PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JUNE 03, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002019 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JUNE 03, 2008 SUMMARY: Reports of a bomb blast outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad killing eight people dominated headlines in all newspapers on Tuesday. Also front-paged was the White House statement condemning the incident and urging Pakistan "not to allow terrorists to maintain safe havens on its soil." Newspapers also reported that President Musharraf and Prime Minister Gilani "valued ties with U.S." during their separate meetings with the U.S. Defense delegation led by Under Secretary of Defense Eric S. Edelman. Newspapers also highlighted that Pakistan Defense Secretary told the visiting American Defense delegation that "there are no al Qaeda training centers in the tribal areas." Some newspapers also quoted the Deputy Commissioner of Skardu as denying the "presence of Osama bin Laden in K-2 Mountain's range." Most major dailies ran editorials on the Islamabad bomb blast outside the Danish Embassy. The English daily, "The News," noted that "those seeking some kind of twisted vengeance on the Danes have in fact succeeded merely in bringing immense suffering to the families of Pakistanis and ignominy to the name and image of their company." Another English daily, "The Nation," observed that "the Danish Embassy in Islamabad had been the center of public resentment and ire on account of the cartoon controversy and there have been concerns about its security." The Urdu daily, "Ausaf," wrote: "There is likelihood that the Indian intelligence agency RAW or Israeli secret outfit MOSSAD is to blame for this explosion. As, public resentment was there in Pakistan against the publication of the derogatory cartoons, someone has exploited the charged situation, and targeted the Danish Mission to earn a bad repute for Pakistan." Another Urdu daily, "Mashriq," observed that "there is no obvious reason to link this act of terror with the volatile situation in South and North Waziristan. However, it can be a reprisal of publication of blasphemous caricatures in the Danish newspapers, or it might be retaliation for killing of dozens innocent civilians in the aerial attacks of the NATO troops inside Pakistan." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- ¶1. "Blast Rocks Danish Embassy In High-Security Area: 8 Killed" "Dawn" (06/03) "A car-bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad in one of the most high-security residential districts on Monday, killing eight people and injuring more than 25 others." ¶2. "Terrorism Remains A Real Threat, Says US" "Dawn" (06/03) "The White House urged Pakistan on Monday not to allow terrorists to maintain 'safe havens' on its soil as a car bombing outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad killed eight people and wounded many others. 'It does serve as a reminder to the government of Pakistan and to all governments that terrorism is real, that it cannot be allowed to have safe haven, they must be dealt with and confronted,' said White House press secretary Dana Perino. 'We condemn the terrorist attack, there is no justification for it,' she said." ¶3. "Islamabad Blast Condemned" "Dawn" (06/03) "President Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have condemned Monday's bomb explosion outside the Danish Embassy and said it has fortified Pakistan's resolve to fight terrorism." ¶4. "US Advocates Caution In Light Of Danish Embassy Blast" "Daily Times" (06/02) "The United States Embassy on Monday urged Americans living in Pakistan to avoid the site of the blast that occurred at the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, following the explosion of a large bomb in the area. In a Warden Notice released on its website, the US reminded 'all Americans to use extra precautions when traveling throughout the city." ¶5. "President, Prime Minister Value Ties With US" "The News" (06/03) "Pakistan and the United States on Monday agreed to further enhance their bilateral cooperation in the fields of defence and security matters, especially in intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism efforts. This was decided in a meeting when US Under-Secretary of Defence Eric S. Edelman called on Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad at the Prime Minister Secretariat. In his separate meeting with US Under-Secretary for Defence Eric S. Edelman, heading a six-member delegation, President Pervez Musharraf said the stable and broad-based relationship between Pakistan and United States was in the interest of both countries and also vital for a lasting peace in the region." ¶6. "No Al-Qaeda Centers In Tribal Areas, US Told" "The News" (06/02) "Pakistan on Monday made it clear to the US that there were no Al Qaeda training centers in the tribal areas, emphasizing that cooperation with the US on the war in terror will continue. This was stated by Defence Secretary Kamran Rasool while talking to a ten-member US defence delegation led by Under-Secretary of Defence (policy) Eric Edelman which called on him in Islamabad." ¶7. "Presence Of Usama In K2 Mountains Denied" "The News" (06/02) "Deputy Commissioner of Skardu strongly denied presence of Usama bin Laden in K2 Mountains' range and termed the report as concocted and baseless." ¶8. "CJCSC For Re-adjustments In Terror War Policy" "The News" (06/03) "Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen. Tariq Majid has said the cumulative effect of happenings in the Middle East, sledge-hammer approach of the coalition forces in contiguous Pashtun areas of Afghanistan, cross-border missile strikes causing civilian deaths in Fata and tendency of some of the western countries to micro-manage our counter-terrorism policies have created a perception that the global war on terrorism is directed at Muslims. He was addressing participants of the 7th Shangri-La Dialogue organized in Singapore by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS)." ¶9. "Admiral Mullen Due Today" "The