SPECIAL REPORT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF SECRETARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 003068 SIPDIS STATE FOR NP, AC, PM STATE FOR INR/MR STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU STATE FOR AID/APRE-A USDOC FOR 4530/IEP/ANESA/OSA FOR BILL MURPHY E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL IN SUBJECT: SPECIAL REPORT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF SECRETARY RICEQS VISIT TO INDIA, PAKISTAN (CONTINUED) ¶1. SUMMARY: For the second day today, the focus of the Indian media stayed on Secretary RiceQs South Asia visit. Her visit to Islamabad and her meetings with the Pakistani leadership received extensive play in the print and electronic media. The mediaQs interpretation of the outcome of her India-Pakistan visits was predictable, at places in tune with their POLITICAL affiliations. With notable exceptions, the majority opinion is that Secretary RiceQs visit was helpful, timely and substantive. End summary. -- QRICE ASKS PAK TO BAN LET FRONT JAMAAT-UL-DWA ¶2. THE TIMES OF INDIA reported that the U.S. leadership has asked Pakistan to immediately ban Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the renamed POLITICAL wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and take action against Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the head of the organization. This would count as an immediate QdeliverableQ by Pakistan following the Mumbai attack, the paper said. ¶3. THE TIMES OF INDIA reported that Secretary made this demand during her meeting with President Zardari in light of the Qincontrovertible evidence of ISIQs complicity shown to her by India. The message was also conveyed by the chairman joint chief of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen when he met Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Kayani on Wednesday, the paper said. -- QRICE PUTS PAKISTAN ON NOTICE ¶4. Most media outlets published the Press Trust of India (PTI) wire agencyQs account of the SecretaryQs Islamabad visit. The report said in a blunt message to Pakistan, the U.S. on Thursday asked it to investigate the QcircumstancesQ under which Mumbai terror attacks were carried out and take the responsibility of dealing with non-state actors operating from its territory. ¶5. Secretary Rice, who held talks with President Zardari and PM Yousuf Gilani, said Pakistan must provide Qrobust and QeffectiveQ cooperation to India in bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror strikes to justice. QWe talked at length about the importance of Pakistan taking its responsibility to deal with those who may use Pakistan territory even if they are non-state actors, PTI quoted the Secretary as saying at a press conference in Islamabad after her meetings with the Pakistani leadership. ¶6. A few newspapers displayed their skepticism about the SecretaryQs Islamabad visit by running the same PTI report with a different introductory paragraph and headline. In its version of the report headlined QRice changes Tune in Islamabad,Q the pro-BJP PIONEER daily said appearing to change her tune after tough talk on the Mumbai attacks, the Secretary said Pakistan Qunderstands its responsibilitiesQ to respond to terrorism wherever it exists. The normally pro-U.S. INDIAN EXPRESS daily also agreed with THE PIONEER, saying in their headline that the Secretary had Qlowered her pitchQ in Islamabad. NEW DELHI 00003068 002 OF 004 -- QZARDARI PROMISES ACTION ¶7. THE HINDUQs Islamabad correspondent Nirupama Subramanian reported that President Zardari promised QstrongQ action against any Pakistani elements found involved in the Mumbai attacks after meeting with Secretary Rice who asked the government here to act with QurgencyQ to bring the perpetrators to book. -- QAFTER RICE VISIT, MULLEN CALLS ON TOP OFFICIALS ¶8. THE INDIAN EXPRESS reported that Qafter a high-profile visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,Q the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, came to New Delhi and met top military leaders in the country and reiterated America's commitment to combat terrorism in the region. EXPRESS and several other media outlets reported that Admiral Mullen met senior Indian civilian and military leaders, including Defense Minister A K Antony, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta. -- QRICE AVOIDS MAURYA, STAYS IN EMBASSY ¶9. THE INDIAN EXPRESS reported that during her New Delhi visit, Secretary Rice stayed at the AmbassadorQs residence Roosevelt House and not at the luxurious Maurya Sheraton hotel where she would normally stay during her visits. In view of the heightened security threat perception, Rice was asked to stay in the Roosevelt House, which is inside the secure environs of the US Embassy, the paper noted. -- QINDIA HAS PROOF ISI TRAINED MUMBAI ATTACKERS ¶10. Sources have told the leading NDTV news channel that India has proof that