PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 20, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001093 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 20, 2009 Summary: Wednesday's Urdu and English newspapers differed in their choice of lead stories. In the Urdu papers reports that the "security forces were locked in fierce street battles with the Taliban fighters in Swat" dominated headlines. On the contrary, the Secretary Clinton's statement announcing "$110 million aid for IDPs" and the CIA Director Panetta's remarks that the "U.S. does not know the location of all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons" dominated front pages in major English newspapers. Several major newspapers highlighted report of arrest of "five veiled Arabs in Mohmand Agency" (FATA). A top UN official Khalikov's statement that "Pakistan was facing one of the world's worst displacement crises" received extensive coverage. The English dailies, "Dawn," and "Daily Times," published Ambassador Patterson's letter repudiating the erroneous report published recently in some newspapers regarding the alleged "involvement" of the former Vice President Cheney in Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Likewise, dailies "Dawn", "Daily Times," the Urdu daily, "Ausaf," also reported U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh's contradiction describing this news report as "complete madness." Most major dailies ran editorials on the outcome of the All Parties Conference recently held under the auspices of the government to gather backing for the military operation in Swat. The prestigious English daily, "Dawn," observed that "with the overwhelming majority of parliament now behind the government's policy, the Pakistan Army now has a clear mandate to fight and defeat the militants." The centrist national English daily "The News" noted that "it seems clear that all major parties in the country have recognized there is no choice but to battle militants with all the might we can muster." Quite the opposite, the pro-Taliban Jihadi daily "Islam," criticized the state-controlled media for "giving an impression that all the parties extended support to the government for the military operation in Swat valley." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "Street Battles Continue In Swat; 16 More Militants Killed" "The News" (05/20) "Security forces were locked in fierce street battles with the Taliban fighters in Swat Valley, the military said on Tuesday. Military officials said security forces were advancing on several fronts towards Mingora. In the last 24 hours, 16 militants were also killed, the army said." "U.S. Pledges $110 Million For IDPs" "Dawn" (05/20) "The United States on Tuesday announced a $110 million relief package to help those displaced during the military operation in Swat and the adjacent valleys. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who announced the package at a White House briefing, described it as a new U.S. initiative to support the Pakistani people, their government and the military in their fight against the terrorists." "U.S. Wronged Pakistan For 30 Years, Admits Hillary" "Dawn" (05/20) "The U.S. Secretary of State acknowledged on Tuesday that Washington had not been consistent in its dealings with Islamabad. Talking to reporters at the Foreign Press Centre and the White House, Hillary Clinton said 'it is fair to say that our policy towards Pakistan over the last 30 years has been incoherent. I don't know any other word.'" "U.S. Senate Fails To Debate Pak Assistance Bill" "The News" (05/20) "The hearing on the Aid for Pakistan Bill, as endorsed by Chairman U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations John Kerry, announced during President Asif Ali Zardari's recent 9-day visit to America, has not yet started in the Senate's Committee." "Location Of All Pakistan Nukes Not Known: CIA" "Dawn" (05/20) "CIA Director Leon Panetta has said the United States does not know the location of all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons but is confident they are secure. Mr. Panetta spoke days after the top U.S. military officer told Congress there was evidence Pakistan was adding to its nuclear weapons systems and warheads. Pakistan, however, denies this." "Five Veiled Arabs Arrested In Mohmand" "Dawn" (05/20) "At least 13 militants were killed in a clash with security forces following arrest of five burqa-clad (veiled) Arabs, one Afghan national and a local man in Mohmand Agency on Tuesday, an official spokesman said." "UN Calls It One of World's Worst displacement Crises" "Dawn" (05/20) "Pakistan was facing one of the world's worst displacement crises, with aid workers struggling to reach many of the two million people who had fled fighting, Rashid Khalikov, Director of the UN Humanitarian Office in New York said on Tuesday." "Hersh Denies Accusing 'Cheney Squad' Of Killing Benazir" "Dawn" (05/20) "American journalist Seymour Hersh has rejected news reports that quoted him as saying a 'special death squad' working under former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney killed Benazir Bhutto, the award-winning journalist described as 'complete madness,' I have never said that I did have such information." "Nation United Against Militants, Says Zardari" "The News" (05/20) "President Asif Ali Zardari while reiterating Pakistan's commitment to fight militancy in the region on Tuesday said that the government would establish and maintain the writ of the state to ensure the