PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: OCTOBER 09, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003231 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: OCTOBER 09, 2008 Summary: Reports of the military briefing given to the elected representatives of the parliament about the worsening situation in FATA and the U.S.-lead 'war on terror' dominated headlines in all newspapers on Thursday. Newspapers reported that "military seeks politicians' support to fight militants." Also front-paged were reports that "Pakistan overshadowed both Iraq and Afghanistan as an area of concern in the second U.S. presidential debate." Reports on the signing into law a bill by President Bush "allowing civilian nuclear trade and transfer of nuclear technology to India" also figured prominently. Newspapers also reported that a Pakistani parliamentary delegation met with the incarcerated Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in the U.S. and found her "in good spirits." Most major dailies ran editorials on the dwindling economic situation in the country while some others continued to comment on the in-camera security briefing being given to the country parliamentarians. The English daily, "Dawn," noted that "Pakistan stands vindicated, for Islamabad had much earlier realized the need for combining force with talks and was quite often reviled, distrusted and subjected to a well-orchestrated 'do more' campaign by people who themselves now appear to be doing some rethinking." Another English daily, "The News," observed that "much of what happens in the future will depend on the impact of the military briefing. After the process ends, it is to be seen if an agreement can be built on what needs to be done." The English daily, "The Nation," noted that "after an in-depth briefing on terrorism, what Parliament needs to do is to devise a consensus policy on the issue, which is posing a serious threat to the country's peace and integrity as well as to its economy." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- ¶1. "Military Seeks Politicians' Support to Fight Militants; Opposition Dissatisfied" "Dawn" (10/09) "The military took elected representatives of the nation into confidence on Wednesday about the worsening situation in FATA, NWFP and Balochistan and the U.S.-led 'war on terror' during a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament held in camera.... A number of opposition lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction with briefing, saying it 'lacked depth and diagnosis.'" ¶2. "Tell More, MPs To Press Today" "The News" (10/09) "Dissatisfied with the contents of Wednesday's briefing, the 
parliamentarians are unwilling to grant the much-needed 'seal of approval' to the government on its policy of war on terror and a heated question-answer session is expected today." ¶3. "Pakistan Main Issue In U.S. Debate" "Dawn" (10/09) "Pakistan overshadowed both Iraq and Afghanistan as an area of concern in the second U.S. presidential debate, requiring both Barack Obama and John McCain to spend a lot of time explaining how they would deal with this country when one of them is elected president on November 4." ¶4. "Bush Signs India N-Deal Law" "Dawn" (10/09) "U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law on Wednesday a bill allowing civilian nuclear trade and transfer of nuclear technology to India. The bill has already been approved by both chambers of the U.S. Congress." ¶5. "Mushahid-Led Delegation Meets Dr. Aafia, Finds Her In Good Spirits" "The News" (10/09) "Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, held in a US prison, fasted through the whole month of Ramazan and was in good spirits, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed, the head of a parliamentary delegation that met her, said." ¶6. "U.S. After Pakhtoons' Soil, Says Azam Hoti" "The News" (10/09) "Former Federal Minister Muhammad Azam Khan Hoti on Wednesday said Pakhtoons' soil was being destabilized under a conspiracy. 'U.S. wants to occupy the natural resources of the region and using Usama bin Laden and Al Qaeda as tools to justify its presence in the area.'" ¶7. "8 Foreigners Among 23 Killed In Bajaur fighting" "The News" (10/09) "After a brief uneasy calm, security forces again started pounding positions of militants in Badano village of Mamond Tehsil of the restive Bajaur Agency on Wednesday, killing 23 people, including eight foreign militants." ¶8. "Swat Taliban Offer Conditional 'Amnesty' To Politicians" "Dawn" (10/09) "Amid reports that elusive commander of the Swat Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah has offered 'amnesty' to the politicians abandoning opposition to the militants, the security forces on Wednesday claimed rounding up 18 Taliban militants, including four close aides of Fazlullah." ¶9. "General Petraeus Praises Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Focus" "The News" (10/09) "General David Patraeus, who later this month assumes leadership of the U.S. Central Command, welcomed on Wednesday Pakistan's increasing focus on combating terrorism in its areas bordering Afghanistan and urged sustained world support for the country's success in the fight." ¶10. "Pakistan's Sovereignty Should Be Respected, Says UN Chief" "Dawn" (10/09) "UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Pakistan and the United States to resolve the issue of American military raids into Pakistani territory in pursuit of militants, emphasizing respect for the country's sovereignty." ¶11. "U.S. Spy Planes Violate Pakistan's Airspace" "Daily Times" (10/09) "Pilot-less drones from Afghanistan violated Pakistani airspace on Wednesday, and flew over various areas of Mohmand Agency, locals said." ¶12. "U.S. Not 'Safe' If Dares Intrusion: Qazi" "The Nation" (10/09) "Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmad warned on Wednesday that Americans would not return safe and sound if they dared intrusion into Pakistan." ¶13. "U.S. Group Terms Pakistan 'Greatest Single Challenge'" "The News" 10/09) "Calling Pakistan the 'greatest single challenge' to the next U.S. administration, a bipartisan group of South Asia experts recommends cutting aid to Pakistan unless it commits itself to the counter-insurgency struggle against the Taliban and Al Qaeda." ¶14. "Opposition Moves Senate On Sale Of Land To U.S." "The News" (10/09) "The opposition on Wednesday moved the Senate seeking an in-house debate on the sale of national land to the United States for building a military base near Tarbela." