[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H247-H249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING PRESIDENT PERVEZ MUSHARRAF OF PAKISTAN FOR HIS LEADERSHIP
AND FRIENDSHIP AND WELCOMING HIM TO THE UNITED STATES
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 324) commending President Pervez
Musharraf of Pakistan for his leadership and friendship and welcoming
him to the United States.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 324
Whereas President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan has shown
courageous leadership in cooperating with the United States
in the fight against terrorism;
Whereas President Musharraf has shown great fortitude in
confronting extremists and outlawing terrorism in Pakistan;
Whereas the efforts of President Musharraf in fighting
terrorism are both in the national interest of Pakistan and
of great importance to Pakistani-American relations;
Whereas the war against terrorism underscores the
importance of strengthening the historic bilateral
relationship between the United States and Pakistan;
Whereas President Musharraf has worked to improve the
political representation of minorities in Pakistan; and
Whereas the Pakistani-American community in the United
States makes important contributions to the United States and
plays a vital role in developing a closer relationship
between the peoples of the United States and Pakistan: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress commends President Pervez
Musharraf of Pakistan for his leadership and friendship and
welcomes him to the United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Hyde) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde).
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am pleased to call up the resolution to welcome President Musharraf
on his most important visit to Washington. I am a cosponsor of this
resolution that was introduced today by the distinguished gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), a member of the Committee on
International Relations.
Pakistan has been in the forefront of the war on terrorism, and their
efforts to assist the United States have been essential to the great
successes to date. The importance of the growing relationship between
our two countries is the prevention of further terrorist attacks, and
hopefully it will contribute to economic development and stability
within Pakistan.
President Musharraf has taken many steps to arrest al Qaeda members
and has been working diligently on the release of kidnapped journalist
Daniel Pearl. He has undertaken other efforts to curtail the
detrimental activities of extremist Islamic groups and has shown
particular leadership in trying to take his country in a new direction.
Through this resolution we acknowledge President Musharraf's sincere
efforts to improve the security in the region and give hope for a
bright future for his country and its deserving people.
I urge the support of my colleagues as we welcome the President of
Pakistan to our country.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might
consume.
I rise in strong support of this resolution.
I would first like to commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Pitts) for introducing this important resolution, and I want to thank
my friend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the
Committee on International Relations, for allowing it to move so
expeditiously to the floor of the House.
Madam Speaker, 5 months after September 11, we now fully understand
the long-term impact of that fateful day. The patterns of international
power have been scrambled, and the United States has reexamined its
bilateral relationship with almost every nation on the planet.
Today, all the great powers are united against the forces of
barbarism. Not since the end of the Second World War have all the
nations of the civilized world, including China, Russia, Japan, India,
Pakistan and the nations of Europe, joined in common cause against a
common enemy.
For some nations in this historic alliance, there was never a doubt
that they would be with us in this struggle. For other nations, it was
not to be an easy decision. The leaders were buffeted by competing
pressures, and the course of least resistance would have been to duck
and cover.
Madam Speaker, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made a strong and
courageous decision to stand with the United States in this battle
against terrorism. As a result, Pakistan has become an important ally
in this epic struggle.
While all the nations in the global alliance have made some
contributions to the battle against terrorism, Pakistan, by virtue of
geography and history, has had to shoulder a uniquely heavy burden. It
is true that Pakistan had a hand in creating the Taliban, and we cannot
forget this, but it is also true that Pakistan is playing a critical
role in ensuring that Afghanistan and Pakistan are no longer used as a
base for international terrorism.
In his historic speech on January 12, President Musharraf made an
eloquent and compelling call for an end to the extremism and terrorism
that has plagued Pakistan for the past decade. As we laud him for
making the right choice, we must acknowledge that it will not be an
easy commitment for him to keep.
Indeed, the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist
working in Pakistan, is only the latest manifestation of the life-and-
death struggle that is being waged for the future of Pakistan. It is a
battle against the anarchist forces of Islamic extremism and violence
which seek to capitalize on the despair of the poor. It is a battle
that Musharraf must win if he is to restore hope to the people of
Pakistan and secure a future for the children of Pakistan.
Madam Speaker, it is vital that the United States demonstrate to the
people and Government of Pakistan our commitment to help them secure
that future as long as Pakistan continues its commitment to eradicate
international terrorism from within its borders.
Finally, I want to reiterate to the people of Pakistan our continued
support for a return to democracy in Pakistan. President Musharraf has
given
[[Page H248]]
his word that he is committed to democracy, and we in the Congress
intend to hold him to his word.
