PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: OCTOBER 10, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003240


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: OCTOBER 10, 2008

Summary: Reports and photographs on multiple bomb blasts in the
country dominated front pages in all newspapers on Friday.
Newspapers reported that "a suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden
car into headquarters of the Anti-Terrorism Squad of police in
Islamabad injuring eight policemen." Reports that "12 people were
killed when a roadside bomb hit a prison van and a school bus in
Upper Dir (NWFP)" also figured prominently. Also highlighted were
reports that "U.S. drone attack claimed nine lives in Miramshah."
Reports on the killing of "21 militants in Swat bombing" also
received prominent coverage. Newspapers also quoted Assistant
Secretary Boucher and Gen. David Petraeus acknowledging that the
United States "was quite concerned about the situation in the
settled areas of the NWFP." All newspapers also highlighted
President Zardari's statement that "Pakistan will not go bankrupt
due to the ongoing economic crisis." Newspapers also reported that
the legislators "were unhappy over the scant security briefing"
being given to them in an in-camera joint session of the two houses
of parliament.

Newspapers continued to run editorials on the military briefing
being given to the parliamentarians on the security situation in the
country. The English daily, "Dawn," noted that "while it is
certainly parliament's legal prerogative to summon state officials -
uniformed or otherwise - to explain their conduct, the ongoing
classified briefing is a very positive sign for democracy given the
history of army supremacy over parliament." Another national
English daily, "The News," observed that "many who now condemn the
war against terrorists as one fought on behalf of the U.S. forget
that the shadowy outfits that claim to speak in the name of
religion, are largely the creation of Washington. U.S. interests -
not religious zeal - was the prime motive behind their creation."
The second-largest Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" noted that "the
in-camera briefing would be useful only if it is aimed at
formulating a policy to extricate the country from fighting a war of
U.S. interests, otherwise this is a futile exercise." End Summary.


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News Stories
--------------


1. "Bomber Runs Down Anti-Terror Office In Islamabad" "The News"
(10/10)

"At least eight people were injured when a suicide bomber rammed his
explosive-laden vehicle into the central office of anti-terrorist
squad (ATS) located in the premises of Police Headquarters,
Islamabad on Thursday."


2. "Schoolgirls Among 12 Killed In Dir Bomb Blast" "Dawn" (10/10)

"Twelve people, four schoolgirls among them, were killed and 10
others injured when a roadside bomb hit a prison van and a school
bus in Upper Dir district on Thursday."


3. "'U.S. Drone Attack' Claims Nine Lives" "Dawn" (10/10)

"Two missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a residential
compound in Tapai area of North Waziristan on Thursday, killing at
least nine people."


4. "21 Militants Dead In Swat Bombing" "Dawn" (10/10)

"Twenty-one militants and five civilians were killed in bombing by
jet fighters and mortar shelling in various areas of Swat on
Thursday."


5. "Settled Areas A Worry For U.S." "Dawn" (10/10)

"Two senior U.S. officials have warned that Al Qaeda has expanded
its influence from the tribal belt to the settled areas of Pakistan,
attacking targets inside the country's capital city. 'The threat Al
Qaeda poses has materialized over the course of last year in a more
challenging way into Pakistan itself,' said Gen David Petraeus who
takes charge of the U.S. Central Command on Oct 31. At a separate
briefing for Washington-based Pakistani journalists on Thursday,
Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher acknowledged that the
United States was 'quite concerned' about the situation in the
settled areas of the NWFP."


6. "Boucher Reaffirms U.S. Commitment To Pakistan Security" "The
News" (10/10)

"Noting the Pakistani nation's 'broad consensus' on curbing violent
extremism, the United States top diplomat for South Asia on Thursday
reaffirmed Washington's commitment to security and economic support
for the elected government as it takes on 'enormous challenges'
facing the country."


7. "Pakistan Won't Go Bankrupt" "Daily Times" (10/10)

"Pakistan will not go bankrupt due to the ongoing economic crisis,
President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday."


8. "MPs Unhappy Over Scant Security Briefing" "The Nation" (10/10)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would take the Parliament into
confidence on elements of Pak-U.S. cooperation in war on terror when
the in-camera joint session resumes on Monday. Well-placed sources
told "The Nation' on Thursday that the Prime Minister had agreed to
brief the joint sitting of the Parliament after the PML-N and other
Opposition parties conveyed their dissatisfaction with what was said
to be stereotyped briefing on security issues."


