PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 18, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001070 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 18, 2009 Summary: President Zardari's statement made during an interview with British daily, The Sunday Times, that "Swat is just the start," and that the "military operation will be extended to Waziristan" dominated headlines in all newspapers on Monday. All newspapers highlighted President Obama's remarks brushing aside concerns about the safety of Pakistan's nukes. His remarks that "he could consider all options to secure nuclear weapons" if the country became unstable garnered wide coverage. Reports on the "security forces' penetration in Matta and Kanju areas of Malakand division," and "killing of 25 militants" also received extensive coverage. All newspapers underscored report that hundreds of Sunni scholars "rejected" the Taliban brand of Sharia and "fully endorsed" the ongoing military operation in Swat and other areas. Over the weekend, Urdu daily, "Jang," and "The Frontier Post," reported that the "U.S. provided $29 million in wheat and oil for internally displaced people." Most major newspapers ran editorials on a host of subjects including the French nuclear offer, Indian elections, IDPs, bomb explosions in Peshawar, All Parties Conference and so forth. The English daily, "The Post," published an op-ed on Ambassador Patterson, which originally appeared in "Forbes," and maintained: "Patterson hopes to leverage the (Obama) administration's decision to treat Afghanistan and Pakistan jointly to break new ground on intra-regional trade, 'to give the Pakistanis access to Central Asia and eventually to India.'" Commenting on the "French nuclear offer," the prestigious English language daily, "Dawn," observed that "this amounts to a radical change in the international politics of nuclear proliferation that has a direct bearing on Pakistan." However, the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post," noted that "it is the test of the French leadership not to bow before any pressure from any side against the transfer of civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan." The second-largest, Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" cautioned that the "extremists may not have the capability to pose any threat to our nuclear arsenal. However, America and India can conspire (against our nuclear assets)." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "Waziristan Next, Says Zardari" "Dawn" 05/18) "Pakistan is to extend its war on the Taliban beyond Swat into the fiercely independent tribal areas bordering Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership are believed to be hiding. 'We're going to go into Waziristan, all these regions, with army operations,' President Asif Ali Zardari told 'The Sunday Times' in an interview." "All Options Open On Securing Pak Nukes; Says Islamabad's Sovereignty To Be Respected; U.S. Working To Strengthen Pakistan: Obama" "The News" 05/18) "U.S. President Barack Obama has voiced confidence in the safety of Pakistan's nuclear assets. But at the same time, he made it clear that he could consider all options to secure the nuclear weapons, if the country got less stable. 'Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe,' he said in an interview with the Newsweek magazine. 'I don't want to engage in hypotheses around Pakistan, other than to say we have confidence that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe; that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over those arsenals. As Commander-in-Chief, I have to consider all options, but I think that Pakistan's sovereignty has to be respected,' he said." "Forces Enter Matta And Kanju: ISPR" "Dawn" 05/18) "Security forces achieved significant successes in the Malakand operation and 25 militants were killed in clashes on Saturday night and Sunday, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. An army officer also lost his life and seven security personnel, including an army officer, were injured." "Ulema Say Suicide Attacks Are Un-Islamic" "Dawn" (05/18) "Leading Ulema of the country declared on Sunday that suicide attacks and beheading of people were 'un-Islamic' acts and said that militants in Swat and Fata were pursuing the agenda of Pakistan's enemies. The edict was issued at a convention of Ulema and Mashaikh from different parts of the country." "U.S. Provides $28 Million In Wheat And Oil For Internally Displaced Peoples (IPDs)" "The Frontier Post," "Jang" (05/16) "The people of the United States are providing $28 million in agricultural commodities including 50,000 metric tons of wheat valued at $16.8 million, and 6,800 metric tons of vegetable oil valued at $11.2 million for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The U.S. Embassy said in a statement on Friday." "Relief Camps Running Shortage Of Facilities" "The Frontier Post" (05/18) "The fresh influx of displaced persons from military-action-affected areas of Malakand Division has forced the Provincial Government to seek