PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: NOVEMBER 28, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003722


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: NOVEMBER 28, 2008

SUMMARY: Reports and photographs of the "Mumbai terror bloodbath"
dominated front pages in all newspapers on Friday. Several
newspapers reported that the "blame game begins" as "commandos
battle to regain Mumbai." President Zardari's reaction to the
Wednesday's terror attacks in Mumbai terming them as "detestable
act," also received wide coverage.Pakistan Defense Minister
Mukhtar's statement ruling out Pakistan's involvement also figured
prominently. Newspapers also highlighted reports that "three
persons were killed in a U.S. drone missile fire in Wana." Also
highlighted were reports that President Zardari in a telephon
conversation with Secretary Rice "took up drone attacks issue."

All major dailies ran editorials on the terrorism incident in Mumbai
and counseled desisting from indulging in the blame game. Suggesting
India a review in its "anti-Muslim policies," the second-largest
Urdu daily, "Nawa-i-Waqt," noted that the "Indian media is still
pointing finger at Pakistan and it is not difficult to assess that
India would put the blame on Pakistan like it did in the case of
Delhi bomb blasts." Another center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan"
noted that "other countries should not be accused of such
regrettable and condemnable incidents. The need is to take joint
measures to check occurrence of such incidents in future." The
English daily, "Dawn," observed that "the latest serial blasts in
the Indian financial capital also represent an immediate test for
the resolve of the two sides not to indulge in a blame game every
time something goes wrong on either side." Another English
newspaper, "Daily Times," wrote: "The need is to work out
cooperative strategies because all states are under threat from the
scourge of terrorism. Unfortunately this is made nearly impossible
by domestic political oppositions and their desire for point
scoring." End Summary.

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


1. "Mumbai Death Toll Rises To 125; India Blames Neighbors" "The
News" (11/28)

"Indian commandos killed the last three gunmen at the Taj Hotel late
Thursday and were sweeping another luxury hotel in search of
hostages and trapped people after militants stormed targets across
Mumbai, leaving 125 people dead."


2. "Attackers Pakistanis: Indian Army" "The Nation" (11/28)

"Militants, who staged multiple attacks in the Indian city of
Mumbai, killing at least 125 people and injuring hundreds more, came
from Pakistan, a senior military official claimed Thursday."


3. "Commandos Battle To Regain Mumbai: Blame Game Begins,
Allegations Leveled Against Pakistan" "Dawn" (11/28)

"As commandos of India's elite anti-terrorism force, the National
Security Guard (NSG),were engaged in fierce battles with terrorists
at some places till late Thursday night, officials claimed that
terrorists had been flushed out from the five-star Taj Hotel, one of
the landmarks of the country's financial and commercial capital."


4. "Zardari Calls It A Detestable Act" "Dawn" (11/28)

"President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
have condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that have left at
least 119 people dead."


5. "Pakistan not involved. Mukhtar." "The Nation" (11/28)

"Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar Thursday ruled out any possibility
of Pakistan involvement in Mumbai terrorist attack."


6. "Bush And Obama Condemn Attacks" "Daily Times" (11/28)

"Joining other world leaders, both President Bush and Barack Obama
have condemned the terrorist attacks in Mumbai."


7. "U.S. Spies Killed In Terrorist Raid" "Daily Times" (11/28)

"Even though the Indian government has refrained from dragging
Islamabad directly into the Mumbai terror attacks, insinuations
suggest that diplomatic relations between the two countries may
suffer in the aftermath of the attacks. It is believed that the
terrorists identified and then killed two senior U.S. intelligence
officers staying at the Taj Mahal Hotel."


8. "World Powers Move To Avert Conflict" "The Nation" (11/28)

"Fearing the birth of grave crisis in Indo-Pak relations in the wake
of Mumbai terrorist attacks, the U.S., UK and other world players
are in constant touch with Islamabad and New Delhi to avert any
possible confrontation between the South Asian nuclear neighbors."