9. "No Consensus In Sight On Terror War Policy" "Dawn" (10/10)

"If the government aims at creating a national consensus on its
strategy in the 'war on terror' through the joint session of
parliament, it seems to have failed in its objective as all
opposition groups have been expressing dissatisfaction with the
briefing and the quality of answers to their questions."


10. "Government To Arrange 'Civilian' Briefing For MPs" "Daily
Times" (10/10)

"The government has decided to arrange another closed-door briefing
for parliamentarians on Monday by the Interior Adviser Rehman Malik
after they conveyed their dissatisfaction to Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani over the in-camera briefing given by the army."


11. "Government Outlines Terrorism Strategy On Monday" "The News"
(10/10)

"The government will announce on Monday its strategy to deal with
extremism and terrorism down the road in the sake of the
presentations made by the armed forces before the in-camera session
of the Parliament. Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister
Sherry Rehman will make the strategy public in the Parliament on
behalf of the Federal Government."


12. "Ulema Open Their Heart To MPs On Terror" "The News" (10/10)

"Religious scholars belonging to all schools of thought on Thursday
passionately appealed to the members of the Parliament that military
operations in the tribal areas and Swat should be stopped forthwith
and criminals, anti-state elements and foreign agents should be
caught with the cooperation of local religious scholars and
patriotic elders of respective areas and made example by being
punished publicly."


13. "Involvement Of Jaish-e-Islami Suspected In Islamabad Attack"
"The News" (10/10)

"Preliminary investigations into the Oct 9 Islamabad suicide attack,
targeting the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) headquarters, indicate the
involvement of a Bajaur-based militant group, Jaish-e-Islami
Pakistan (JIP)."


14. "Security Officials Find TTP Letter At Blast Site" "Daily
Times" (10/10)

"Security officials found a letter from the Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan at the Islamabad explosion site, signed by Commander Waliur
Rehman on a Jaish-e-Islami letter pad. Written in Pashto language,
the letter seeks permission from an undisclosed authority to launch
an attack on the Anti-Terror Squad saying the plan of action had
been finalized."


15. "FATA Operation To Continue Despite Growing Terrorism: Rehman
Malik" "The Nation" (10/10)

"PM Advisor on interior Rehman Malik said that despite the growing
terrorists' strikes across countries including suicide bombing, the
ongoing operation in FATA would neither be halted nor abolished,
while taking to a private TV."


16. "U.S. Special Forces And CIA Active In Western Pakistan" "Daily
Times" (10/10)

"Special operations forces of the United States military and CIA
operatives are now conducting regular secret incursions into western
Pakistan, the Washington Post reported on Thursday."


17. "U.S. Warns Citizens Against Traveling To Pakistan" "Daily
Times" (10/10)

"The United States has advised its nationals to avoid unnecessary
travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, a statement issued by
the U.S. State Department after Thursday's suicide blast in
Islamabad, Aaj TV reported on Thursday."


18. "U.S. Ready To Make Peace With Taliban: Gates" "The News"
(10/10)

"The United States would be prepared to reconcile with the Taliban
if the Afghan government pursued talks to end the war, U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday."


19. "Relations Will Sour If The U.S. Does Not Release Dr. Aafia; We
Can Go To The International Court Of justice: Pakistani Senators"
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (10/10)

"The group of Pakistani Senators who have met Dr. Aafia Siddiqi has
said that the U.S. is violating human rights, and U.S.-Pakistan
relations will sour if it does not release Dr. Aafia immediately.
On the other hand, Dr. Aafia has said that U.S. officials maltreated
her during interrogation and three masked person tore her clothes.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said that close-circuit cameras were
recording our meeting therefore we could not ask her the questions
we wanted to."


20. "Karzai's Brother Confirms Presence At Saudi Talks" "Dawn"
(10/10)

"A brother of President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday his visit to
Saudi Arabia last month was part of an Afghan push for the kingdom
to convene peace talks with the Taliban. Qayoum Karzai, the elder
brother of the Afghan president, confirmed that no representatives
of the militia were present at the meeting although the Afghan
delegation had included former Taliban leaders."


