PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 27, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001145

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: MAY 27, 2009

Summary: Supreme Court's judgment pronouncing former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif eligible to contest
election and hold public office dominated headlines in all
newspapers on Wednesday. All newspapers highlighted Prime
Minister's statement declaring "Malakand division (Swat valley) a
calamity-hit area." President Zardari's remarks that he made while
talking to the visiting delegation of the U.S. senators that
"winning the hearts and minds of the IDPs was a critical component
of the war against militancy, therefore, the international community
must step forward and assist Pakistan in this regard" received
prominent display. All newspapers reported that "ground forces,
backed by tanks and helicopters moved into South Waziristan and
after clashes with militants secured several key areas." Several
major newspapers reported that more "relief supplies for the
displaced persons arrived from the United States," and that the
"U.S. pledged $4 million for HEC (Higher Education Commission)
financial aid program."

Most major dailies ran editorials on a variety of subjects including
the Supreme Court's verdict on Sharif brothers' eligibility, IDPs'
issue, North Korean nuclear tests, and Israel's decision to provide
AWACS aircrafts to India and so forth. The prestigious English
daily, "Dawn," while describing the Supreme Court's verdict as
"positive," also maintained that "there is no doubt that activities
of politicians and public officials need to be scrutinized and the
wrongdoers among them punished." The Karachi-based, pro-Taliban
Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam," termed the verdict as a "significant step
to undo the dictatorial decisions of the Musharraf regime."
However, the Lahore-based populist Urdu daily "Khabrain,"
editorialized that "this is not a good trend in politics that
favorable verdicts are welcomed while allegations are hurled if the
decisions are not favorable." End Summary.

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News Stories
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"From On-The-Run To In-The-Run; SC Allows Sharifs To Contest
Elections" "The News" (05/27)


"The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former Prime Minister and
PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his brother Mian Muhammad
Shahbaz Sharif eligible to contest election and hold public office,
quashing its earlier decision and also of the Lahore High Court,
which had disqualified them."

"Malakand Declared Calamity-Hit Area" "Dawn" (05/27)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has declared the Malakand
division a calamity-hit area and waived land revenue and other taxes
on Tuesday."

"President, PM Say Now It's World's Turn To 'Do More'" "The News"
(05/27)

"President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said winning the hearts and
minds of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) was a critical
component of the war against militancy and, therefore, the
international community must step forward and assist Pakistan in
this regard. He was talking to a delegation of the U.S. Senators,
who called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. The delegation comprised
Senators Thomas Carper, Mark Udall, Jeanne Shaheen, Kay R. Hagan and
Mark Bagich. The U.S. delegation also called on Prime Minister Syed
Yousuf Raza Gilani separately at the Prime Minister House. Talking
to the U.S. Senators, Gilani expressed Pakistan's concern over the
attitude of the international community towards the internally
displaced persons as so far very little of the pledged assistance
had been received."

"U.S. To Help In Resumption Of Pak-India Dialogue: Senators" "Dawn"
(05/27)

"The United States would play a role in resumption of Pakistan-India
composite dialogue for the resolution of all the outstanding issues
between the two countries including the core issue of Kashmir. This
was stated by Senator Thomas Carper leader of the visiting U.S.
Senate delegation during their meeting with Prime Minister Syed
Yousuf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad on
Tuesday afternoon, says an official handout."
"Nuclear Assets Are Safe: Gen. Tariq" "Dawn" (05/27)

"Gen. Tariq Majid, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, has
termed concerns over safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear
assets unfounded. Gen. Tariq was talking to a delegation of U.S.
Senators, led by Thomas Carper, which called on him at the joint
staff Headquarters."

"Troops Clash With Militants In South Waziristan" "Dawn" (05/27)

"Ground forces, backed by tanks and helicopters moved into South
Waziristan on Tuesday and after clashes with militants secured
several key areas and an important road. Official sources said that
six militants were killed and at least 12 others injured. Three
soldiers were injured in the clashes."

"U.S. Provides Urgently Needed Air-Conditioned Tents, Electrical
Generators To IDP Camps" "Dawn" (05/27)

"More urgently needed U.S. relief supplies earmarked for those
displaced by Pakistan's ongoing military operations against
extremists was turned over to Pakistani officials at Chaklala Air
Base near Islamabad on Tuesday. The shipment of 50 air conditioning
units, 25 power generators, and associated electrical distribution
hardware will be sent to camps housing Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs)."

