The embassy press shop in Islamabad has always been kind of stingy with its photos of the former ambassador, Anne Patterson. We could not quite figure out the reason for that since anyone who wants to know what she looks like can simply Google her.
Below is a photo of her last visit to Balochistan, in the company of our Consul General in Karachi William Martin. Poor guys looked worn and stressed out but went on to talk to the press, anyway. Photo below did not come from the embassy press shop but lifted from The Baloch Hal.
The new ambassador to Pakistan, Ambassador Munter has been quite visible since his recent arrival in Islamabad with his wife, Marilyn Wyatt. It was noted elsewhere in local Pakistani news, that this is the first time that at a US envoy has brought his wife to post in ten years. Three days after arrival in country, Ambassador Munter and his wife participated in flood relief efforts conducted by Pakistan and U.S. military and helped distribute flood relief supplies at a World Food Program distribution point at Hassan Khan Jamali, Sindh Province, Pakistan. This is the ambassador's first trip to flood-affected areas of Sindh since arriving in Pakistan Oct. 27. We have seen several photos of the new ambassador posted both at the embassy website and its Facebook page, most recently visiting Lahore; we can't tell as yet if this is the new normal from the embassy's press shop. But take a look ...
 |
| Ambassador Cameron Munter offloads a 40 kilogram bag of flood relief supplies from a U.S. military helicopter in Hassan Khan Jamali, Jacobabad district, Sindh province, Pakistan, October 30. Photo from US Embassy Islamabad |
 |
Consul General William Martin flew by helicopter to help deliver floodPhoto from US Consulate General Karachi/Facebook |
Our CG in Karachi, by the way, has also conducted an impressive media blitz since arriving in Pakistan. He has done multiple interviews in both radio and television, media roundtable, visit and speeches in schools, and IDP camps, hosted a concert, diplomatic receptions, etc. etc. He probably is the most visible diplomat in country with the exception of the US ambassador; in no small part due to his PAS staff (most recently led by Elizabeth Colton) who also runs the CG's Facebook page. Check out his media engagement here.
We are quite happy to see our diplomats in action. The only comment we have with CG Karachi's media materials is that although the interviews are mentioned in their Facebook page, none of the audio or video of the interviews (except one or two) are posted in their Facebook page or in YouTube, which limits their reach and make fans write "Kindly post the interview here so we can learn what was discussed." Out of the numerous media engagement Mr. Martin did, only this one with Geo News producer/anchor, Mahreen Kashiff made it to its Facebook page, and a most recent one, a clip from Dawn News below:
We note from ConGen Karachi's website that the Consul General in Karachi has most recently served as CG in Bogota, Colombia, and was Deputy Principal Officer and Consular Chief in Guangzhou, China (where he was honored for his actions during the SARS and Avian Influenza outbreaks). Mr. Martin has also served in the Philippines, Japan, and twice in Indonesia. As Acting Consul General in Jakarta, Mr. Martin was honored with the Barbara Watson Award as consular officer of the year (see State Magazine November 2002). We heard that this is quite a big deal in consular circles.
We should mention that all this outreach and diplomatic engagement occur in the shadow several attacks on US interests in Pakistan's largest city. The Crime and Safety report for Karachi points out the numerous instances of terrorist acts directly targeted either the U.S. Consulate General or American interests in Karachi. The most recent was the March 2, 2006 vehicle suicide bomb outside the U.S. Consulate General that killed four, including 2 Consulate employees, and wounded many others. In an attack linked to al-Qai’da, a VBIED detonated in front of the Consulate June 14, 2002, killing 11 and seriously damaging the building as well as the Marriott Hotel next door. Two U.S. Consulate American employees were assassinated on their way to work on March 8, 1995. A Consulate employee was shot and killed on his way to work in August, 1995. Our folks work in a pretty rough neighborhood.
Comings and Goings
On a related note, Tristram Perry who led US Embassy Indonesia's web 2.0 engagement has rotated out of Jakarta and is now with the new public affairs team at the US Consulate General in Lahore as Information Officer. Given his track record in Jakarta, we're looking forward to seeing great things coming out of Lahore.
 |
| The new team of public diplomacy officers working in U.S. Consulate General Lahore’s Public Affairs section: Cultural Affairs Officer Mark Hilbert (left), Public Affairs Officer Jennifer Larson (center) and Information Officer Tristram Perry (right). Photo from US ConGen Lahore |
No comments:
Post a Comment