PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: NOVEMBER 10, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003538


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK

SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Summary: Articles on two bombing incidents by NATO jets and
Pakistani security forces in Khyber Agency and Bajaur which killed
22 made front-page headlines in several major dailies on Monday.
The English daily, "The News," also highlighted the Salarzai tribal
elders' resolve to "continue an armed drive against the militants."
National Security Advisor Mahmud Durrani's statement made in an
interview with the Newsweek that "drone attacks are souring ties
with the U.S." also received prominent display. All newspapers also
front paged reports that the "government widened dollar scam
investigations."

Several Urdu newspapers ran editorials on the alleged dollar scam.
The Urdu daily, "Express," wrote: "The government should make an
example of those who are involved in this heinous crime - no matter
how influential they are." Criticizing the alleged U.S. drone
attacks on Pakistani tribal areas, the English daily, "The Post,"
noted that such attacks, in fact, "strengthen the terrorists instead
of helping the cause of the war on terror... as militants take
advantage of the situation and are able to lure more recruits into
their fold." Whereas, another English language daily, the "Pakistan
Observer," noted that the "situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating
with the passage of every day and the occupied country is slipping
out of the grip of the United States and NATO forces." End Summary.


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News Stories
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1. "NATO Jets Kill 8 Banned Outfit Members In Khyber" "Daily
Times," "The Nation" (11/10)

"NATO jets today bombed Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency, killing eight
members of a banned outfit - Amar Bil Maroof - and injuring three,
'Dawn News' reported. The channel said the NATO jets targeted
hideouts of the banned outfit in the Moga area near Torkham."


2. "14 Militants Killed In Bajaur" "Dawn" (11/10)

"Fourteen militants and four non-combatants were killed when air
force jets bombed militants' hideouts in Bajaur on Sunday, a
political administration official said."


3. "Salarzais Hold Tight Against Militants" "The News" (11/10)

"Undeterred by the recent suicide attack on a tribal Jirga that
claimed 22 lives, the Salarzai tribal elders on Sunday resolved to
continue their armed drive against the militants, Tribal sources
told 'The News' from Bajaur on telephone."


4. "Drone Attacks Souring Ties With U.S., Says Durrani" "Dawn"
(11/10)

"National Security Adviser Maj-Gen (Retd) Mahmud Ali Durrani has
warned the Bush administration that drone attacks inside Pakistan in
pursuit of suspected terrorist targets continue to spoil relations
between the U.S. and Pakistan. 'It is very distracting for us.
There's collateral damage as well, which upsets the people. So it is
not helping our plan. It really throws a spanner in the works,' Mr.
Durrani said in an interview published in the Newsweek on Sunday."


5. "Government Widens Dollar Scam Investigation" "Daily Times"
(11/10)

"The government widened investigations into the alleged smuggling of
billions of dollars out of Pakistan, as the Federal Investigations
Agency (FIA) questioned top officials of key moneychanger firm
Khanani and Kalia International. The sources said investigators had
found important data from the firm's computers in its sealed II
Chundrigar Road office after Kalia made new disclosures on Sunday."


6. "American Officials Monitoring Forex Scandal In Pakistan"
"Ummat" (11/10)

"The American officials are keeping an eye on the Pakistan's biggest
foreign currency scandal. FIA's cyber crime team has failed to get
access to Khanani and Kaliya money changer company's computers.
Sources to a private TV channel have disclosed that American
officials suspected that foreign money changers companies may have
provided money to extremist militant groups.


7. "IMF Conditions Not Hard: Tarin" "Dawn" (11/10)

"As the countdown begins for Pakistan to formally request the
International Monetary Fund for a bailout package of up to $5
billion, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin has
said the fund's conditions will not be tough, he told newsmen in
Mardan."


8. "Government To Put Forward War On Terror Cost To FoP" "The
Nation" (11/10)

"The PPP-led coalition government will put forward the overall
economic cost Pakistan has incurred so far in the form of losses of
lives, property, military and logistic operations owing to war on
terror to the Friends of Pakistan Forum meeting, taking place in Abu
Dhabi in near future."


9. "U.S. Strikes Proving Counter-Productive: Owais" "Pakistan
Observer" (11/10)

"Owais Ahmed Ghani, Governor North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has
declared in unequivocal tone that Pakistan was by no means
contributing, towards the unrest in neighboring war-trodden country,
rather these were the wrong policies of the United States and her
coalition partners in war against terror which were not only fueling
situation in Afghanistan but also adding to disturbance in our
tribal belt."


10. "Bush Rejects Petraeus Proposal On Predator Attacks" "The News"
(11/10)

"The Bush administration has discarded the proposal stated to be
floated by the Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General David
Petraeus regarding end to predator attacks in the tribal areas of
Pakistan adjacent to the border with Afghanistan, reliable
diplomatic sources disclosed."