9. "Sophisticated Attacks, But Al Qaeda Link Disputed" "Daily Times"
(11/28)

". . . Some global terrorism experts with experience in South Asia
said that based on the tactics used in the attacks, the group was
probably not linked to Al Qaeda, although other experts challenged
that assertion."


10. "FM proposes Pak-India Intel hotline" "The Nation" (11/28)

"Expressing shock and horror at the terror attack in Mumbai,
Pakistan called for strengthening the joint anti-terrorism mechanism
with India and offered to set up a hotline between intelligence
chiefs of the two countries."


11. "Zardari takes up attacks with Rice" "The Nation" (11/28)

"President Asif Zardari has made a telephonic contact with U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and discussed regional situation
and bilateral relations, reported a private TV channel on
Thursday."


12. "Pak, UK agree to break terrorist network" "The Nation" (11/28)


"Pakistan and UK have agreed to enhance Stretegic Communication
Cooperation to break the communication network of terrorists and
face the future challenges more effectively."


13. "Zardari for Joint Efforts Against Terrorism" "Daily Times"
(11/28)

"President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned Indian Congress leader Sonia
Gandhi on Thursday and said countries of the world should join hands
to tackle terrorism."


14. "Drone kills 4 in Waziristan" "The Nation" (11/28)

"As many as four people including foreigners were killed in drone
attacks on a suspected vehicle of militants near Kharpul area of
Wana in South Waziristan on Thursday."


15. "Pakistan Fears War Against Taliban Spreading" "Daily Times"
(11/28)

"There are growing fears in Pakistan that the war against Taliban is
widening, the BBC reported. It said Pakistan's army was opening up
new fronts against Taliban, who were responding by spreading the
conflict, destabilizing even NWFP's Peshawar city."


16. "Three Militants Killed In Mohmand" "Dawn" (11/28)

"Three militants were killed and several others injured during a
'clean-up operation' in Badi Kore, Aisha Korona and Qella Shah Beg
areas of Mohmand region on Thursday."


17. "Foreign Militants Entering Balochistan Via Pak-Afghan Border"
"Daily Times" (11/28)

"Pakistani intelligence agencies have gathered credible information
on the influx of foreign militants and sophisticated weapons into
Pashtun areas of Baluchistan - with some also headed to Karachi -
via the Pak-Afghan border, sources told Daily Times on Thursday."


18. "Pakistan Gets $3.1bn First Tranche Of IMF Loan" "Dawn" (11/28)

"The much-awaited first tranche from the $7.6 billion IMF loan has
reached Pakistan, according to State Bank's spokesman."


19. "DSP Among Six Killed In Swat Violence" "The News" (11/28)

"Six people, including a deputy superintendent of police, were
killed in fresh incidents of violence in the restive Swat Valley on
Thursday."

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


20. "Mumbai blasts: India should review its anti-Muslim policies" an
editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (11/28)

"Immediately after the Mumbai attacks biased and anti-Muslim Indian
media and officials attempted to accuse Lashkar-e-Tayaba, SAMI (?),
and Jaish Muhammad. On the other hand, foreign media, especially
American and European, openly ascribed the attacks to gang-war and
to some local organization.... The Indian media is still pointing
finger at Pakistan and giving reports of the arrest of a
Pakistani.... It is not difficult to assess that India would put
the blame on Pakistan like it did in the case Delhi bomb blasts....
The government of Pakistan should be vigilant in order to protect
the country against any possible Indian mischief."


21. "Mumbai blasts" an editorial in the center-right Urdu daily
"Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (11/28)

"Other countries should not be accused of such regrettable and
condemnable incidents. Appropriate step for the countries of the
region, especially Pakistan, India and Afghanistan is to jointly
ponder over the situation and take joint measures to check
occurrence of such incidents in future."


