judicial system.
  Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto remains confident that the city can and 
will right itself before it is too late. Unfortunately, she is very 
much alone, among her countrymen, in thinking that. The Prime Minister 
is scheduled to visit the United States shortly, where she will 
undoubtedly plead her case. Karachi, as with all of Pakistan, is in 
desperate need of foreign investment, and because of the city's present 
situation, it is losing it far faster than receiving it.
  Pakistan is a country with which the United States has had a long 
history of trade. Their potential for increased economic growth exists, 
but they will need help in combatting the ugliness that now pervades 
their coastal city. To achieve this end the Pakistani Government must 
take firm steps to vanquish the terrorist presence that has now found 
comfort in this country.
  This fact was only illuminated more clearly when Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, 
the alleged mastermind behind the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, 
was captured and extradited from Pakistan on February 7. The Government 
has already begun the cleansing process by targeting Peshawar, in the 
northwest frontier province, as the home base for most of these 
terrorist organizations.
  When pressure is finally brought to bear upon these elements, 
Pakistan will be on the road to recovery. It is in the interests of 
Pakistan and the United States to promote stability and to stamp out 
terrorism wherever it may take root.


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