[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5295-5296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        U.S.-PAKISTAN CONNECTION

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, last week, with the help of Pakistani 
authorities, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was captured and taken into 
custody. This represents the highest ranking al Qaeda official to be 
apprehended in the war on terrorism and, according to some experts, 
Mohammed is the most important terrorism related arrest in history.
  I come to the floor today to publically express my gratitude to the 
government of Pakistan and to President Musharraf in particular.
  The arrest, along with the intelligence information gathered at the 
scene, brings us one giant step closer to dismantling the al Qaeda 
terror network.
  You don't have to dig too deeply into the recent press stories to see 
the significance of this event.
  From the Washington Post:

       U.S. authorities said they expect a trove of leads from the 
     search of Mohammed's living quarters . . .

  From the New York Times:

       Al Qaeda Hobbled by Latest Arrest . . .

  From Time magazine:

       Pakistani authorities nab Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the al-
     Qaeda bigwig who helped mastermind the Sept. 11 attacks.

  It is important to note the context in which this significant 
accomplishment was achieved. Pakistan today is dealing with internal 
terrorist elements that want to turn that country into a radicalized, 
terrorist state. There are whole areas of the country in the 
mountainous boarder with Afghanistan--which are outside the control of 
the government. And while the campaign against the Taliban was a 
crucial first step in the war on terrorism, it has also shifted many of 
the radicals who were operating there into this part of Pakistan.
  Against this backdrop, it would be easy for President Musharraf to 
yield to the threats and intimidation of these elements within his 
society. We have seen all too well what happens when leaders neglect 
their responsibility to educate and lead their people rather than cave 
to popular mob mentality. Even in Europe, we have seen elements of this 
in the performance of Schroeder and Chirac.
  But despite some public pressure, President Musharraf has taken a 
bold and strong stance against a fundamentalist future for his country. 
He understands that it is in Pakistan's best interest to rid the 
country of the terrorist cells that are acting as parasites on the 
Pakistani people. He understands that the best way to bring investment, 
jobs, health care and security for his people is to join the realm of 
the responsible world.
  It is easy to underestimate the amount of courage this type of 
leadership takes. Sitting in our comfortable democracy in the U.S., it 
seems the obvious choice.
  But I call on my colleagues to take a moment to remember the immense 
problems that Pakistan is dealing with: because of tensions in the 
region, and the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan's economy has suffered a 
huge loss. And despite my best efforts with some fellow colleagues, the 
U.S. has yet to provide the one thing Pakistan really needs: a better 
deal on textiles.
  Textiles and textile products are Pakistan's main export. As a result 
of the war effort, invaluable orders for textile products made and 
exported by Pakistan have been canceled due to perceived instability in 
the region and a lack of confidence that such orders will ultimately be 
delivered.
  According to the Pakistan Textile and Apparel Group, Pakistan has 
witnessed a 64 percent reduction in orders for clothes that would be 
made from last year alone, by the 14 largest apparel factories in 
Lahore, Karachi, and Faisalabad. As a result, employment in these 
factories has dropped 32 percent from a year ago. The Pakistani 
government has estimated the overall decline in orders at 40 percent. 
This has very real consequences for the future of Pakistan, its 
stability, and its ability to forge a future of economic prosperity for 
its people.
  As a weakened market for Pakistani textile exports ultimately renders 
human development programs within Pakistan less effective, especially 
the primary education element, young Pakistani's are faced with the 
prospect of no education and therefore no quality employment. An all-
to-frequent alternative to this prospect is for young Pakistani's to 
attend Madrasas--Islamic religious schools run by mullahs--where too 
often basic skills and primary education are supplanted by religious 
teachings used to indoctrinate young Pakistani's into following the 
perverted version of Islam followed by Osama Bin Laden, Al Queda, and 
the Taliban.
  Mr. President, I urge all of my colleagues to work with me in the 
Congress to provide the President with authority to assist Pakistan in 
the textile market immediately. Such action is vitally important to the 
stability of our important ally, and victory in our Nation's war 
against terrorism. Failing to take quick action only strengthens our 
enemy.
  The war on terrorism will only be won through the continued 
cooperation

[[Page 5296]]

of important countries like Pakistan. The very least we can do in this 
body today is to recognize this support and to say thank you for it.

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