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Mishal Husain:
Given what we've seen in the film though, your goals are, in a sense, swimming against the tide; swimming against the reality of what's happening in the northwest frontier.
Christina Rocca:
Well, what's happening in the northwest frontier is something that we're watching very closely. But so is the central government. And there are issues of constitutionality and legality, which will be dealt with by the people of Pakistan. That's not our position to judge or to get involved in that.
However, there is no doubt that this is a more traditional part of the country. No one is trying to take away their rights to practice their faith. We'd like to be able to expand the tolerance.
Mishal Husain:
Many people in Pakistan, when asked about the relationship with the United States, say that we're just useful to the United States at certain points in time, like in the war on terror. And when this urgent need is over, they'll forget about us. What do you think about that?
Christina Rocca:
We've heard that. When I go on my trips, I hear that from everybody across the spectrum. And I meet with many people. It's an unfortunate perception. It is not the intention of this administration for this to be a short-term relationship. That's why we took the extraordinary step of going for a multi-year package, which the Congress will have to help us with. But Congress, hopefully, will back us on this.
Mishal Husain:
Is it because of Pakistan's strategic location, because of its use on the war on terror, that you are so interested in Pakistan today?
Christina Rocca:
Well, regional stability is critical. And for Pakistan, the world needs a stable Pakistan, and a Pakistan that is prosperous and successful. And so, that's what we're hoping for.
Mishal Husain:
What do you make of one of the things we saw in the film, the direct claim that a part of Islam is that women should stay in the home?
Christina Rocca:
Well, I'm not in a position to interpret Islam by any means. So, I wouldn't even think to do that. But clearly this is not a position taken by the vast majority of Muslim countries around the world. And we've seen what happens under those circumstances. We saw that under the Taliban. And that is something that obviously, especially as a woman, we really would like to discourage.
Mishal Husain:
Do you think that these parties are the Taliban of Pakistan?
Christina Rocca:
I'm not sure that the exact thing can carry from one country to the other. Every country has its own peculiarities. But certainly, a situation where women are kept from working, kept from school, and kept in the home is something that we would like to not see happen to Pakistan.
Mishal Husain:
Give us your sense of how you view where President Musharraf is at this particular time in terms of the pressures on his job.
Christina Rocca:
Well, President Musharraf clearly has a very difficult job. He has a regional situation that is not yet calm. However, we hope that he will be a force for stability in the region. We certainly count on that. He has a domestic situation which he's working on. We hope to see this current situation resolved constitutionally and democratically. These are very heavy pressures. There's a lot for him to balance. But he's doing a great job. And he's a very courageous man.
Mishal Husain:
But it's a country at a tremendously difficult point in its history.
Christina Rocca:
It is. But it's not insurmountable. And we have full faith that it's moving in the right direction, and will continue to do so.
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca
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