supremacy of rule of law. The entire nation is supporting the ongoing operation against the militants and wanted to flush out menace of terrorism from the areas to ensure peace." "Kayani Holds Talks With NATO Officials" "Dawn" (05/20) "Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani briefed top NATO officers on Tuesday about the fighting in the Swat valley and adjoining districts. The meeting discussed plans to deepen ties between NATO and Pakistan's armed forces by providing training for Pakistani officers in NATO training centers and reviewed the status of NATO's main supply route to landlocked Afghanistan, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said." "Gilani Says No To Self-Styled Islam" "The News" (05/20) "Seeking support of Ulema in the war against militants and terrorists, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said by challenging the writ of the state, the militants had left the government with no other option but to resort to the extreme measure of military action. There is no room for extremism and terrorism in Islam and the government is committed to rooting out this scourge from the country with the help of the people." "Malakand Operation Endorsed By Ulema" "Dawn" (05/20) "Ulema belonging to different schools of thought endorsed on Tuesday the military operation in Malakand division. Speaking at a conference on 'Protecting the country from threats of extremism and terrorism' organized by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Islamabad, they vowed to combat militancy." "Troops Claim Clearing Most Of Sultanwas" "Dawn" (05/20) "The army has made progress in its campaign to secure Sultanwas and is confident that the Buner area will be cleared of militants on Wednesday, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told 'Dawn' on Tuesday. "33 Uzbeks Produced Before Media" "The News" (05/20) "As many as 33 foreign suspected militants, including teenagers, were produced before media by the authorities in Kohat on Tuesday. The spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. Shahid said the militants were arrested from various areas of Darra Adamkhel and Kohat." "13 Militants Killed, 5 Foreigners Held In Mohmand" "The News" (05/20) "Security forces on Tuesday claimed to have killed 13 militants and arrested five foreign combatants in a fierce gunfight near Khapakh check-post in Halimzai Tehsil in the restive Mohmand Agency." "TTP Commander Nabbed In IDPs Camp" "The News" (05/20) "A suspected Commander of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was arrested from Jalozai Camp on Tuesday, an official told 'The News,' adding the militant was residing in the camp along with other internally displaced persons (IDPs)." "Taliban Forcibly Recruit People Against Military" "Daily Times" (05/20) "A Taliban arrested from a Taliban training camp destroyed by security forces in Swat district's Matta tehsil has revealed that the Taliban forcibly recruit and train people to fight against the military, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday." "Mahsuds Fleeing Homes After Zardari's Statement" "The News" (05/20) "Mehsud tribesmen have started fleeing their areas after President Asif Zardari's statement about a possible operation in the South Waziristan Agency. In a recent interview, President Zardari was quoted as saying that the Swat operation was just the start and the troops would now extend their offensive to Waziristan, tribal sources told 'The News.'" "NATO Oil Tankers Attacked" "Dawn" (05/20) "Two tankers supplying oil to NATO forces in Afghanistan were partially damaged when militants attacked them near Chengai Walikhel area on the main Pakistan-Afghanistan road on Tuesday." "ISI Engaged In 'Strategic Hedging,' Alleges Gates" "The News" (05/20) "Accusing the ISI of engaging in 'Strategic Hedging' and 'playing both sides' in Afghanistan, top Pentagon officials have said that getting rid of the Al Qaeda safe haven in Pakistan is the top priority of the U.S. to win the war against terrorism in the region, Gates told the CBS news responding to a question that parts of Pakistan's ISI was still supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan." "Photos Show Islamabad Expanding N-Sites: ISIS" "The Nation" (05/20) "Satellite photos released on Tuesday show Pakistan has expanded two sites crucial to its nuclear program as part of an effort to bolster the destructive power of its atomic arsenal, a U.S. Arms Control Institute claimed. The commercial image reveals a major expansion of a chemical plant complex near Dera Ghazi Khan that produces uranium hexafluoride and uranium metal, materials used to produce nuclear weapons, asserted analysts at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "Spurious And Vicious," a letter to the Editor by U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/20) "Regarding your story 'U.S. Special Squad Killed Benazir' (The Nation, May 18),we take exception to allegations that the U.S. government had anything whatsoever to do with the tragic assassination of Pakistan's former Prime Minister, late Benazir Bhutto. We have deep admiration for Ms. Bhutto and are offended and outraged that your newspaper would republish this especially repugnant brand of spurious and unsubstantiated rumor. Regrettably, these baseless, sensational and third-hand allegations have been repackaged and republished without any responsible attempt at either verification or solicitation of comment from an official source of United States government.... Apart from