U.S. envoy observes Ramadan fast

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 20. The U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms. Wendy Chamberlin, is fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan from dawn to dusk in a bid to deepen her understanding of what Muslims experience.

Ms. Chamberlin disclosed this at an Iftar party hosted by her for diplomats, select group of media persons and Muslim U.S. citizens on Monday evening. The Ambassador told her guests that she was so impressed with the spirit of Ramadan, the spirit of self- sacrifice and giving up eating and drinking during the day that she had decided to fast for the entire month of Ramadan.

Political observers and some Islamabad-based diplomats were, however, quick to see it as a gesture to win back the confidence of the people of Pakistan. A overwhelming majority of the people in the country are opposed to U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan and there is a sense of hurt that the U.S. has not bothered to respond to calls to suspend bombing during Ramadan. Ms. Chamberlin's decision is perhaps a step to reassure the people that the U.S. campaign had nothing to do with Islam.

It would indeed take much more than such gestures on the part of U.S. to win back the confidence of the people of Pakistan. There is little doubt that the country has never experienced the kind of anti-American sentiments currently being witnessed since its birth in 1947.

A majority of the people believes that the U.S. would once again ``abandon'' Pakistan after its goals in Afghanistan are achieved. The perception is based on the experience during 1979-89 when Pakistan acted as the frontline state for the U.S. in its proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Opinion makers and columnists in Pakistan have been repeatedly telling the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to keep in mind the previous experience. During his recent trip to the U.S., Gen. Musharraf made it a point to mention this in his media interviews and during his interaction with his interlocutors in America.

The manner in which a number of U.S. importers have cancelled their orders from the Pakistani textile firms in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks has only helped to reinforce the view that the new found love of America for Pakistan is only for selfish reasons.

Mindful of the sentiments on this score, Ms. Chamberlin said at the Iftar party that she would travel to Lahore to visit a textile factory that exported its products

to the U.S. to send across a message that Pakistan was not affected by the Afghan war.

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