22. "Mumbai Blasts," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (11/28)

"Although one can understand the anger and concern which is widely
felt, one would still advise the exercise of constraint in this hour
of crisis. There is need for confidence building between the two
countries. Other than terrorism, talks have also focused on a host
of issues such as disarmament but they sound too optimistic in the
current environment. But even a symbolic cut in defense spending on
both sides of the border would be a welcome step for it will herald
a move towards addressing the major underlying causes of terrorism:
poverty and illiteracy. But for the moment the focus will obviously
be on how the two countries manage the fallout of the Mumbai blasts.
Without apportioning blame on each other they should cooperate in
the investigations to make them productive and facilitate effective
measures for domestic security in the two countries while promoting
bilateral understanding between them."


23. "Terrorism In Mumbai And Its Fallout," an editorial in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (11/28)

"The need is to work out cooperative strategies because all states
are under threat from the scourge of terrorism. Unfortunately this
is made nearly impossible by domestic political oppositions and
their desire for point scoring. In India, the Mumbai attacks will
give the rightwing parties the stick to beat the government with.
The BJP was already getting jittery over investigations that were
spreading into the underground labyrinth of the Parivar's terrorism.
It will now get the opportunity to accuse the UPA government of
being soft on terrorism (read: Muslims). Somewhere along the line it
may also throw in the reference to Pakistan. The speech by Indian
Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh and his assertion that New Delhi will
"take up strongly" the use of neighbors' territory to launch attacks
on India could be a reference to Pakistan or Bangladesh or both. At
the minimum it seems to be an attempt by Dr Singh to pre-empt
criticism from the Hindu right wing."


24. "Mayhem in Mumbai," an editorial in the centrist national
English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (11/28)

"... This reality is a curse for Pakistan. Whereas we may only be a
convenient scapegoat, it is not mere accident that has cast us in
this damning role. Already, we are a nation regarded as the most
dangerous in the world by some assessors. Foreign missions and
agencies have deemed Islamabad too unsafe a place to station the

spouses and children of staff; businessmen hesitate to come to our
shores. Sportsmen now rarely visit. Condemnation from around the
world is pouring in for what happened in Mumbai. Our leaders too
have added their voice strongly to this - but this cannot disguise
the fact that in the aftermath of what has happened Pakistan may be
cast as the key culprit. The assault on the unsuspecting city of
Mumbai, India's business centre and of course the focal point of its
film industry comes as the peace process between the two sides was
warming up. Just days before Pakistan's president had made a daring
set of offers to India. But the terrorist scourge goes beyond this
effort at reaching greater accord. It is today the biggest threat to
the security and sovereignty of Pakistan itself. While terrorists
still lurk in our hills, they will indeed be drone attacks by the
U.S.; when it is alleged ships carrying loads of ammunition for
militants set sail from our shores there will be attributions of
blame. There is no escape from this...."


25. "[Mumbai] Pay attention to inquiry, instead of making
allegations" an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right
Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (11/28)

"If India does not accept Pakistan's offer of a joint investigation
and heaps all the blame [for the Mumbai tragedy] on Pakistan, there
will be no doubt that it is actually the Indian agencies that are
involved in the blasts and they want to achieve their nefarious
objectives through these acts."


26. "Dealing with India," an op-ed by Shafqat Mahmood Ali Bhutto in
the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000)
(11/28)

"... The problem is that one-sided love does not get anyone very
far. There is little or no reciprocity from a similar slice of
Indian society. The result is that despite pious intentions and much
mouthing of the right clichs over the last ten years, we are not
very far from where we were after the bad days of Kargil. The Indian
occupation in Kashmir and egregious human right abuses continue with
equal ferocity. Soldiers of both countries continue to die on
Siachen and the visa regime continues to be tight. If anything new
tensions have cropped up. The stoppage of Chenab river waters after
the commissioning of the Baghliar Dam has highlighted the tricky
issue of sharing river waters...."