further aid from Federal Government and other donor agencies as it has become out of its reach to accommodate more and more IDPs in the province." "IDPs Number Can Cross 2.5 Million" "The News" (05/18) "The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Buner, Swat and Dir Lower districts has reached nearly two million and could exceed 2.5 million, feared NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Sunday." "Displaced Persons Block Road, Seek Relief" "Dawn" (05/18) "Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the conflict-hit Malakand region blocked the Grand Trunk Road for almost two hours on Saturday against slow pace of registration and non-availability of food packages." "Alarm Expressed Over Influx Of Refugees In Sindh" "Dawn" (05/18) "Expressing alarm over the influx of tens of thousands of Pakhtoons and Afghani people into Sindh following Swat operation, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (Arisar) has announced that a shutter down strike will be observed throughout Sindh on May 25 against the settlement of outsiders." "Malik Asks People Of Secured Areas To Return Home" "Dawn" (05/18) "The military operation in Swat, Dir and Malakand will be taken through its logical end and can be extended to other troubled areas of the province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas to restore the government's writ. This was stated by Interior Minister Rehman Malik at a press conference he in Mardan. Mr. Malik said that over 1,000 suspected militants had been killed in the Swat offensive so far and added that the number of displaced people stood at 1.1 million. He said that people belonging to the cleared areas could return to their homes, adding that they would be provided security and transport." "Lay Down Arms, Malik Asks Taliban" "The News" (05/18) "Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said the Taliban's eyes are on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, but if we can make nuclear assets then we also know very well how to protect them. He said the operation against militants will continue till flushing out of the last miscreant from Swat Valley and asked Taliban to lay down arms or prepare themselves for dire consequences." "Jets Bomb Militants' Hideouts in Upper Dir" "Dawn" (05/18) "Warplanes bombed Taliban hideouts in Upper Dir on Sunday when tribal elders failed to persuade the militants to leave the area. The bombing started at 4:30 p.m., targeting five villages in the district. Several civilian areas were also hit, local people said." "43 Leaders To Help Formulate Anti-Terrorism Plan At APC" "Dawn" (05/18) "An All Parties Conference (APC) convened by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will be held in Islamabad on Monday to devise a national strategy to eradicate the menace of terrorism and to garner support for the military action against the Taliban in Swat and other areas of Malakand. The Prime Minister House has invited leaders of 43 political parties, including those not represented in Parliament." "Taliban Come To Karachi For Medical Treatment And Rest" "Dawn" (05/18) "Taliban fighters seeking money, rest and refuge from U.S. missile strikes are turning up in increasing numbers in Karachi, according to militants, police officials and an intelligence memo." "Four Suspects arrested In Karachi" "Dawn" (05/18) "Police arrested four suspected militants belonging to Al Qaeda following a shootout in Model Colony on Sunday and seized a sizeable quantity of firearms and explosives." "Jamaat Asks Masses To Oppose Military Action" "The News" (05/18) "Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hassan has urged the political forces, rights organizations and masses of the country to speak out against ongoing military operation in Malakand Division, as issues could not be resolved through use of force." "Sufi Seriously Ill: TNSM' "The News" (05/18) "TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad is seriously ill and currently receiving treatment, TNSM spokesman Ameer Izzat Khan told The News via telephone on Sunday." "Slain SSG Heroes Killed 8 Taliban" "The News" (05/18) "Family members of martyred Captain Najam Riaz have made a shocking disclosure about the alleged involvement of an important administrative official of Malakand in the killing of four SSG commandos at the hands of Taliban last week. The heroic tale of brave commandos reveals how the valiant soldiers had broken the necks of eight Taliban, once they realized that they were about to be beheaded. The mother of Shaheed Captain Najam told 'The News.'" "NATO Planes Violate Pak Airspace" "The Nation" (05/18) "Two NATO jet fighters violated Pakistani airspace near Chaman, Pak-Afghanistan bordering area on Sunday. Sources said that the NATO jet fighters continued flights over bordering village for several minutes and then returned to the Afghan side. Flying of these fighters jet sent a wave of panic among the people of bordering areas." "U.S. Decides To Deploy Troops At Pakistan-India Border" "Jang" (05/18) "The U.S. Administration in a very