21. "Sino-Pak N-Energy Deal Likely During Zardari's Visit" "The
Nation" (10/10)

"Pakistan and china are likely to enter into a vital deal on more
nuclear plants, to be set up on Pakistani soil with Chinese
assistance, during President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to China.
President Zardari will embark next week on his first visit to the
friendly neighboring state."

--------------
Editorials/Op-eds
--------------


22. "An Open Mind, Please," an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(10/10)

"While it is certainly parliament's legal prerogative to summon
state officials - uniformed or otherwise - to explain their conduct,
the ongoing classified briefing is a very positive sign for
democracy given the history of army supremacy over Parliament....
The criticism of the content of the briefing itself was similarly
misguided. The briefing given by the director general of military
operations was criticized for being too focused on military
operations rather than the strategic threat from the militants....
Democracy is about debate and choosing from a menu of alternatives.
Everyone invited had a duty to step forward and make a case for
their own strategy of defeating militancy. Rather than reflexive
opposition to the government, opposition MPs have a duty to uphold
democratic values and protect the people of this country."


23. "State Of War," an editorial in the centrist national English
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"The briefing by military leaders on the prevailing situation in the
north of the country has created a 'mixed' impression. Many who now
condemn the war against terrorists as one fought on behalf of the
U.S. forget that the shadowy outfits that claim to speak in the name
of religion, are largely the creation of Washington. U.S. interests
- not religious zeal - were the prime motive behind their creation."


24. "In Camera' Briefing," an editorial note in the second-largest,
center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000)
(10/10)

"The in camera briefing would be useful only if it is aimed at
formulating a policy to extricate the country from fighting a war of
U.S. interests, otherwise this is a futile exercise."


25. "We Must Back Army Against Terrorists!," an editorial in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (10/10)

"As far as the majority in the joint session is concerned, the
ruling coalition will be able to secure it once again. One good
sign is that even those who oppose military operations predict that
the parliament will decide in favor of fighting this war because it
is Pakistan's war now and not only America's. Pakistan is in bad
economic shape and needs to avoid international isolation. And the
army will need more than just a majority vote. It will need a
'national consensus' and a complete backing from the free media."


26. "In-Camera Briefing," an editorial in the center-right national
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (10/10)

"The briefing has evoked some valuable comments from different
opposition quarters. It has been called 'eyewash' devoid of any
analysis about the course the authorities have adopted.... The view
being expressed by some politicians, that former President Musharraf
should be asked to depose before Parliament about such matters
should be seriously considered. This would facilitate the
formulation of a comprehensive policy to combat the menace."


27. "MPs Are Dissatisfied," an editorial in the Islamabad-based
rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (10/10)

"Parliamentarians and politicians must prove worthy of confidence
being reposed in them especially in this crucial issue that pertains
to the solidarity and security of the country..... It is hoped that
the MPs would get clear answers so that they are able to comprehend
the nature of the issue and give their input for addressing the
challenge effectively."


28. "Members Of Parliament Must Stand Above Party Politics," an
editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir.
10,000) (10/10)

"We, as a frontline state in the U.S.-led war on terror, have lost
thousands of our precious lives during the past several years. In
addition to this, we put our social fabric, and national economy in
danger, but the U.S. is still obliging India immensely, why? And
why is the United States defying our independence and sovereignty?
Why Obama and McCain are debating to harm Pakistan instead of Iran
and North Korea? Time has come to renounce this vicious plan of the
United States, and link our future with China, or else we will keep
on incurring insurmountable losses."


29. "In Camera Session Of Parliament," an editorial in the
Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"It is essential to find out the sources and supply-line of the
terrorists from where they are constantly obtaining arms,
ammunition, communication gadgets, money, and tin-packed food. The
enemies in the garb of friends must also be exposed, and if we have
concrete evidences of connections of intelligence agencies of allied
countries with the terrorist groups, we must review our ties with
these countries to ensure Pakistan's national interests, territorial
integrity and independence."


30. "In Camera Session; Blasts And Rumors," an editorial in liberal
Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (10/10)

"The present extraordinary session of the parliament must continue
until the esteemed members arrive at a unanimous strategy. After
this session, the members must brief their provincial counterparts
and Nazims to prepare their respective constituencies to counter
terrorists. The government and law enforcement agencies alone
cannot control terrorism. The public also needs to be vigilant
about such elements."