News" (06/02) "Chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff Committee Admiral Michael Mullen would be arriving in Islamabad for a two-day official visit on Tuesday. During his visit, Admiral Mullen would hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart General Tariq Majid, besides meeting key military officials." ¶10. "Taliban Running Parallel Judicial System In Swat" "The Nation" (06/03) "Contrary to what the government claims that Taliban would not establish parallel administration, Maulana Fazlullah and his associates have set up 'Islamic Courts' in most of Matta region, Swat district." ¶11. "US Lawyer Asks Pakistan To Help Free Gitmo Inmate" "The News" (06/03) "An American lawyer pleaded on Monday for the Pakistan Government to intervene on behalf of a prisoner being held at the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba." ¶12. "Pakistan, India Fail To Bridge Differences" "Dawn" (06/03) "Pakistan and India will hold the next round of talks on the Kishan-Ganga project in the third week of July and if the talks fail the issue may be referred to a third party for arbitration. The second round of talks between Indus commissioners of the two countries concluded in Islamabad on Monday without any progress on objections to the project raised by Pakistan." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- ¶13. "Deadly Business," an editorial in the English daily, "The News" (06/03) "Those seeking some kind of twisted vengeance on the Danes have in fact succeeded merely in bringing immense suffering to the families of Pakistanis and ignominy to the image and name of their country. This latest blast proves that it lives on in our midst, and that suicide bombers can strike at random virtually anywhere in our country." ¶14. "A Condemnable Act," an editorial in the English daily, "The Nation" (06/03) "The Danish Embassy in Islamabad has been the centre of public resentment and ire on account of the cartoon controversy and there have been concerns about its security. The police chief rightly confessed that it was a security lapse. Certainly, there is a lot more to be done to make our cities safe from the threat of such bomb attacks." ¶15. "Bomb Blast At Danish Embassy," an editorial in the Urdu daily, "Ausaf" (06/03) "It is not possible to ascertain at the moment that who is behind the bomb blast near the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, however, there is likelihood that the Indian intelligence agency RAW or Israeli secret outfit MOSSAD is to blame for this explosion. Since public resentment was there in Pakistan against the publication of the derogatory cartoons, someone has exploited the charged situation and targeted the Danish Mission to earn a bad repute for Pakistan." ¶16. "Bomb Blast In Islamabad," an editorial in the Urdu daily, "Mashriq" (06/03) "There is no obvious reason to link this act of terror with the volatile situation in South and North Waziristan. However, it can be a reprisal of publication of blasphemous caricatures in the Danish newspapers, or it might be retaliation for killing of dozens innocent civilians in the aerial attacks of the NATO troops inside Pakistan." ¶17. "Bomb Blast In Islamabad," an editorial in the Urdu daily, "Nawa-i-Waqt" (06/03) "The bomb blast proves that the security arrangements were insufficient and the strategy was unsatisfactory. When the government knew about the possibility of Denmark Embassy being a target because of the blasphemous sketches then why did it not take appropriate steps for the security of the embassy?" ¶18. "Bomb Explosion Near Danish Embassy," an editorial in the Urdu daily, "Waqt" (06/08) "It appears that some hidden forces want to sabotage the government's efforts for peace [in tribal areas]. Terrorism almost ended after the dialogue process to establish peace started. Why did it start again? Some circles opine that Americans have reservations over the Pakistani government entering into dialogue with militants and that America does not want progress in the talks, which is why it can make plans to derail the process." ¶19. "Islamabad Blast," an editorial in the English daily, "The Post" (06/03) "It is clear from the blast that there are still loopholes in the security system of the highly sensitive area as the car that was used in the blast was seen roaming the area for about an hour or so. Looked at from another angle, the blast could also be aimed at destabilizing the federal government at a time when it has adopted a policy of making peace deals with the Taliban in FATA and Swat." ¶20. "Aid And Distrust," an op-ed by Syed Mohammad Ali in the English daily, "Daily Times" (06/03) "The Congress, the State Department, and the US Office of Management and Budget all seem to favor tying future aid to specific counterterrorism programs, rather than general military support to Pakistan. Given these ongoing contentions, one wonders what the reaction of our own government should be, which is itself not new to such speculations. Instead of waiting for a US decision, our government should try for once to be more proactive in demonstrating the utilization of incoming funds. This vigilance could be coordinated with the US Embassy within Pakistan itself. If the US authorities lack the capacity for undertaking this responsibility until the accounting procedure has reached a stage and location where no real verifications can take place, then let the burden of accountability rest on the US, instead of Pakistan." ¶21. "Coalition Partners Start Withdrawing From Iraq," an editorial in the English daily, "Pakistan Observer" (06/03) "Coalition forces led by the mighty United States instead of providing freedom to the people have virtually destroyed the entire country and people are now suffering more than they were under the regime of Saddam Hussain. It would be advisable for President Bush and may be his successor to realize that resistance by the Iraqi people to foreign occupation cannot be defeated by the use of force and he should work for finding a solution that enables an honorable exit of American troops from Iraq." Patterson