PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 06-09, 2008

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003811 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 06-09, 2008 Summary: No Pakistani newspapers were published on Wednesday and Thursday on account of the local Eid holidays. The following media reaction is based on newspapers of December 6-9, 2008. END Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "Pakistan Renews Cooperation Offer; International Obligations To Be Fulfilled: Defence Committee" "Dawn" (12/09) "Pakistan has renewed its offer of full cooperation to India, including intelligence-sharing and assistance in investigation into the Mumbai attacks as well as setting up a joint investigation commission. The announcement was made on Monday after a meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet." "Pakistan Has Taken Positive Steps: U.S." "Dawn" (12/09) "The United States said on Monday that Pakistan had taken 'some positive steps' to help India probe the attacks in Mumbai, but added that more cooperation was needed to prevent any follow-on attacks. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday to brief her on actions taken by Pakistan since her visit to Islamabad and Delhi last week, Rice's spokesman Sean McCormack said." "Pakistan Had Historic Ties With Lashkar: Rice" "Dawn" (12/09) "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the Pakistani establishment has had historic ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba although now it's committed to fighting them. In an interview to CNN on Sunday evening, Ms Rice read out a charge-sheet against the Lashkar, spelling out the reasons for taking action against the group which, she said, was not only involved in the Mumbai attacks but also moved in "the same circles" as Al Qaeda." "Operation Against LeT-Dawa Launched In AJK" "Dawn" (12/08) "Security forces have launched a 'quiet' crackdown on activists belonging to the banned Jihadi outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in different parts of the country and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said that more than 20 members of the banned organisation and Lashkar-i-Taiba's 'commander' Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi had been arrested." "Operation continues against LeT-Dawa" "Dawn" (12/09) "The government launched on Monday a countrywide crackdown on the banned Jihadi outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and charity organisation Jamaatud Dawa. Over two dozen people, including top Lashkar commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi wanted by India in connection with the Mumbai carnage, have been arrested." "Extradition Demand Rejected In Response To Demarche" "Dawn" (12/09) "Pakistan has rejected India's demand to extradite three fugitives and urged it to share evidence proving that elements from this country territory had carried out the recent attacks in Mumbai." "Militants Torch 150 NATO Supply Vehicles" "Dawn" (12/08) "At least 150 trucks, loaded with supplies and military vehicles and other hardware for NATO forces in Afghanistan, were set on fire by militants who attacked two terminals on the city's main Ring Road, Peshawar early on Sunday morning." "Attacks On Supply Depots 'Insignificant': U.S." "Dawn" (12/09) "The United States on Monday down-played back-to-back insurgent attacks on NATO military depots in Pakistan as having an 'insignificant' impact on the overall U.S. and NATO Military effort in Afghanistan, said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman." "Mullah Omar Vows Violent Response To U.S. Troop Increase" "Dawn" (12/09) "The Taliban's fugitive leader said the planned increase in US troops in Afghanistan would give his fighters incentive to kill and maim more Americans than ever." "Pakistani Soil Was Used In Attacks: Rice: Mumbai Carnage" "Dawn" (12/08) "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday there was evidence to suggest that people living in Pakistan were involved in the recent attacks in Mumbai.... 'I made very clear to the Pakistanis that we are a friend of Pakistan, we are an ally of Pakistan, but when something like this happens, the United States expects Pakistan to act,' she said." "Zardari Sent Right Signals After Attacks, Says Obama" "Dawn" (12/08) "President-elect Barack Obama offered guarded praise for the actions of President Asif Ali Zardari in the aftermath of Mumbai bombings saying 'he has sent the right signals,' and expressed hope for establishing 'close, effective working relationship,' in an interview with NBC News for the 'Meet The Press' program on Sunday, Mr. Obama was asked about President Zardari's response to the terrorist attacks in India." "Pakistan, India In A War Of Words" "The News" (12/08) "Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee while commenting on news items published in the media about a threatening call made by him to President Asif Ali Zardari on November 28, said he had not made such a call to him. However, Pakistan rejected the statement of Indian foreign minister by declaring it ridiculous." "Reports About U.S. Pressure For Gul's Extradition Denied" "Dawn" (12/08) "The United States has not asked Pakistan to hand over former ISI Chief Hamid Gul to India, U.S. and diplomatic sources told 'Dawn' on Sunday." "Fresh