31. "Parliament's 'Secret' Session," an editorial in the
center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (10/10)

"Following this 'confidential' session of the parliament, it is
hoped that the politicians will stop expressing reservations about
military operations against terrorists, which undoubtedly take place
with the government's permission. It is also hoped that the army
would also work on the strategy formulated in the joint session. It
must be understood that the war on terror will produce positive
results only when there is complete unity and solidarity."


32. "Islamabad Security Lapse," an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (10/10)

"If these militants have gone thus far to kill innocent people,
destroy property, weaken an emerging economy by not listening to
even moderate Muslim leaders, all in the name of Islam, how can one
even think of times when they wield a political power? Militancy
must be defeated by a united nation with full vigor for its own
survival."


33. "Downward Spiral," an editorial in the centrist national
English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"As before, many questions come to mind. How was the bomber able to
bring a huge volume of explosives into Islamabad at a time when all
roads leading in are so heavily secured? Does a stockpile exist
somewhere within its boundaries? What is the channel for the
intelligence information that militants seem able to access? The
timing of their attack and the target chosen is otherwise hard to
account for. These questions need to be answered. People too need
to be told. There is a feeling that events are spiraling completely
out of control; that the nation is plummeting in a free-fall and no
parachute will open up to save it from a crash. The government and
its managers need to act quickly to some semblance of stability
within the country."


34. "Pakistani Senators And Dr. Aafia," an editorial note in the
second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt"
(cir. 125,000) (10/10)

"Dr. Aafia has denied all allegations against her and said that she
does not expect justice from the U.S. Looking at statements by U.S.
officials, one can see one lie after another. The Pakistani
delegation should press for her release by contacting U.S.
officials. Pakistani Ambassadors Hussain Haqqani and Hussain Haroon
must also speed up their efforts for this Pakistani woman's release.
The government must adopt the path of dignity rather than
compromise."


35. "Reason For Hope In The Fight Against Military," an op-ed by
Shafqat Mahmood in the centrist national English daily "The News"
(cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"What will emerge out of this exercise may not necessarily be the
complete consensus the government hopes for. Already some
discordant voices are being heard complaining about a lack of
substance in the briefing. This is not a surprise because there are
some within the Parliament sympathetic to the avowed goal of the
terrorists; the formation of their version of an Islamic state. This
should not faze the government. In a democracy, there never can be
a complete consensus. Hopefully, what will emerge is a sizeable
majority agreeing to carry forward the fight against militancy."


36. "Of Pakistani Bondage," an op-ed by Ayaz Amir in the centrist
national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"This is brilliant firefighting. First set things on fire, create
conditions which give rise to extremism and militancy, and then
announce that extremism represents the greatest threat to national
security and must be eliminated. Most Pakistanis have no taste for
the Taliban brand of Islam: the Sharia, or somebody's mutilated
understanding of Sharia, imposed at gunpoint. Why it then that is
among ordinary Pakistanis there is not much support for the 'war on
terror'? Because most Pakistanis, despite revulsion against the
Kalashnikov, consider this to be America's war, and consider the
Pakistani leadership and the Pakistan army as playing America's
game."


37. "Complacency Kills," an op-ed by Ayesha Siddiqa in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (10/10)

"As the threat from terrorism increases, Pakistan is more divided
than ever in its response to the challenge. There are many who
believe that it is not Islamabad's war but Washington's, and all the
terrorism that we face is a result of our partnership with the
U.S.... Notwithstanding the demands of groups that desire greater
upward social mobility, the lower classes are the worst off and will
remain so because their fate is not going to change even if the
Taliban-type manage to establish their writ. The militants use
religion to gain power, not to distribute it amongst the
dispossessed. In fact, if the Taliban were to become powerful they
would generate a new set of the dispossessed."


38. "Reconciliation In Afghanistan?," an op-ed by Najmuddin A.
Shaikh in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily
Times" (cir. 10,000) (10/10)

"There are reports that more than 70 percent of the officer corps is
drawn from the Tajiks and that recruitment in the Pashtun areas,
possibly because of Taliban intimidation, remains very low. If a
Tajik-dominated army comes into being, it will provide fuel for a
further ethnic conflict and make even token stability more difficult
to achieve."


Feierstein