Americans in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Americans in Pakistan form a small expatriate community. According to early statistics of 1999 based on registrations with the local American embassy and consulates, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 Americans in the country, with 2,100 in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi
, about 1,250 in Lahore
, 506 in Islamabad
and 375 in Peshawar
. Many of them include Pakistani Americans who have come back and settled.
providing security to diplomatic personnel, and hundreds more unregistered officials living in private houses. This represents significant growth over 1999, when the American diplomatic contingent in the country barely exceeded one hundred people. However, Pakistani officials deny the reports of more than a thousand US Marines in the country.
For the American community in Karachi, the American Club is the centre of their social life. There is also an American School of Karachi
, but it had only a few American students and teachers.
In late 2009, Pakistan held up many visas for U.S. diplomats, military service members and others, because of hostility inside Pakistan toward the expansion of U.S. operations in the country, while many suspected Americans living in Pakistan were detained following five American terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda
arrested in Sargodha
.
Pakistani newspapers claim that American diplomats in Pakistan carried automatic weapons without a license, attacked local citizens, and cursed at local policemen. They have also allegedly dodged law enforcement personnel and security screenings on motorways, airports and elsewhere on multiple occasions. In January 2011, an American national and CIA contractor Raymond Davis
was involved in a shootout that killed three Pakistanis in Lahore
, resulting in a diplomatic rift between Pakistan and the United States. Davis was later freed by the Pakistani government and the families of the victims were paid compensation, in spite of large public opposition to his acquittal. In February 2011, American citizen Aaron Mark DeHaven was arrested in Peshawar after he was found allegedly overstaying his visa illegally. He was later deported. In May 2011, an American national Mathew Greg Bennett was trailed and arrested by law enforcement agencies in Rawalpindi
on claims of involvement in suspicious activities.
In June 2011, an American citizen living in Pakistan with his Pakistani wife and family, Mathew Craig Barret, was arrested in Islamabad. Barret was suspected to be spying on the country's nuclear facilities and was blacklisted by the interior ministry after he had dodged an earlier arrest allegedly after being found doing "suspicious activities." Following a police raid in his house, he was put in lock-up jail and was to be deported and prevented from entering the country. On June 12 2011, yet another American national was arrested, this time in Sukkur
; David Sat, who was working for an NGO, was detained by authorities after he was found to have overstayed his visa by two months. A case was registered against him. Pakistani security and defence expert Shireen Mazari, who is also known for being a vocal critic of American policies, once had a verbal brawl in an Islamabad restaurant with an American man who she later referred to as a "bloody CIA agent"; Mazari said that suspicious looking Americans are prevalent in large numbers in Islamabad, operating under the cover of diplomacy, and that they are "running loose in Islamabad intimidating whomever they choose."
Pakistan has blacklisted many American non-governmental organizations and media personalities and denied visas to US nationals.
In 2011, after continuous scrutiny and following the death of Osama bin Laden
in his compound in Abbottabad
which caused a diplomatic controversy between Pakistan and the United States, the Pakistani government and military establishment
ordered the reduction of the number of American personnel present in Pakistan. Consequently, many American security personnel were dumped and forced to leave the country.
In 2003, the American actor Erik Audé
was arrested and imprisoned for seven years in Pakistan on charges of drug trafficking.
In 1997, four American oil workers and their driver were shot by multiple gunmen while they sat in their car on a crowded street. Two men, both members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
, were sentenced to death in 1999 for the shootings. In 2002, there were further terrorist attacks against Americans and expatriates of other nationalities, including a bombing at the US consulate
. In November of 2008, foreign aid worker Stephen Vance was ambushed and killed on his way to work in Peshawar. The New York Times
named Karachi "one of the most dangerous spots on the planet for an American".
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, about 1,250 in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, 506 in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
and 375 in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
. Many of them include Pakistani Americans who have come back and settled.
Employment and social life
America also maintains a large diplomatic and military contingent in the country; media reports claim that , in addition to 275 diplomats, there are more than a thousand US MarinesUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
providing security to diplomatic personnel, and hundreds more unregistered officials living in private houses. This represents significant growth over 1999, when the American diplomatic contingent in the country barely exceeded one hundred people. However, Pakistani officials deny the reports of more than a thousand US Marines in the country.
For the American community in Karachi, the American Club is the centre of their social life. There is also an American School of Karachi
Karachi American School
The Karachi American School is a Preschool - Grade 12 day school located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. For some time it was called "International School of Karachi", but now is called Karachi American School....
, but it had only a few American students and teachers.
In late 2009, Pakistan held up many visas for U.S. diplomats, military service members and others, because of hostility inside Pakistan toward the expansion of U.S. operations in the country, while many suspected Americans living in Pakistan were detained following five American terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
arrested in Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
.