11. "6 Civilians Killed In Swat Shelling" "The News" (11/10)

"Six civilians were killed and 10 injured during shelling in Khariri
area of Matta tehsil, while militants blew up two more girl schools
in Kalakot area of the militancy-hit Swat Valley on Sunday."


12. "NGOs Abandoning Projects In FATA, NWFP" "The News" (11/10)

"The Frontier province (NWFP) and its neighboring tribal belt is
fast becoming 'no-go zone' for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs),
forcing a number of national and international organizations to
scrap their multi-million dollar projects in these areas."


13. "ObamQto Reassess Strategy On Pakistan, Afghanistan" "Dawn"
(11/10)

"One of the first priorities of the Obama administration will be to
reassess U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, his aides say.
And as a first step, he has appointed Bruce Riedel, a former CIA
official and adviser to three U.S. presidents on South Asia and the
Middle East as his advisor on Pakistan."


14. "Pakistan to Be On Top Of Obama's Priority: Boucher" "The News"
(11/10)

"U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian and Central Asian
Affairs Richard Boucher on Saturday said that Pakistan and
Afghanistan would be at top of the list in newly present-elect
Barack Obama's foreign policy, while addressing a press conference
in Kabul."


15. "Policies Concerning Pakistan Won't Change: Outgoing U.S.
Consul General" "Ummat" (11/10)

"Outgoing U.S. Consul General in Karachi Kay Anske has said that
following the U.S. presidential election, the policies concerning
Pakistan will not be changed. 'Historic friendship will continue
and we want better relationship with Pakistani political parties,'
said Anske while talking to journalists during her visit to
Jamaat-e-Islami's Karachi office."


16. "U.S. Expert Urges Obama To Be Quick On Kashmir" "The Nation"
(11/10)

"U.S. President-elect Barack Obama should move quickly to deal with
Afghanistan and try to help resolve the Kashmir dispute between
India and Pakistan, Meghan O'Sullivan, a former senior American
national Security Advisor says."


17. "Haqqani Stresses Need To Improve Pakistan Image" "The News"
(11/10)

"Pakistan's envoy to the United States Hussain Haqqani has stressed
a need to make efforts to remove misperceptions about Pakistan in
the West."

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


18. "Illegal Currency Business - Need To Bring Perpetrators To
Justice," an editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000)
(11/10)

"The government should make an example of those who are involved in
this heinous crime - no matter how influential they are."


19. "Illegal Money Transfer," an editorial in the center-right Urdu
daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (11/10)

"After unearthing the foreign exchange scandal it is imperative for
the rulers to pay attention to the country's financial situation,
reduction in government expenditures and imports, and increase in
exports.... Mere statements will not do any good."


20. "Operation Against Smuggling Of Dollar," an editorial in the
Karachi-based right-wing pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu daily "Jasarat"
(cir. 3,000) (11/10)

"The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a big operation
against a big foreign currency company in the country. The charges
against this company are that it has transferred some $10 billion
from the country, and allegedly some government officials are also
involved in this trade. Now there is one logical question that if
any forex company was violating rules, then what was State Bank of
Pakistan (SBP) doing, and why did it remain silent?"


21. "Another Drone Attack," an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (11/10)

"Such attacks, in fact, strengthen the terrorists instead of helping
the cause of the war on terror.... Militants take advantage of the
situation and are able to lure more recruits into their fold....
The U.S. strategy of putting the Pakistan armed forces against the
Taliban seems not to have worked. Such attacks put the government
of Pakistan in an awkward position, with some suspecting the
Pakistan government of having compromised its sovereignty in the
name of fighting the war on terror.... If the border violations
continue, the international support for the war on terror will
dwindle. If the U.S. does not revise its policy of violating our
sovereignty, success in the war against terrorism will remain an
elusive dream."


22. "While U.S. Is Losing Ground In Afghanistan," an editorial in
the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (11/10)

"The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating with the passage of
every day and the occupied country is slipping out of the grip of
the United States and NATO forces.... The recent contacts between
Taliban and Afghan Government, facilitated by the Saudi King, had
the backing of the United States as well is also an indication of
change of American thinking. Now a formal review of the situation
is underway and it is quite likely that with the exit of the
war-mongering Bush administration and assumption of power by Barack
Obama the United States might think it appropriate to wind up
aggression in Afghanistan as well."


23. "Take Practical Steps Instead Of Promises And Announcements,"

an editorial in the Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq"
(cir. 55,000) (11/10)

"It is paradoxical that most of our politicians and rulers believe
that the entire global scenario will be altogether changed with the
change in U.S. administrations. Instead, our rulers must make it
clear to the U.S. that there is now an elected government in
Pakistan, and it is not possible to sidestep the decisions of the
elected parliament. Moreover, we should not delay in making bold
decisions to establish peace in the troubled-areas of FATA and bring
tribesmen in mainstream politics."


