ANTI-AMERICANISM IN PAKISTAN UPSETS US

US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson has said that the depth of anti-Americanism in Pakistan, especially in the middle class, has surprised her because Pakistan’s long-term interests are aligned with that of the US and other western countries. “I suspect that those who oppose American engagement in Pakistan have a limited understanding of how our partnerships – economic assistance and financial interactions – changed the lives of everyday Pakistanis in real and positive ways,” she said at a meeting with corporate leaders. The meeting was organised by the Management Association of Pakistan. She warned that the increasingly prosperous middle class would be the first to suffer because extremists were gaining ground. Ms Patterson assured her country’s support for the new democratic government which was facing the enormous challenges of rising fuel prices and food costs. She informed the audience that the US had trained more than 6,000 Pakistani police and security officials over the past five years. She was confident that a change of guards in White House after the next presidential elections would not result in a big change in the US policy towards Pakistan.