27. "Results of Pak-U.S. friendship" an editorial in the
Lahore-based Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 5000) (11/28)

"To make matters worse, U.S. officials even today insist that Al
Qaeda leadership is present in Pakistan's tribal areas, not Iraq.
CIA Chief Michael Hayden has said that the biggest threat is from
Pakistan's tribal areas, where the terrorist leadership is holed up.
Only time will tell what the reality of this propaganda is yet the
motives behind it are not hidden from anyone... U.S. Admiral Mike
Mullen also said recently that junior officers of the Pakistan army
hate the U.S. and support the Taliban. Does he have any evidence to
support such statements? Certainly not.... Keeping in view the
background of Pak-U.S. relations we have to take steps and adopt a
strategy in line with the changing global scenario which helps [us]
recognize friends from foes, and also protects national honor and
sovereignty."


28. "Untenable Justification," an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (11/28)

"As agreed, Washington should be sharing intelligence about the
hideouts of militants with Islamabad and strengthening its
operational capabilities by making available to it the required
equipment that it has been asking for without success. Knowing the
local conditions and terrain, Pakistan would thus be able to take
the militants out without much collateral damage, and, at the same
time, its sensitivities would not be hurt. Thus, the U.S. aerial
raids are not the only way to "keep them (Al-Qaeda activists) on the
run" as General James Conway, head of the Marine Corps and member of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff told The Wall Street Journal; they are
counterproductive..."


29. "Obama's Afghanistan strategy" an Op-ed by Najmuddin A Shaikh in
the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (11/28)

"...The Americans view Pakistan as part of the problem because they

do not think that Pakistan views the Talibanisation of its tribal
areas and the spread of this influence into the Pakistani heartland
as an existential threat to its own survival as a moderate Islamic
state. They further think that Pakistan is intent on somehow
harnessing the Taliban to maintain its influence in Afghanistan
after the departure of foreign forces.
They also view Pakistan as part of the solution because without
using transit facilities through Pakistan, logistic support for
coalition forces in Afghanistan would become difficult if not
impossible; and because without Pakistan's support, the Taliban
cannot be denied the logistic and other support they enjoy in the
borderlands of Pakistan..."


30. Karzai's Frustration," an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(11/28)

"The statement is ludicrous - President Karzai threatening to shoot
down American planes bombing Afghan villages. An expression of his
frustration over the way the U.S.-led war on terror has been going
on in Afghanistan, the statement nevertheless gives an indication of
Karzai's predicament. After seven years of war led by an
international force which has the world's best weapons systems, the
Taliban have not been defeated. Helmand in the south-east continues
to remain a Taliban stronghold, and the militants have managed to
get a foothold even in other provinces, like Ghazni, Nuristan and
Wardak. During a meeting with a UN Security Council delegation,
Karzai accused the foreign governments and private security agencies
of running a parallel government and employing Afghans with a
criminal record...."


31. "Puppet Karzai's protest, why?" an editorial note in the
second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt"
(cir. 125,000) (11/28)

"Criticizing America and its allies, Afghan President Hamid Karzai
said that these countries have established a parallel government in
Afghanistan.... Our rulers should seriously ponder over recent
stand and statements of Karzai and should take effective measures to
stop U.S. air and ground attacks on our soil. To start with we
should stop the supply of foodstuff to the allied forces."


32. "Lethally simple" an Op-ed by Ejaz Haider in the Lahore-based
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (11/28)

"All states and societies today are vulnerable to such acts. But
precisely for that reason there is need to take modernity from
technological advancement to the next level: making the world more
equitable"


33. "A Painful Comedy Of Errors," an op-ed by Sardar Mumtaz Ali
Bhutto in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir.
55,000) (11/28)

"... Ministerial and advisory positions, assistantships, roving
ambassadorships, appointments to high bureaucratic posts and simply
grant of official hospitality to all and sundry have not only been a
backbreaking burden on the depleted the public exchequer but also
created a stink which has become politically damaging. The stature
and image of the government has sunk to rock bottom and its writ
reduced to nothing...."


Feierstein