24. "Lost In Islamabad," an editorial in the centrist national
English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (11/10)

"Barack Obama has been busy putting together his team and attempting
to instill a sense of confidence in people hit hard by economic
crisis. Whether or not Obama's efforts succeed, only time will
tell; but certainly, for the present there seems to be a new sense
of hope and of inspiration. This ability to inject optimism is
essential to the working of any political system. But sadly,
similar feelings are totally absent from our own setup. Rather than
inspiring trust, our leadership frequently becomes the subject of
scorn and ridicule.... At present, in Islamabad, there is a
continuing sense of chaos and of drift."


25. "The IMF Route," an editorial in the country's premier business
newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (11/10)

"We are certain that if we adopt the IMF route, Friends of Pakistan
Forum and other IFIs will also join the effort and make the task of
stabilizing the economy and ensuring its solvency much easier."


26. "Need To Improve The Fiscal Policy," an editorial in the
Lahore-based Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 5,000) (11/10)

"The flight of $10 billion proves not only the investors'
irresponsible attitude but also their disinterest in national
affairs. However it also proves that these people do not consider
their money safe in Pakistan, hence to protect it and use it better,
they transfer it abroad. To bring this to an end, the government
needs to create an investor friendly atmosphere, give them
incentives and end the present uncertainty - so that business
activity can increase."


27. "Zardari-Nawaz Meeting: Move Beyond Lip-Service, Ensure Mutual
Cooperation," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right
nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (11/10)

"Even the win of the Democratic party in the U.S. presidential polls
did not create awareness in our rulers to reconsider pro-U.S.
policies.... Now that Mian Nawaz Sharif has hinted at cooperation
with the PPP government in the larger interest of the nation,
President Asif Zardari should do more then mere lip-service."


28. "Decisions Should Be Made With Consensus," an editorial in the
leading mass circulation centrist Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000)
(11/10)

"It is the need of the hour to resolve all national issues with
consensus rather than with confrontation and conflicts, and shun all
personal, ethnic and party differences in the larger national
interests. The differences between the government and the
opposition, and the political turmoil are a stumbling block in
resolving the growing economic and financial crisis. It is
commendable that President Asif Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz
Sharif have decided to cooperate with each other to manage the
present state of affairs."


29. "New Pledge Of Co-Existence Between PPP And PML-N," an
editorial in the Karachi-based, pro Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily
"Islam" (cir. 15,000) (11/10)

"As PML-N is enjoying its rule in Punjab, it does not want to
undermine the present political setup. It is following rule of
'live and let live' that is why it is not supporting the lawyers'
movement for the restoration of deposed judges. It seems that PML-N
has made a compromise with the present situation; therefore
President Zardari is rightly expecting PML-N to help the PPP
government out of the current crises. As principles and ethics are
no more important in our decayed political culture, our political
parties should avoid a needless war of words and extend a hand of
cooperation to the government."


30. "One Way To Beat Financial Crisis," an editorial in the
Karachi-based center-right sensationalist Urdu daily "Ummat" (cir.
33,000) (11/10)

"A welcoming meeting between President Zardari and PML-N leader
Nawaz Sharif took place in Islamabad. Reports say the Saudi
Ambassador was also present in the meeting. If the two leaders
agree to deal with the current financial crisis together, then they
should also make known their overseas assets and bring them back in
the country."


31. "Drafting Obama's Agenda," an op-ed by Ahmad Faruqui in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (11/10)

"President-elect Obama declared, 'Change has come.' Nowhere is the
need for change more apparent than in U.S. policy toward
Pakistan.... The war on terror will only be won if Pakistan takes
ownership of it. And it will only do that if its insecurities are
addressed.... While drafting a new Pakistan policy, it would be
best for president-elect Obama to engage in a more fundamental
reassessment of the situation that would bring radical change to the
region."


32. "Let's Give Mr. Mukhtar an Easier Ministry," an op-ed by Ejaz
Haider in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily
Times" (cir. 10,000) (11/10)

"Let's be clear: we can fight the Americans. But it will be very
costly. Any armed struggle must weigh the costs with any perceived
benefits. On the other hand, should we fight the Americans? Are
the Chinese fighting the Americans, or the Indians rolling up their
sleeves? No.... Pakistan and the U.S. are in a cooperative mode in
Afghanistan. This is not a tension-free relationship. But neither
is it one that calls for overt hostilities. The paradigm used by
Islamabad so far has been flawed. Ditto for Washington.... it is
more untenable over the longer run to abdicate all responsibility
for such strikes. Even if we weren't calling for them, if the
strikes do end up taking out targets, the cost of owning them would
have been much less than creating an impression that the Americans
are doing this unilaterally and there is damn-all we can do about
them. Time to rethink what we say. Meanwhile, how about giving
some other ministry to Mr. Mukhtar to reward him for his services to
the PPP."


Patterson