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US losing fight for public opinion in Pakistan: report


By Our Correspondent


WASHINGTON, July 28: The United States appears to be losing ground in the fight for public opinion in Pakistan, the government-run Voice of America radio reported on Thursday.

The radio notes that Karen Hughes, a close adviser to President Bush, who this week takes on the job for promoting America’s image abroad will face one of the toughest challenges in Pakistan.

As the under-secretary of state for public diplomacy, Ms Hughes will be Washington’s top public relations official, particularly for the Muslim world where America wants to be seen as friendly to the Muslim people.

“Thousands of demonstrators burn American flags and curse the United States as they march through the streets of Islamabad,” says the report, describing the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Guantanamo Bay as a ‘bruising step backward’ for US diplomats struggling to improve America’s reputation in Pakistan.