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- ¶15. "War Briefing," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (10/09) "It is important that a government that is widely viewed as sitting idle as the country bleeds make at least a show of doing something concrete to allay people's fears.... Pakistan stands vindicated, for Islamabad had much earlier realized the need for combining force with talks and was quite often reviled, distrusted and subjected to a well-orchestrated 'do more' campaign by people who themselves now appear to be doing some rethinking. The point to note is that Pakistan should not lose sight of its own perspective of the war, and other capitals should not take Islamabad for granted." ¶16. "Behind Closed Doors," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (10/09) "Much of what happens in the future will depend on the impact of the military briefing. It is anticipated some facts not in the public sphere will be put before representatives, the secrets of the war shared across a broader spectrum. After the process ends, it is to be seen if an agreement can be built on what needs to be done. So far, the absence of such an agreement has handicapped efforts against terrorists." ¶17. "A Policy On Terror," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (10/09) "After an in-depth briefing on terrorism, what Parliament needs to do is to devise a consensus policy on the issue, which is posing a serious threat to the country's peace and integrity as well as to its economy. For this the joint session could be extended till the objective is achieved.... A realization has finally emerged among major political parties that what is at stake is the country's integrity, and something needs to be urgently done to put an end to acts of the sort." ¶18. "Army, India, Al Qaeda And Zardari," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (10/09) "A welcome development is the acceptance by the army that it needs to make the legislators privy to the situation and take them into confidence. Yesterday, it conducted the third in-camera briefing session on the various security threats faced by the country. This is the way of all developed democracies." ¶19. "In-Camera Session Of Parliament," an editorial in the Hyderabad-based liberal and independent Sindhi daily "Kawish" (Cir: 105,000) (10/09) "We welcome present government's decision to brief elected representatives of people on country's current situation relating to operations in FATA and position on war on terrorism. Previous government was mix of civilian and military thus it never felt the need for taking into confidence the civilians, which actually created uncertainty and lack of information among politicians in general and people at large. These briefing will produce very positive results and help parliamentarians understand reality of the situation." ¶20. "When Will We Move Towards Self-Sufficiency?," an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (10/09) "Our rulers must not depend on the U.S. and Britain to such extent that damage our prestige, self-respect, and repute among the international community. Indeed, Pakistan is confronting a very grave economic crisis, and we are advancing towards economic failure, but with the support of people we can manage our problems." ¶21. "Moment Of Reflection For Our Rulers," an editorial in the Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (10/09) "No sane person is asking the Government to declare war against the United States, India or Afghanistan, but people of Pakistan want from its rulers to disclose the evidences about the training camps of terrorists in Afghanistan, and in the Indian state Rajhistan to the international community to expose the designs of the U.S. and its allies. On the contrary, the government officials are creating frustration among people by issuing irresponsible and cowardly statements. Such oratory must be avoided, and we our policy of relying on the U.S. must be immediately revised." ¶22. "Country Requires Desperate Remedies," an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (10/09) "Instead of counting on the United States, we should request China and Arab states for a bailout package." ¶23. "The Act Of Raising Specter Of National Economy's Bankruptcy: Our Rulers Should Rid Themselves Of Bureaucratic Clutches," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (10/09) "Defense Secretary Kamran Rasool is showing us the specter of capitulation if we did not heed the commands given by America and Britain. He was wrong when he said that the war against terrorism is our own war, which cannot be fought or won without U.S. support. By driving in our hearts the fear of otherwise dwindling America our bureaucracy is forcing us to give in before it. If we take the path of self reliance, at least U.S. sanctions would not create any danger for our economy." ¶24. "U.S. And India's Common Target: Pakistan?," an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (10/09) "The Pakistani forces' and public's reaction will be very strong if the U.S., under the supposed pretext of hunting Usama Bin Laden or Taliban training camps, conducts an operation in Pakistan; and as stated by the Indian Foreign Minister Mukerjee in a recent interview India helps [the U.S.]. This reaction will be stronger than that of the Iraqis, Afghans or the Lebanese Hezbollah. As a result, not just the region, but the entire world could be embroiled in devastation. Hence, it would be better if the U.S. avoids taking any such unwise step. In fact, it should try to improve the situation by withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan." ¶25. "U.S. Willing To Talk With Taliban," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-right sensationalist Urdu daily "Ummat" (cir. 33,000) (10/09) "American willingness to hold talks with Taliban and allow Saudi Arabia to play that 'constructive role' comes in wake of the recently hosted meeting of Taliban and Afghan government by the Saudis. It is good that U.S. at least has come to realize this. France has not only supported talks with Taliban but has also offered to facilitate and host the talks. There should not be any harm accepting this French offer." ¶26. "Terror And The Economy," an op-ed by Ikram Sehgal in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (10/09) "The calling of a Joint Session in Parliament for an in-camera briefing by our Intelligence Chiefs is a tremendous plus, both for democracy and for the Armed Forces.... We are fighting two wars, a civil war and a war against terrorism. The civil war being waged against militants in FATA, Swat and Bajaur must be speeded up, a necessary first step in rooting out the cancer of terrorism from our body politic. Success in the war against terrorism is only possible by a change in the perception of our internal situation. The Catch-22, success in both these wars is only possible on the bedrock of a stable economy." ¶27. "Harmonizing Interests," an op-ed by Talat Masood in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (10/09) "Pakistan's policy of ignoring the presence of certain groups in FATA, which are supporting the Afghan Taliban, has to be revised. Not only does it create rifts between the two countries, it also promotes militancy within Pakistan. The U.S., too, cannot continue to ignore Pakistan's vital interests if it seeks genuine cooperation. Pressurizing a country of 160 million people without a quid pro quo does not work. Only a more equitable policy in the region will succeed.... The U.S. should cease cross-border raids, and instead work closely to build up Pakistan's economic and military capacity." Feierstein