Over the past two years, South Asia has gone through several overlapping transitions: new governments in Islamabad, Kabul, and New Delhi, the drawdown of the bulk of U.S. and international troops from Afghanistan, and an increasingly active role by China. These transitions have taken place at a time when Pakistan faces an array of critical challenges: internal militancy, struggles with economic and human development, and debates over political legitimacy. They also come at a juncture when the attention of the international community has shifted away from the region to instability and violence in the Middle East, tensions in Eastern Europe, and the increasing role for the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific. While these events have overshadowed recent developments in South Asia, this does not translate into a diminution of the importance of the region. Time is running out for Pakistan to wake up to its present predicament and begin a serious reassessment of the fundamental policy challenges it faces.

To analyze these issues and to make recommendations on how Pakistan can best capitalize on these transitions and how the international community can best support that process, The Century Foundation convened a Working Group, chaired by Ambassador Thomas Pickering, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and comprised of prominent Americans, Pakistanis, and internationals who are deeply concerned about the country’s future. The Working Group believes it is time for Pakistan to address these problems vigorously and comprehensively and for the international community to create a sustainable basis for future engagement. We would like to invite you to the public release of the report—Wake Up, Pakistan—which will feature remarks from a delegation of Working Group members, both American and Pakistani. Copies of the report will be available at the event.

Agenda

Welcome:
Michael Wahid Hanna
Principal Investigator
Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation

Introductory Remarks:
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering
Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

Riaz Khokhar
Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary

Panelists:
Robert Finn
Principal Investigator
Non-Resident Fellow,  Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton University
Former United States Ambassador to Afghanistan

Imtiaz Gul
Executive Director, Center for Research and Security Studies

Barnett Rubin
Senior Fellow and Associate Director, Afghanistan Pakistan Regional Program
New York University Center on International Cooperation

Moderator:
Mosharraf Zaidi
Principal Investigator
Campaign Director, Alif Ailaan

For questions, contact Neil Bhatiya at 212-452-7704 or [email protected].


Live streaming video by Ustream