I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 324.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
General Leave
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the concurrent resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), who is the
author of this excellent resolution.
Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of this
resolution welcoming President Musharraf in his visit to the United
States this week. He has shown very bold leadership in cooperating with
the United States in the war against terrorism. He has made some very
difficult decisions, which were politically risky for him to do. Had he
chosen the politically easy path, the great successes of the past
months would not have been possible.
I think history will describe him as a courageous leader. Despite
great risk to himself, to his government, he stood up for what was
right and against what was wrong. He has cracked down on the
extremists, the terrorists in his country. He has publicly spoken out
and cracked down on the leaders guilty of hate speech. He shut down
some of the madrassas which were teaching children to hate. He has
acted to reform the education those young people receive.
He has put his military into tribal areas along the western border
where military forces have never been in their history, as under the
British arrangement tribal law supersedes national law. He had to make
special negotiations and arrangements to put his military along the
western border to interdict the terrorists, the al Qaeda network, as
they sought to flee Afghanistan, and he has turned those al Qaeda
terrorists over to the United States. In my mind these actions are the
definition of courage.
It is no secret that Pakistan is an important ally of the United
States. It has been for years. Yet Pakistan faces many challenges.
President Musharraf has made good-faith efforts to weed out extremism,
restore democracy and the rule of law, to ensure stability in a region
that is torn by conflict.
In addition, President Musharraf has led historic change in his
country by abolishing the separate electorates that disenfranchised
minority ethnic and religious groups and boldly mandating a joint
electoral system.
The joint electorate will help ensure that elected officials must
respond to the needs of all people in Pakistan instead of ignoring the
important issues, particularly fundamental human rights issues, facing
ethnic and religious minorities.
I applaud President Musharraf for bringing one of the biggest steps
forward for human rights in Pakistan, and I encourage President
Musharraf to continue in this direction bringing further reform to
eliminate discriminatory laws and procedures, such as the blasphemy
law, and to protect and uphold the fundamental human rights of all
people in Pakistan.
I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lantos) for cosponsoring this resolution, and I urge my
colleagues to join me in recognizing the courage, the leadership, the
progress of President Musharraf of Pakistan as he visits the United
States by voting for this resolution.
Mr. HYDE. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
learned gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Hyde) very much for the time. I want to thank the
gentleman who just spoke for introducing this legislation.
I think everything that has been said about Musharraf is accurate and
well deserved, but I would like to just digress for a moment and point
out that Pakistan has been an ally and friend of the United States as
far back as I can remember.
During the Cold War, when other countries in the region were
supporting the Soviet Union, at a time when the United States was
concerned about its security and an attack from the Soviet Union,
Pakistan was always there. When we had the war in Afghanistan the first
time, when the Soviet Union invaded, Pakistan was there. They served as
a conduit for American supplies going in to stop the Soviet advance.
When we went to Somalia, and there is a movie that is called Black
Hawk Down that talks about the travails we experienced in Somalia,
Pakistan sent troops, and they were there.
{time} 1500
And now, President Musharraf has taken up the mantle of leadership in
Pakistan, and he is likewise a great supporter of the United States and
the things we jointly believe in. He has arrested and detained over
2,000 militant leaders and extremists in working with us to stop the
terrorist threat around the world. He has banned groups that support
terrorism, frozen their bank assets and their accounts, clamped down on
their fund-raising and closed their offices. In short, he is a friend
and ally of the United States even though he has put himself and his
administration at risk by doing so.
So, along with my colleagues, I want to welcome President Musharraf
to the United States; and I want to say a very strong thank you to him
and to the people of Pakistan and the Government of Pakistan, because
every time America asks them, unlike some of the other people in that
area, they are always there to march beside us. So, President
Musharraf, thank you very much for all you do for us and for the free
world.
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the
distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking Member and
the chairman for bringing this resolution before the House.
The Pakistani word for ``thank you'' is shukrva. So we express
shukrva to all our Pakistani friends in this country and around the
world, and especially to President Musharraf. He has made dramatic
changes that most of us thought were impossible. It has made a huge
difference in our efforts to succeed in the war against terrorism, and
hopefully it is going to be the catalyst that allows us to solve many
problems, including that of Kashmir and other areas around the world.
So again I suggest we say shukrva to our Pakistani friends.
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join with my colleagues to
welcome General Musharraf to the United States. The friendship
exhibited by the General's government has been an important component
of the war on terrorism. Moreover, the courage that General Musharraf
has shown in taking a stance against Pakistan's traditional ally, the
Taliban, has been especially welcome.