the circuitous and obscure web of allegations in this story, the most troubling of all is the complete failure to provide an opportunity for the accused party, the United States government, to refute these claims." "A United Front," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "So, with the overwhelming majority of parliament now behind the government's policy, the Pakistan Army now has a clear mandate to fight and defeat the militants. Pakistan, it seems, may have finally turned the page on the militancy issue and at long last may have begun to present a unified national front against the militants. If that is indeed the case, then it has been achieved not a moment too soon given the alarming rise of militancy in recent years.... " "APC Unanimity," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "From the APC, it seems clear that all major parties in the country have recognized there is no choice but to battle militants with all the might we can muster.... The APC verdict will help achieve this with major political leaders making it clear there is no doubt in their minds as to what is needed and why.... But all the political parties, and the rest of us too, need to keep in mind that this may not be the final triumph. A great deal will still need to be done to ensure the victory is a lasting one." "Concerns Of Political Parties On Swat Operation," an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (04/22) "According to independent sources many important political parties including parties in the ruling coalition have criticized military operation in Swat, and the national policies of the government. But it is very regrettable that the state-run media has unfairly tried to give an impression that all the parties extended support to the government for the military operation in Swat valley. Even the declaration of APC also demonstrated that there was no consensus on the issue of Swat operation." "Unanimity Against Militancy And Extremism," an editorial in the leading mass circulation centrist Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (05/20) "After a long time, Pakistani nation heard a good news that the political leadership has expressed a view with unanimity. All the political and religious parties supported the Swat military operation and urged the nation to extend cooperation to alleviate the miseries of the IDPs. Now it is the responsibility of the politicians to inculcate political consciousness as it is the befitting answer to the growing extremism and fanaticism in the society. " "National Consensus On Operation," an editorial in the Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "The government must contact with all those parties and organizations that are against the military operation in Swat to understand their reservations and win their support, so that a complete national consensus and unanimity is developed on this issue as soon as possible." "Full Support," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/20) "The all-parties conference, in which 40-odd political parties participated, did not lend explicit support to the military action but the wording of the resolution it unanimously passed carries indirect approval. The deletion of the clause, 'endorsed the role of armed forces of Pakistan in the present situation and grieved the Shahadat of personnel of these forces' from the original draft of the resolution indicates that the participants did not want to go on record backing an action that could have serious political implications for the country." "One Against Terrorism," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (05/20) "All the main political parties of the country, barring a few exceptions, have fully backed the government and the military in their efforts to eliminate the menace of terrorism. That is very important in the context of the Swat operation and the pressure from the Western world, especially the U.S., to go the whole hog in the fight against extremism. The APC gives the much-needed moral and political support to the government." "Political Leadership Too Supports Operation," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/20) "Monday's APC had more weight because it included parties and leadership outside Parliament as well. It augurs well for the country that the leaders had a threadbare discussion on all issues of concern to the nation including IDPs, propaganda against nuclear assets, despicable drone attacks, arms twisting of the country, deployment of troops on eastern and western borders and conditions being attached to the proposed aid for the country. However, all this would go waste if the Government did not take up these issues in right earnest with the foreign interlocutors." "APC: Better Late Than Never," an editorial in the country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (05/20) "The militants, in all probability, wanted to capture the state power through force, which cannot be allowed at any cost. However, now that the operation has been launched, and the parliament's approval obtained, the government should take it to its logical end...." "Reading The Real Message Of APC," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (05/20) "The 'joint declaration' of the APC simply embodies the assent of all parties to the policy of 'reasserting the sovereignty and writ of the state on territories belonging to the state.' But if you want a more emphatic backing of the military operation, it is not there; and if you want the political parties to take a stand against