U.S. Troops To Be Deployed Around Kabul" "Dawn" (12/08) "The United States would deploy the first of its new forces arriving in Afghanistan next year around Kabul, a U.S. General Mark Milley, deputy commander of operations in Afghanistan's east said on Sunday, reflecting fears the Afghan capital was increasingly under threat." "White House Opposes Punitive Strikes; Engagement Advocated" "Dawn" (12/07) "The White House has refused to support calls for punitive actions against Pakistan, insisting that the best way to resolve the current crisis was to stay engaged with both India and Pakistan, We want to see cooperation by all the parties involved to make sure that we understand what happened last week, said Scott Stanzel a Friday afternoon briefing at the White House." "U.S. To Seek UN Curbs Against Pakistani Suspects" "Dawn" (12/07) "The United States is planning to send the names of some Pakistani individuals and Pakistan-based groups to the UN Security Council for tightening sanctions against them. The issue came up at a briefing on Friday when a reporter asked State Department's deputy spokesman Robert Wood to confirm." "Nawaz Meets McCain, Calls A Spade A Spade" "The News" (12/07) "The Bush administration on Saturday conveyed a secret message to former premier Nawaz Sharif that it was in the supreme interest of Pakistan to fully 'satisfy' a furious Indian government on the Mumbai terrorist attacks.... An official revealed Rice was chosen to deliver a strongly worded message to Pakistani leaders about the growing anti-Pakistan sentiments in India. But McCain was assigned with delivering a similar message to Nawaz Sharif." "Pakistan To Thwart Terrorist Designs, U.S. Senators Told" "Dawn" (12/07) "Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan will thwart any attempt by terrorists to use its territory for their 'nefarious designs.' Prime Minister told a U.S. Senate delegation, led by unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, which called on him at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad on Saturday." "McCain For Respect To Pak Sovereignty" "The News" (12/07) "Visiting U.S. former presidential candidate Senator John McCain on Saturday hoped that the Obama administration in the United States will respect Pakistan's sovereignty. McCain expressed these views while meeting Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Islamabad." "McCain-Led U.S. Senators Arrive To Discuss Crisis" "The Nation" (12/06) "A group of three leading U.S. Senators led by unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, arrived in Islamabad on Friday to discuss the Indo-Pak crisis and urge the Pakistani leadership for strong action against terrorists." "13 Militants Among 26 Killed In Swat" "The News" (12/07) "Despite the announcement of a unilateral ceasefire by the militants, at least 26 people, including 13 militants and two security forces personnel, lost their lives in the ongoing military operation and incidents of violence in the Swat Valley on Saturday." "Rice Tells Pakistan To Act 'Or U.S. Will'" "Dawn" (12/06) "The U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, is reported to have told Pakistan that there is 'irrefutable evidence' of involvement of elements in the country in the Mumbai attacks and that it needs to act urgently and effectively to avert a strong international response...." "Pakistan Awaiting 'Concrete Proof' Says Zardari" "Dawn" (12/06) "Pakistan is awaiting "concrete proof" on suspicions that a Pakistan-based militant group was behind last week's deadly attacks in Mumbai, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday." "Zardari, Gul, Karzai Join Forces Against Terrorists; Asif Says Mumbai Disaster Not To Affect War On Terror" "The News" (12/06) "Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey on Friday vowed to evolve a joint strategy to combat terrorism, work for regional peace, security and stability, while burying the past differences." "Pakistan Ready To Engage India In Exposing Hidden Hands: PM" "The Nation" (12/06) "Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday reiterated Pakistan's commitment to engage India in exposing the hidden hands behind Mumbai terror attacks." "Pakistan Not Moving Troops From Afghan Border: U.S." "Dawn" (12/06) "Pakistan has assured the United States it is not withdrawing troops from the Afghan border despite tensions with India following the Mumbai terrorist attacks, a U.S. general Major General Michael S. Tucker, the deputy chief of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Friday." "Car Bomb Devastates Peshawar Market; 22 Killed, 90 Injured" "Dawn" (12/06) "At least 22 people were killed and over 90 others injured when a car bomb ripped through a congested locality of Kocha Risaldar near Qissa Khwani Bazaar on Friday evening." "Three Die In Miramshah Drone Attack" "Dawn" (12/06) "A missile strike by a suspected U.S. drone killed at least three people on Friday in a Pakistani tribal area, a security official said." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "The Terrorism Riddle," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (12/09) "If Lashkar-e-Taiba has grown to a position of such strength that it could execute the Mumbai attacks with consummate ease, it has not done so in a vacuum.... So for Pakistan the priority then must be to push back against all militants, not just the ones that the US or India wants us to stamp out. However, no plan will succeed if foreign countries regard terrorism in Pakistan in a piecemeal way that only narrowly focuses on their own interests." "Operation Against LT," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/09) "The crackdown on Lashkar-e- Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa activists, leading to the arrest of some of its key commanders, comes amid unrelenting U.S. pressure to act against suspects in the Mumbai terror attacks.... The failure to own the action raises disturbing questions regarding how and at what level the decision was taken, and if all relevant people were taken into confidence.... This could encourage India to make other unreasonable demands." "Rice Put Her Weight On Indian Side," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (12/09) "The U.S. top diplomat said on return to Washington makes it clear that the United States has decided to adopt a partisan approach in favor of India. The remarks of Dr. Rice are self-contradictory and send a loud and clear message of bias against Pakistan.... By doing so the United States has lost credibility as honest broker and one can say without fear of contradiction that Washington was in a way trying to maintain tempo of anti-Pakistani tirade. The United States is clearly identifying itself with the interests of India and that too at the cost of its old ally." "U.S. And Indian Allegations," an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (12/09) "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that we have evidence that the terrorists in Mumbai used Pakistani soil.... What can this statement of the U.S. Secretary of State be called other than a plot against Pakistan.... This statement of the U.S. Secretary of State can only be termed interference in Pakistan's internal matters as it was made only to appease India." "Struggle Against Terrorism," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (12/07) "Unfortunately, in the aftermath of Mumbai terrorism, America is siding with India in its campaign against Pakistan.... According to a press report, America and India have asked Pakistan to take action against terrorists otherwise 'we will take action.' India has written two letters to Pakistan, whereas Pakistan says that Secretary Rice did not visit Pakistan to give it directions.... The government of Pakistan should focus on Indian conspiracies and America's anti-Islam designs." "Indian Designs, American Lollypop And Demands Of National Defense," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (12/06) "Looking at the emergent nature of the American Secretary of State's South Asia visit and her advice to India to refrain from any strict action demonstrates that India is up to some mischief against Pakistan.... The government of Pakistan should stick to its justified stand.... America, Israel and India collaboration is dangerous for the entire region and Pakistan and a 1971 like mischief could be repeated." "India: Why Does India Always Wait For An American Order?," an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (12/06) "Following a brief tour of Pakistan, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that India must not take any step that has devastating results. She added that she did not feel any threat of an Indo-Pak war.... It seems from the U.S. Secretary of State's visit that India has saved itself from making a gigantic mistake by deciding not to attack Pakistan. But why does it always wait for an American order; it must act wisely on its own." "International Pressure And The U.S. Secretary Of State's Visit To Pakistan," an editorial in Lahore-based Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 5,000) (12/06) "It can be said that the U.S. Secretary of State was successful in the mission of bringing an improvement in Indo-Pak relations.... She also said that Pakistan must take effective measures against terrorists and that both India and Pakistan must jointly bring terrorists to justice. However, India has always declined such an alliance." "Indo-Pak Tension And American Role," an editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (12/06) "Secretary Rice's statement that all information about the Mumbai attacks has been provided to Pakistan points to the fact that the U.S. has completely accepted the Indian stance. Important U.S. officials are nodding at everything India says and are terming an incident in one Indian city as a threat to global peace. India is also making new allegations every day. It seems as in the days to come, pressure will mount on Pakistan vis-a-vis ISI.... Influenced by India, if the U.S. mounts pressure on Pakistan it should be told that Pakistan can no longer cooperate in the war on terror." "Devil's Advocate," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/08) "The Americans must stop playing the devil's advocate and compel New Delhi to furnish concrete evidence to Islamabad of involvement in the Mumbai tragedy from the Pakistani side. India needs to be delivered a stern warning against creating war hysteria and at the same time also threatening Pakistan's security by spreading its intelligence network in Afghanistan." "Rice & Responsibility," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/06) "In