Friday, May 29, 2009
National Monument of Pakistan, Islamabad
In another sign that the United States intends to remain heavily involved in Pakistan for years to come, the Obama administration is seeking $736 million to build a new super-embassy in Islamabad—which rivals the cost of a similar diplomatic compound built in Baghdad, Iraq. The State Department wants to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan’s capital because the current embassy is considered too old and unsafe to accommodate the “surge” of civilian officials. The funding request will cover permanent housing for U.S. diplomats and other U.S. workers, as well as new office space in Islamabad.
Additional monies are also being sought to finance major projects in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Peshawar. In Peshawar, the U.S. government wants to purchase a five-star hotel to house a new U.S. consulate. All of the projects combined will total about $1 billion.
Two U.S. government employees were killed during an attack on the U.S. consulate in Karachi in 2006, and in March 2008, four FBI agents were wounded when a bomb was thrown at the Islamabad restaurant they were frequenting.
The expanded diplomatic presence in Pakistan is being met with resistance by some local politicians. “This is a replay of Baghdad,” said Khurshid Ahmad, a member of Pakistan’s upper house of parliament. “This (Islamabad embassy) is more (space) than they should need. It’s for the micro and macro management of Pakistan, and using Pakistan for pushing the American agenda in Central Asia.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Iraq Redux? Obama Seeks Funds for Pakistan Super-embassy (by Saeed Shah and Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy)
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