Relations with Pakistani society
In the latter half of 2009, many media organizations reported about the possible presence in Pakistan of personnel from the American private military corporation Xe (formerly Blackwater). Several American suspects were arrested in Pakistan. The presence of these American personnel has been a controversial issue in Pakistani media and has caused uproar in the general public, with people questioning their activities in the country and viewing them as spies.Pakistani newspapers claim that American diplomats in Pakistan carried automatic weapons without a license, attacked local citizens, and cursed at local policemen. They have also allegedly dodged law enforcement personnel and security screenings on motorways, airports and elsewhere on multiple occasions. In January 2011, an American national and CIA contractor Raymond Davis
Raymond Allen Davis incident
Raymond Allen Davis is a former United States Army soldier, private security firm employee, and contractor with the Central Intelligence Agency . On January 27, 2011, Davis killed two reportedly armed men in Lahore, Pakistan. Although the U.S. government contended that he was protected by...
was involved in a shootout that killed three Pakistanis in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, resulting in a diplomatic rift between Pakistan and the United States. Davis was later freed by the Pakistani government and the families of the victims were paid compensation, in spite of large public opposition to his acquittal. In February 2011, American citizen Aaron Mark DeHaven was arrested in Peshawar after he was found allegedly overstaying his visa illegally. He was later deported. In May 2011, an American national Mathew Greg Bennett was trailed and arrested by law enforcement agencies in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
on claims of involvement in suspicious activities.
In June 2011, an American citizen living in Pakistan with his Pakistani wife and family, Mathew Craig Barret, was arrested in Islamabad. Barret was suspected to be spying on the country's nuclear facilities and was blacklisted by the interior ministry after he had dodged an earlier arrest allegedly after being found doing "suspicious activities." Following a police raid in his house, he was put in lock-up jail and was to be deported and prevented from entering the country. On June 12 2011, yet another American national was arrested, this time in Sukkur
Sukkur
Sukkur, or Sakharu , formerly Aror and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the...
; David Sat, who was working for an NGO, was detained by authorities after he was found to have overstayed his visa by two months. A case was registered against him. Pakistani security and defence expert Shireen Mazari, who is also known for being a vocal critic of American policies, once had a verbal brawl in an Islamabad restaurant with an American man who she later referred to as a "bloody CIA agent"; Mazari said that suspicious looking Americans are prevalent in large numbers in Islamabad, operating under the cover of diplomacy, and that they are "running loose in Islamabad intimidating whomever they choose."
Pakistan has blacklisted many American non-governmental organizations and media personalities and denied visas to US nationals.
In 2011, after continuous scrutiny and following the death of Osama bin Laden
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
in his compound in Abbottabad
Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad
Osama bin Laden's compound, known locally as the Waziristan Haveli , is the safe house in which Osama bin Laden was hiding when he was killed. The structure is located at the end of a dirt road in Abbottabad, Pakistan. About 35 Miles north of the capital, Islamibad, and just 0.8 miles southwest of...
which caused a diplomatic controversy between Pakistan and the United States, the Pakistani government and military establishment
Establishment (Pakistan)
The Establishment is a term used commonly by Pakistani political scientists and also by political scholars and analysts around the world for the powerful military-dominant oligarchy in Pakistan...
ordered the reduction of the number of American personnel present in Pakistan. Consequently, many American security personnel were dumped and forced to leave the country.
In 2003, the American actor Erik Audé
Erik Audé
Erik Audé is an American actor/stuntman/professional poker player who was arrested and jailed in Pakistan for drug trafficking.-History:Audé was born in Beverly Hills, California....
was arrested and imprisoned for seven years in Pakistan on charges of drug trafficking.
In 1997, four American oil workers and their driver were shot by multiple gunmen while they sat in their car on a crowded street. Two men, both members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh...
, were sentenced to death in 1999 for the shootings. In 2002, there were further terrorist attacks against Americans and expatriates of other nationalities, including a bombing at the US consulate
Karachi consulate attacks
The Karachi consulate attacks are a string of attacks against and plots to attack against the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan during the War on Terrorism....
. In November of 2008, foreign aid worker Stephen Vance was ambushed and killed on his way to work in Peshawar. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
named Karachi "one of the most dangerous spots on the planet for an American".
Notable people
- Charles William FormanCharles William FormanCharles William Forman was the founder of Forman Christian College, a private university in Lahore, Pakistan.-Early life:Charles William Forman was born on March 3, 1821 in Washington, Kentucky, United States. After entering the family business manufacturing hemp, he was converted at a revival...
(1821–1894), founder of the Forman Christian CollegeForman Christian CollegeForman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...
in LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a... - Ralph Randles StewartRalph Randles StewartDr. Prof. Ralph Randles Stewart usually referred to as R. R. Stewart, was an American botanist who spent his career teaching and studying plants in Pakistan.- Education :...
- American botanist - Brian O'Connell (musician)Brian O'Connell (musician)Brian O'Connell is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer and actor. Best known as the bassist and producer for Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, O'Connell has since gained respect as both a musician and a producer in the Pakistani music industry. O'Connell and Salman...
- member of Junoon (band)
See also
- Anti-American sentiment in Pakistan
- 2010 CIA Station Chief removal in Pakistan
- Lahore American SchoolLahore American SchoolLahore American school is a private school based in Lahore, Pakistan.-About LAS:The Lahore American School is an independent co-educational day school which offers an educational program from preschool through grade 12 for students of all nationalities...
- Pakistani AmericanPakistani AmericanA Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
- Canadians in PakistanCanadians in PakistanCanadians in Pakistan are one of the sizeable Canadian diasporic communities established in Asia. They consist largely of Pakistani Canadians who have returned back to Pakistan...