Pakistan, Between Media Hype and Democratic Idealism
Today’s luncheon was the ninth forum and first of its kind in the series of academicians. Next week we will be hosting Cruz Reynoso the former Associate Supreme Court Justice, previously at UCLA, at present a professor of law at UC Davis School of Law and the Chair of Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality.
This was the first time at Pacifica Institute, a US Diplomat addressed the attendees and shed some light on a very important country in the world which has raised many significant scientists with Nobel Prizes and scholars with great intellect. Today’s topic was Pakistan, Between Media Hype and Democratic Idealism.
A senior Foreign Service officer with more than 25 years of experience — most recently as counselor for public affairs in the American Embassy in Islamabad , Pakistan – serves as a diplomat-in-residence at UCLA for the 2006-07 academic year. Peter J. Kovach is among only 16 Foreign Service officers serving as diplomats-in-residence at universities throughout the United States . Peter Kovach of Bethesda , Maryland joined the Foreign Service in 1980. From 2003-2005, he was Director, Office of Public Diplomacy, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to that, he was the Director of the Foreign Press Centers, Director of the (IPI) Secretariat charged with coordinating U.S. Government-wide communication efforts directed at foreign audiences, and also Director of the former United States Information Agency’s (USIA) Office of Strategic Communications. Earlier, he was the Policy Officer in USIA’s Office of Near Eastern, North African and South Asian Affairs and Branch Chief for the International Visitor Program for the same regions. Kovach has been posted overseas in Japan as Senior Cultural Attaché, in Jordan as Public Affairs Officer, in Morocco as Press Attaché, in Bahrain as Public Affairs Officer and Yemen as Assistant Public Affairs Officer.
Mr Kovach gave a detailed speech about Pakistan . He updated the audience on the history, recent and current developments in the country. Peter Kovach also informed the audience of the regions of Pakistan and their relations with each other and said that he did not like the way some of the major media outlets brought Pakistan to their headlines in a sensational way and he added that a more thorough responsible investigative reporting should be done before covering a sensitive issue.
The luncheon forum came to an end with the Q&As and the attendees were invited for the self served lunch.