significant move has finalized a plan to deploy its troops at Pakistan-India border, consequently the possibility of a fresh war in the sub-Continent cannot be ruled out. Defense experts are expressing their serious concern on this state of affairs. According to a report of the Press Bureau of India, following the victory of Congress in Indian elections, the U.S. Administration has started finalizing its plan to strengthen its military hold on sub-continent. Initially, the U.S. administration has accomplished its preparations to extend its operation against Taliban. A private news TV channel revealed quoting U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke that U.S. has informed New Delhi about the deployment of U.S. troops at Pakistan-India border. According to the TV channel U.S. Senator John Kerry and Richard Lugar have told media that the U.S. troops would help Pakistan Army in war against Taliban." "U.S. Special Squad Killed Benazir" "The Nation" (05/18) "Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on the orders of the special death squad formed by former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney. It was disclosed by reputed U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh while talking to an Arab TV in an interview." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "French Nuclear 'Offer'," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "If France has now agreed on a deal as the one the U.S. has entered into with India, this amounts to a radical change in the international politics of nuclear proliferation that has a direct bearing on Pakistan. It will be a diplomatic coup of sorts on Mr. Zardari's part if France as well as the Nuclear Suppliers' Group that has imposed an embargo on Islamabad actually agree to reverse their stance. This will enhance Pakistan's nuclear credibility by indicating that it can be trusted." "French N-Deal Offer," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (05/18) "The French offer to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan is a positive sign. This is a new and positive development if this decision is implemented during French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Pakistan in September this year.... Now again it is the test of the French leadership not to bow before any pressure from any side against the transfer of civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan." "Nuclear Program - PM's Clear Assurance," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (05/18) "Good to hear that the government and the army are well aware of the danger to our nuclear program. Not only have both assured about the safety of our nuclear weapons, but the Prime Minister categorically said that no one will be given access to sensitive information.... The government should not shy from naming the enemies of our nuclear program, whether they are extremists or America and India. The extremists may not have the capability to pose any threat to our nuclear arsenal. However, America and India can conspire [against our nuclear assets]." "Pakistan's Nuclear Assets," an editorial in the Karachi-based right-wing pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu daily "Jasarat" (cir. 3,000) (05/18) "Prime Minister Gilani in his policy statement on Pakistan's nuclear policy has finally accepted what we have been saying in our editorials that enemies of Pakistan are eyeing Pakistan's nuclear assets. Prime Minister avoided naming the enemy of Pakistan, however his statement does not convince the people of Pakistan that the nuclear weapons are in safe hands. This is crystal clear to everyone that Pakistan's enemy number one is America who has strengthened India, and Israel. America has not accepted Pakistan, a Muslim sQe, should have nuclear arsenal." "Ambassador To Pakistan's Economy," an op-ed by Maha Atal in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (05/18) "The strategy has four key components. First, Patterson hopes to leverage the administration's decision to treat Afghanistan and Pakistan jointly to break new ground on intra-regional trade, 'to give the Pakistanis access to Central Asia and eventually to India. Secondly, Patterson is attempting to stimulate private investment in Pakistani businesses. Thirdly, Ambassador Patterson has been travelling to U.S. cities with Pakistani business leaders to help them solicit investments from wealthy Americans. Finally, to add an extra layer of security to those investments, Patterson is mobilizing the State Department's own funds in Pakistan to co-invest with local businesses, instead of funding development projects on their own." "Foreign Terrorists In Swat," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (05/18) "The Chief of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR),Major-General Athar Abbas, said Friday that out of the 4,000 militants fighting under the banner of Taliban in the Swat-Malakand region, 400 were 'foreigners' who had been infiltrated from countries bordering Afghanistan 'by foreign agencies.'