While we welcome General Musharraf to Washington and congratulate him
on his commitment to participating in our war on terrorism, we must
also ask our friends in Pakistan some hard questions. For instance, we
must ask Pakistan to show the world that it does not support cross-
border terrorism into India. Pakistan must clamp down on the dozens of
fighters that cross daily into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir (POK). If, as the General claimed last week, the fighting in
Jammu and Kashmir is indigenous to India, will he order that his
borders are tightly sealed against the radical Islamic militants who
are based on Pakistani soil and wage war in India?
The General's government would gain tremendously in the international
community if it also divulges to the world the status of the ``Twenty
Most Wanted''--the list of international terrorist leaders that are
accused of being sheltered in Pakistan. There can be no doubt that
terrorism is alive in Pakistan--we have only to look to the case of the
journalist, Daniel Pearl, to show us the Pakistan has not been able
fact clamped down on terrorism. Without a sincere, public and tangible
series of steps on the part of the General and his government,
Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism is questionable.
We must also ask the General when he intends to move Pakistan towards
democracy. General Musharraf has ignored or had changed Supreme Court
orders regarding local elections, and other distinct steps towards a
return to democracy. Pakistan has had a long history of democratic
instability,
[[Page H249]]
and I do not believe that the current global upheaval can justify delay
in the return of democracy to Pakistan. We all hold the ideals of
democracy and personal freedoms as sacrosanct, and we should not allow
our friends in Pakistan to lapse in their progress towards democracy.
I truly extend my gratitude and hand of friendship towards General
Musharraf during his visit. But I also must extend my concern that he
and those of his ruling stratocracy are not committed to the same goals
of peace, stability and democracy that we are. I ask the General to
dispel my hesitations and declare loudly that he is truly moving
Pakistan towards democracy and that he is staunchly against all
international terrorism. Until he stops bizarre diversions like blaming
India for the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl and gets serious, it is going
to be hard for us to take Pakistan and its interests as anything but
dubious.
[From the Washington Post, Feb. 12, 2002]
Mr. Musharraf in Washington
Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan arrives in Washington
today for what likely will be, at least in part, a
celebration of his readiness to join the U.S.-led campaign
against terrorism. Any political boost he reaps from his
scheduled White House meeting with President Bush will be
largely justified; Mr. Musharraf's cooperation has been
instrumental to the military campaign in Afghanistan, and his
strong public initiative to arrest and reverse the mounting
influence of Islamic extremists in Pakistan may prove even
more important over time. But the general's visit needs to be
more than a love fest. For all he has done in the past five
months to advance the counterterrorist cause, the Pakistani
leader has much more to do; and the Bush administration
should match the political and economic rewards it offers him
with concerted pressure to move ahead.
The need to keep pressing Pakistan's ruler seems all the
more urgent because of the worrisome signs he offered in the
days before his visit. Mr. Musharraf promised in a landmark
speech last month to end Pakistan's support of terrorists who
have been crossing its border to carry out attacks in India,
including an assault on the Indian parliament in December
that brought the two countries close to war. But last week he
delivered another address that restated Pakistan's
longstanding official position that the fighting in Indian-
controlled Kashmir is the result of an ``indigenous'' rebel
movement that deserves Pakistan's support. At face value,
that stand might look legitimate; but the problem is that
Pakistani governments for years have used that formulation as
a cover to foment and supply the Kashmir insurrection.
Mr. Musharraf has formally banned the Pakistani militant
groups dedicated to the Kashmir cause, including several with
close ties to the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda as well as to
Pakistan's military intelligence agency. But some in Pakistan
suspect that despite hundreds of reported arrests, his
crackdown has not been uncompromising, that many of the
militants have been allowed to remain free in exchange for
lying low. Those fears could only be heightened by the
president's statements to The Washington Post last weekend
about the kidnapping of American journalist Daniel Pearl,
which Pakistani police believe was orchestrated by a well-
known member of one of those extremist Muslim groups. Rather
than blame the Pakistani terrorists, or the evident failure
of his new campaign to stop them, Mr. Musharraf suggested
that India might somehow be behind the kidnapping--an
irresponsible and implausible suggestion that is not backed
by evidence.