typically tough language, the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, has made clear what Washington expects Pakistan to do in the stormy aftermath of the Mumbai attacks.... The U.S. official played down the possibility of any attack from India while praising the 'focused' approach of the Pakistan government to the terrorist issue. It is obvious Rice was in Islamabad to deliver a stern warning. The impression seems to be that Pakistan is dragging its feet." "U.S. Diplomatic Drive," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (12/06) "The new calm owes much to the strenuous campaign the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice launched by first going to New Delhi and the dashing to Islamabad to secure a diplomatic success and save about 1.5 billion people from what many common friends of Pakistan and India see as a catastrophe if weapons of mass destruction are employed should a war erupt between the two estranged neighbors.... The calm after the departure of Rice from Islamabad would sustain only if Islamabad goes for firm action against militant outfits which directly or indirectly have roots in our soil, and which provide an easy argument of Pakistan's involvement when these groups strike for their clandestine motives anywhere in the world." "Peace And Probe," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/06) "War clouds of war gradually dissipating, demands for a fair probe are also being made by major democracies.... It is time Pakistan seeks proofs from India.... The evidence so far leaded out to the Indian press is flimsy and leads nowhere. Pakistan should have no fears from a fair probe." "Actors And Stages," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/06) "Post to the Mumbai incident we have heard much of the activities of 'non-state actors' with both our own president and the U.S. Secretary of State using the phrase to refer to those who were responsible for the attack, but few will have stopped to consider either what precisely is meant by 'non-state actor' and even fewer to perceive that it is a somewhat disingenuous fig-leaf being deployed to preserve the modesty of the state." "Peshawar Terrorism Weakens Pakistan's Case," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (12/07) "The attack undermines Pakistan's protest of sovereignty in the face of an international demand for 'cooperation' on terrorist incidents taking place in India. Pakistan has drawn the line on how much it can cooperate and what measure of 'intrusion' it will allow into its sovereign functions in order to get to the bottom of the Mumbai attack." "Talks On Hold," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (12/08) "Instead of playing the blame game, it is time that both India and Pakistan try to root out the menace of terrorism from the South Asian soil. By getting into a war of words and heightened tensions, the two South Asian neighbors are only playing into the hands of terrorists who want to derail the peace process between India and Pakistan.... The people of South Asia need peace. It must not be sacrificed at any cost. Peace must prevail." "The Terrorist Trap," an op-ed by Ahmad Faruqui in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (12/08) "The terror-mongers dispatched the terrorists so as to lure India and Pakistan into a trap. They have succeeded in part. The blame game that has already begun between the official and unofficial elites of the two countries is just as alarming as it is childish. It must be stopped before it escalates into a much more dangerous game." "Rising To The Challenge, Or Are We?," an op-ed by Kamal Siddiqi in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/08) "Pakistanis, for their part, are upset that the Indians have been quick to blame them. But at this point the onus is on Pakistan to act. If it does not do so, chances are that not only will relations with India deteriorate but Pakistan's standing as being in the forefront of the war on terror will also suffer." "Escalating External Pressures," an op-ed by Inayatullah in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/06) "All the more so as pressure on Pakistan from the trio - U.S., India and Israel - is bound to increase tremendously in the days to come. The situation calls for mature thinking, mobilization of the national will and exercise of prudence and restraint in articulating the government's response to external demands and challenges. Quick and snap assurances and commitments must be avoided." "Aftermath Of The Mumbai Attacks," an op-ed by Rahimullah Yusufzai in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/06) "The U.S. and its western allies, and in future India and even Afghanistan, would claim justification in launching strikes on Pakistan's soil due to the admission of President Zardari that the stateless elements based in Pakistan could be involved in terrorist attacks in other countries." "Beware This Trap," an op-ed by Asif Ezdi in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/06) "If Rice's demand for transparency means that we have to satisfy any outside country on the way we conduct our investigations, it must be turned down. Giving India an opportunity to probe into these matters, which is implicit in the proposal for joint investigation, would amount to laying a trap for ourselves." Patterson