... Now that our army has unveiled the truth, one can trust the reports since two years ago that 'foreigner' Taliban were busy beheading people in Swat.... Al Qaeda straddles the Durand Line and has a stronghold foothold in the Khost province." "Refugees At Risk," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "Access to camps needs to be restricted; only legitimate representatives of groups which have been registered should be allowed in. Camp authorities too need to be warned about the sex trade now said to be on, so they can be on the alert.... Every crisis, in one way or the other, exposes both the best and the worst of humankind. This is being seen too at the camps.... " "This Is The Cost, The Nation Has To Pay," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/18) "It is essential that security may further be beefed up across the country as well as at the camps of the IDPs because the militants would now get their beard shaved off and try to melt with the displaced persons.... There are however fears among the IDPs that the militants shall not be routed entirely as many might mingle with the fleeing population and will return back with a greater vengeance and punish the people.... For this, people of the area will have to be motivated and persuaded to identify the suspicious persons so that the militants are not able to re-establish their hold in the area after tremendous sacrifices by the people and the security forces." "Politico-Economic Impact Of The Military Operation," an editorial in the country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (05/18) "Given the scale of the economic problems facing the country today, which forced Pakistan to go on a stringent International Monetary Fund program, there is a dearth of resources that can be realistically targeted to meet the emergent needs of the IDPs; thus, the international appeal by the President. Be that as it may, on the domestic front camps have been set up but the consensus is that they are inadequate to meet the numbers that are streaming in from the troubled areas." "Friends Not Masters," an editorial in the Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "There is no exaggeration if we say that whatever is going on in Pakistan right now, only the U.S. is to be blamed for. The day Pakistan decided to discard Taliban, it was entrapped in enormous problems. If the U.S. leaves Afghanistan, there is a possibility that things will improve gradually. However, if it decides to stay there, then it should act like a true friend of Pakistan." "Drones Attacks: U.S. Adds Fuel To Fire," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/18) "Defence analysts here believe that the United States wanted militants to remain engaged in fighting with Pakistan Army so that they are not only weakened but prevented from infiltrating into Afghanistan as American military feared heavy fighting by the resurgent Taliban during summer.... In our view U.S. appears to be unmindful of the ground realities and psyche of the tribal people and continuing with drone attacks which serve like adding fuel to the fire because these attacks instead of weakening the ranks and files of the Taliban are generating more sympathies and support for them." "Correcting The Focus," an op-ed by Imtiaz Gul in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "Almost a dozen countries, the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Italy among them - have appointed special envoys to advise on how to steer Pakistan out of the woods. The overriding objective is to protect Pakistan against radical gangs including those inspired by Al Qaeda or Mullah Omar. They want Pakistan's security establishment to review its threat perception, as enunciated by President Barack Obama.... As a quid pro quo, the club of special envoys needs to reassure Pakistan about its external security by 'neutralizing' the threat from the east. This requires the U.S. to display greater transparency and fairness in its diplomatic exchanges with Pakistan. It must also allay Pakistani fears of an encirclement by the Indo-Afghan-American alliance. Unless Washington can persuade Islamabad that U.S. assistance to India is not a direct threat to Pakistan's strategic security and that it would stand by it in case of any ingress by India, it would be very difficult to get an India-centric Pakistani establishment to counter the long-term strategic threat i.e. the Al Qaeda-led radicalization that may soon become unmanageable." "IDPs" A Test Case," an op-ed by Syed Irfan Ashraf & Fazullah Jan in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "If the IDPs are disillusioned with the government machinery and the response of civil society, the ranks of the Taliban will be swelled. They have lost everything but hope. Lest this hope too is lost, no effort should be spared to mitigate their pain. This is the only way the Taliban can be defeated in this area." "A Tall Order But Still Doable," an op-ed by Huma Yusuf in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "The last thing the Pakistan government needs is to eliminate the Taliban