Mr. Musharraf's forthright public condemnations of Islamic
extremism, which began well before Sept. 11, leave little
doubt that he genuinely would like to fashion a moderate
Muslim state that would resemble Turkey rather than Taliban-
ruled Afghanistan. But the general faces strong opposition to
his project, some of it within his own military; and where
the extremists' cause intersects with that of Kashmir, a
focus of Pakistani nationalism since the country's
foundation, Mr. Musharraf may feel tempted to pull his
punches. That is where the Bush administration should
intervene: It should make clear to the Pakistani leader that
he must decisively break with the terrorists on this front as
on others. Mr. Musharraf wants U.S. help in persuading India
to begin negotiations on Kashmir, and the Bush administration
should weigh whether it can help galvanize a peace process
without compromising its longstanding neutrality in that
conflict. But it must be clear, too, that continued
collaboration between Islamabad and Washington depends on Mr.
Musharraf's campaign Islamic extremism proving aggressive and
unambiguous in deeds, as well as in words.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution
commending and welcoming General Musharraf of Pakistan. It is fitting
that we should commend him for his support of the U.S.-led war on
terrorism. Mr. Musharraf has accommodated our requests for bases,
allowed us to use Pakistani airspace and otherwise provided us with
logistic and intelligence-related support for our operations in
Afghanistan. For that we are truly grateful.
Rhetorically, Mr. Musharraf has aligned Pakistan with the nations
opposed to terrorism, he abandoned his support of the Taliban in
Afghanistan and recently met with Hamid Karzai the interim leader of
Afghanistan offering his support for the new regime. In his speech of
January 12, Mr. Musharraf pointed Pakistan away from Islamic extremism
and back toward the goal of the founders of Pakistan: a secular,
moderate, democratic, Muslim state. but there is a long way to go
before Pakistan reaches that goal.
For too long, terrorist groups that operate across the line of
control in India have been given safe haven in Pakistan. The authors of
the attack on the Indian parliament last December and on the state
assembly building in Srinigar last October found aid and support in
Pakistan. White a series of high-profile arrests and the announcement
of a formal ban on militant groups operating in Pakistani are good
beginnings, the jury is still out on whether infiltrations across the
line of control have stopped.
The steps taken to date are helpful but some recent backsliding is
also in evidence. Last week, Mr. Musharraf claimed that the Indian
intelligence services where behind the kidnaping of Wall Street Journal
reporter Daniel Pearl. Such allegations are baseless and do not help
either find Mr. Pearl or lower the level of tension between India and
Pakistan.
Beyond this, Mr. Musharraf has returned to the formulation that the
terrorist groups in Pakistan are ``freedom fighters''. This is not
acceptable. Pakistan can no longer say it is simply giving
``political'' support to Kashmiri groups while secretly aiding their
infiltration into India. The point of U.S. policy since September 11
has been to oppose all terrorists, not just those who are conveniently
or easily opposed. Mr. Musharraf must choose, he is either with the
terrorists or he is with us, he cannot have both.
On the subject of democracy, Mr. Musharraf has also said the right
things. He has laid out a timetable for Pakistan's return to democracy
and has held village level elections. Provincial and national assembly
elections are scheduled. But we must not forget that Mr. Musharraf is
the reason that Pakistan is again off the democratic path. For him to
receive full credit for restoring democracy elections at all levels
must be held, including elections for his office. All of this is
admittedly difficult to accomplish against the backdrop of Islamic
extremism, but it is Mr. Musharraf's own timetable and he should be
urged to keep it.
Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate for us to welcome Mr. Musharraf and
thank him for his support, but we should also be mindful of how much
further Pakistan has to go.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, we want to welcome President Musharraf to
Washington. President Musharraf has been a brave ally in our war
against terrorism. Our nation thanks him for his efforts to find Daniel
Pearl the missing Wall Street Journal reporter. We also wish to thank
him for closing his nation's borders to members of the Taliban and al
Qaeda who are fleeing our armed forces.
Mr. Speaker, nearly 90 constituents of mine died as a result of the
September 11 terrorist attack. Accordingly, the visit this week of
President Musharraf is significant for our 20th district of New York.
The reason is that for many years a number of us in the Congress were
concerned about the support that Pakistan gave to the Taliban and, of
course, the Taliban sheltered the terrorists who attacked our Nation.
President Musharraf is now reining in his countrymen who were
responsible for many of the problems in Afghanistan and Kashmir and we
commend him for the risks and hard decisions he makes.
Our nation is providing Pakistan significant military economic
assistance so that its citizens will feel secure and its society can
thrive. We are doing this in the belief that if the people of Pakistan
have hope then the extremists will be less able to recruit among the
poor.
We feel certain that with President Musharraf's guidance his
government will achieve these ends. We know that his efforts to end
terrorism will enable all Americans and especially New Yorkers to rest
assured that all those innocent people who died in New York did not die
in vain.
In like manner, we urge Pres. Musharraf to help resolve the troubled
issue of Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
324.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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