the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI masterminded the Mumbai attack. Sources said India has specific evidence on the ISI's role -- the names of the ISI trainers and the names of the places where the terrorists were trained. Similar stories appeared in several leading newspapers too. ¶11. Officials told THE HINDU that while India has proof of the involvement of ISI, it will not level a public accusation because the ensuing tension in bilateral relations would play into the hands of those responsible for the incidents. The sources said India did not believe the civilian government in Pakistan was involved in the incidents. Asked about the Pakistani Army chiefQs potential role, they told THE HINDU it would be surprising if the ISI were able to operate without the military leadershipQs knowledge. -- MIXED EDITORIAL COMMENTARY ¶12. Editorial commentary on the SecretaryQs visit was mixed. THE TIMES OF INDIA said the Secretary Qsent out a strong message to PakistanQ during her visit. THE INDIAN EXPRESS welcomed the SecretaryQs call for restraint, but wondered for how long India can hold on. THE MAIL TODAY, NEW DELHI 00003068 003 OF 004 for the second day, took a cynical view of the visit, saying Secretary Rice Qseemed to have done or said precious little.Q The pro-BJP PIONEER said the US advises restraint, which it does not practice when American interests are at stake. Following are some block quotes from latest editorial commentary (see Media Reaction Report for the complete range of commentary in the English and language press today): ¶13. QFIGHT IT DIFFERENTLY,Q editorial in THE TIMES OF INDIA English daily: QU.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice sent a strong message to Pakistan during her visit to New Delhi and Islamabad. Despite a chorus of voices demanding Indian military action against Pakistan, such a course of action, at this point, is not advisable. It is likely that the Pakistani civilian government had little to do with the Mumbai attacks. But there is strong evidence to suspect that elements within the Pakistani army and the ISI were involved in planning the attack. The best way forward would be to build an international coalition, led by the US, to help Pakistan tackle terrorist groups within its border. ¶14. QALLYQS ALLY?Q editorial in THE INDIAN EXPRESS English daily: QUS Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceQs objectives in New Delhi were to express solidarity with the Indian people after the Mumbai aggression and buy time to prevent an escalation of the gathering tension with Pakistan into a military conflict. India is obviously thankful for the first and rightly circumspect on the second. Rice is urging New Delhi to maintain its current restraint to avoid unintended consequences from a potential retaliation. Rice wants India to allow some space for international diplomacy before it exercises its uncontested right to retaliate If Washington has found it so difficult to get the Pakistan army to crack down on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda on its western borders, there is little reason for India to believe that Rice and Mullen can get the ISI to change its colors on India. Nevertheless, it is in IndiaQs own interest to give some time and space for US diplomatic efforts in Pakistan. ¶15. QA RE-ENACTMENT OF THE SAME DRAMA,Q editorial in MAIL TODAY English daily: QIf past experience is anything to go by, a cynical view can be taken of the diplomatic exchanges involving India, Pakistan and the United States in the aftermath of the horrific Mumbai attacks. Steps like India issuing a demarche to Pakistan demanding that Pakistan act against the perpetrators of the mayhem and the US sending across high- level officials to assure India of its cooperation in pressuring Pakistan to take action against such elements are all measures we have had a taste of in the past. These, unfortunately, have delivered little in terms of a lasting change in the situation on the ground. US Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceQs visit to New Delhi on Wednesday seemed a re- enactment of this old script. Besides mouthing platitudes and conveying to India that the US will talk tough with Pakistan, she seemed to have done or said precious little. ¶16. QTELL THE WORLD THE TRUTH; PUNISH PAKISTANQ editorial NEW DELHI 00003068 004 OF 004 in pro-BJP THE PIONEER: QThereQs something nauseating about the manner in which the UPA Government has been petitioning the Government of Pakistan in the hope that Islamabad will do for New Delhi what the latter should do for India. Zardari, after all, has to maintain tradition; much as he may wish to, he cannot entirely disassociate himself from the POLITICAL legacy he has inherited. It is no secret that when push comes to shove, the US will advise QrestraintQ, which, of course, it does not practice when American interests are at stake. Then why plod along a path that leads to nowhere? MULFORD