from the northern areas only to find that a new generation of militants has been recruited from amongst the IDPs. That means, in addition to feeding, clothing and housing the IDPs, the government needs to devise ways of monitoring them without automatically criminalizing them. What seems like a tall order is still doable, but only if Pakistan devises a clear strategy to manage the mass displacement, and sticks to it." "Zardari In Washington," an op-ed by Zafar Hilaly in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "Hence this war is as much, if not more, a part of Pakistan's struggle for security as that of the U.S. And, bearing in mind that there are no free lunches, then clearly if we wish to receive aid and ammunition, which we desperately do, we have to lump it and accept being viewed by some as a client state of the U.S. Yes, of course, it is an unpleasant trade off. And yes, it is one that we would not have had to make but for the disastrous policies and strategies of successive military dictators and weak civilian regimes." "Not A War For Apologists," an op-ed by Ahmed Quraishi in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "Pakistan should stop being apologetic about maintaining contacts with some members of the Afghan Taliban, like Haqqani and others. We have interests in this region. And these contacts do not amount to supporting 'terrorism.' The Americans themselves are secretly in touch with the Afghan resistance. The Afghan Taliban can help Pakistan in isolating the fake Pakistani Taliban. If the Americans can't help protect the interest of their Pakistani ally, then Pakistan should step up. The fainthearted in Islamabad need to step aside if they can't handle it." "Reassessing The Threat," an op-ed by Talat Masood in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "We have a reversed ideological blowback and Jihadi groups and the Taliban are both challenging the writ of the state. In functioning as a security state we have lost our economic sovereignty and skewed national priorities. Our dependence on the U.S., China and multilateral agencies has increased manifold. Instead of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of our people we have promoted a nationalistic impulse that is self-consuming and breeding a culture of hatred and distrust." "Congress Victory And Pakistan," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (05/18) "By insisting less on the maxim of 'South Asia for South Asians,' India has gained special leverage in dealing with Pakistan whose economic survival now depends totally on the US and its allies. Letting the Americans become arbiters in the 'Af-Pak crisis' has taken India out of isolation as it deals with its neighbors. Pakistan will be under pressure to proceed against the terrorists it has acknowledged as being located on its soil even though its courts feel inclined to let them off. India will probably be willing to sign trade deals, but anything that Pakistan wants from India will be put on the back burner till Pakistan delivers on the Jihadis in addition to the Taliban." "A Decisive Vote," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/18) "Pakistan now needs to get its priorities clear. In the past we have heard President Asif Ali Zardari speak of a desire for closer ties with India. The President must though realize that good intentions need to be coupled with careful ground laying and discussion, both at home and with the leadership in New Delhi. Mere words otherwise mean nothing at all and can sometimes do more harm than good. In the regional scenario that is now emerging, there will be considerable U.S. interest in better ties between Pakistan and India. The indications of this are already coming in clearly. Islamabad must then see how it can best ensure its own interests are protected while accepting that it has much to gain from a reduction in tensions with New Delhi." "Manmohan Singh Should Resume Peace Talks With Pakistan," an editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (05/18) "Pakistan's establishment knows that holding talks with Manmohan Singh would be easier then initiating them with a new leader. Manmohan Singh's reaction after Mumbai attacks was surprising, but politicians sometimes change there stance keeping in view the situation and he might have done the same. The conditions have changed quite a bit and we expect that the Indian PM will adopt a positive approach in order to take steps to improve relations with Pakistan. In the larger interest of the region India will have to restore peace dialogue with Pakistan." "Indian Lok Sabha Elections," an editorial in the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (05/18) "The Indian Lok Sabha election results brought a good message for India.... Manmohan Singh had reacted very cautiously over Mumbai attacks and did not utter a single word that could be termed aggressive. Manmohan Singh's soft tone is to be praised, but the question is, can his soft words pave a way for resolution of Kashmir issue that is acceptable for the Kashmiris as well?" Patterson