the Taliban by name, it is not there either. Yet, if you count the numbers in parliament of the parties who have verbalized their support to military action and opposition to the Taliban, you have an overwhelming parliamentary majority.... Of course, the one item agenda helped in steering clear of problems." "The IDP Challenge," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "The scale of displacement is massive: over 2.1 million people, according to the UN, and probably more. The immense challenge of rescuing the bulk of these people from poverty and facilitating their return still lies ahead. That will be possible only when the militancy problem has been resolved once and for all. The IDPs choosing to return home must be offered whatever material or financial help can be given." "Undue Suspicion," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/20) "This will be considered another attempt at putting curbs on Pakistan's legitimate pursuit of nuclear power. Last week, unnecessary apprehensions were expressed about Pakistan's capacity to safeguard its nuclear weapons. It was being contended that the militants could take control of the warheads. Now an equally irrational noise is being created about Pakistan's processing activities.... Pressure building tactics would create more trust deficit between the two, while just the opposite is the need of the hour." "Rehman Malik's Misplaced Fear," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/20) "He (Malik) had made similar but irresponsible comments a few months back when he claimed that FATA Taliban were planning to carry out attacks in Washington and New York, endorsing U.S. propaganda and apprehensions. One fails to understand what objective Mr. Malik has in his mind when he says that Taliban were eyeing our nuclear weapons. Obviously, such statements serve the nefarious designs of our enemies, who want to create a scare about our nuclear assets and our ability to secure them. One may say that Pakistan is perhaps the only country on this planet where even those who ought to be responsible persons come out with such ridiculous statements." "A War On Two Fronts," an op-ed by S.M. Naseem in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "If military action continues for much longer, citizens will get weary and the refugees will get restless and may even succumb to the lure of the Taliban's agenda. There is, therefore, the need to upscale and remove imperfections in the public relief effort, along with increasing the intensity of military action while keeping collateral damage to a minimum. Otherwise, the Taliban will gain ground as modern-day Robin Hoods." "Stop Romanticizing This War," an op-ed by Dr. Haider Mehdi in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/20) "The entire Pakistani leadership is doing exactly all of the three ceaselessly: it is waging a mindless war against its own people, it is alienating its own citizens in a losing battle for their hearts and minds, and its decayed cynicism is leading to separatist movements in Balochistan and the NWFP. If this war continues, soon we will be doing 'ethnic cleansing' in Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP. The strategy of 'romanticizing' this war is ill-conceived. It is about time that Pakistan's political establishment restores a sense of community to its nation which has been torn by a conflict that has been entirely the making of a foreign power and its allies." "Countering Militancy," an op-ed by Khalid Iqbal in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/20) "Any counter extremism military action causes social disturbance and displaces the people in a large number. Humane aspects need to be handled in a sophisticated manner. Good care of IDPs would keep them detached from extremists; however if neglected, they could become sympathizers of militants.... Overall, state and people have to act in unison, compatibility and concord to generate requisite synergy for countering the menace of extremism and the ensuing militancy." "Of Lies, Media Spins And The U.S. Targeting Our Nukes," an op-ed by Shireen M. Mazari in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/20) "Seymour Hersh, in a conversation with this scribe recently from the UAE, hinted that compromises by our political leadership had already been made on the nuclear program. But the U.S. also knows that as long as the Pakistan army remains a strong, cohesive organisation, our nukes cannot be accessed. That is why we need to ensure that this institution does not fall prey to U.S. machinations, including getting bogged down in internal military operations that suffer the same fallout as has happened in all earlier operations in our history. How much more do we need to go through before our leaders see that the threat from the U.S. is equally grave as that from the militants?" "Pak Security Forces Mean Business," an op-ed by Lt. Col. Zaheerul Hassan (R) in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/20) "I feel not any hesitation while saying that militants and their so called leaders are being sponsored and launched in FATA, Swat and other areas by RAW with the tenet support of CIA and Mossad. The unrest of Baluchistan, Bajaur and political instability are directly linked with the present militancy of Swat. The malevolent propaganda of Jews media is targeting Pakistan Military Forces, its agencies and nuclear assets to hit Pakistani solidarity since their masters knew that direct attack on our country is not possible." Patterson