U.S. Provides $4 Million To Expand Higher Education Financial Aid
Programs In Pakistan" "Dawn" (05/27)

"United States Agency for International Development (USAID) National
Conference on Public-Private Partnerships for Higher Education
launched USAID's Higher Education Commission Financial Aid
Development (HEC-FAD) Program. This $4 million program aims to
expand and improve financial aid programs for higher education in
Pakistan."

"U.S. Sets Up Special Counter-Insurgency Fund" "Dawn" (05/27)

"The Obama administration has established a special $400 million
annual fund to help Pakistan fight extremists who Washington fears
could threaten the entire region if not curbed. The program, called
the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capabilities Fund, will provide the
Pakistani military with equipment and training for
counter-insurgency missions. "

"Forces Capture Half Of Mingora; ISPR Says 29 Militants Killed in 24
Hours" "The News" (05/27)

"Security forces have gained control of half of Mingora city and
killed 29 militants in various areas of Swat Valley during the last
24 hours besides arresting 14 others, the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Athar Abbas said on
Tuesday."

"Swat Operation Ahead Of Schedule" "Daily Times" (05/27)

"Operation Rah-e-Rast is ahead of schedule and is forcing the
Taliban to 'give up mentally and psychologically,' Peshawar Corps
Commander Lt Gen Masood Aslam told 'Daily Times' on Tuesday, adding
that more areas have yet to be cleared before declaring an end to
the offensive."

"Operation In Bajaur Imminent, Tribesmen Told" "Dawn" (05/27)

"The administration of the Bajaur Agency has given six days to
Mamond tribesmen to leave the area because of an imminent military
operation for flushing out militants. Political Agent Shafirullah
Khan said that since tribal elders failed to dissuade Taliban from
fighting security forces, the government was left with no other
option but to launch a military operation."

"Seven Militants Killed In SWA" "The News" (05/27)

"The security forces on Tuesday launched a military operation
against the Baitullah Mahsud-led militants in South Waziristan
tribal region, reportedly killing seven militants, official and
tribal sources told 'The News.'"

"Was Fazlullah Taken Out in The Friday Night Bunker Hit?" "The News"
(05/27)

"Mystery surrounds the fate of a top-level Taliban occupant of a
hilltop bunker in village Datta Khra, between the former Taliban
stronghold of Kabal and Shamozai, which was completely destroyed in
a gunship helicopter attack last Friday evening. The possibility of
Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah being the prized casualty is not
being ruled out by top military sources, but due to the sensitivity
of the issue, no one is even willing to brook a guess."

"Cracks Emerge In TTP Ranks" "The Nation" (05/27)

"Pakistani Taliban led by South Waziristan based Baitullah Mehsud is
no more a solidly unified entity as fissures and cracks are emerging
in its ranks and files, an official with knowledge of ongoing
developments in Swat said on Tuesday desiring not to be named. He
said that not only the TTP was experiencing differences in its ranks
but its leader was also facing another serious problem with a tribal
commander Qari Zainuddin challenging his absolute writ in the Mehsud
area of South Waziristan."

"20 Militants, Two Troops Die In Clash" "Dawn" (05/27)

"Twenty militants and two security personnel were killed in a clash
which followed an attack by militants on a checkpoint on Kalpani
(Timergara) hills on late Monday night. According to officials, the
heavy exchange of fire continued for over two hours."

"Three Cops, One Militant Killed In Haripur Encounter" "The News"
(05/27)

"Three cops and a suspected militant were killed and an assistant
sub-inspector (ASI) sustained bullet wounds in a pre-dawn encounter
with local and foreign militants in Malikyar village in Haripur on
Tuesday."

"10 Mahsud Aides Held" "The News" (05/27)

"The Police Special Investigation Unit and Intelligence Agencies in
a joint action arrested eight alleged accomplices of Taliban Supreme
Commander Baitullah Mahsud in Karachi on Tuesday. Sources disclosed
that their 7 accomplices are still at large."

"U.S. Jets Violate Pak Airspace" "The Nation" (05/27)

"Fear and horror were triggered among the masses when America's jet
fighters B-52 intruded into Pakistan's airspace from Afghanistan
border, witnessed said. The jet fighters travelled at low altitude
in the bordering Meradin area, located some 35 Kilometers away from
Miramshah, headquarters of North Waziristan Agency."

"126,000 Fleeing Conflict Zones Daily, Says UN" "Dawn" (05/27)

"About 126,000 people are daily fleeing fighting in northwest
Pakistan in one of the 'fastest major displacements' in recent
years, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday, said Ron Redmond,
spokesman for the UNHCR."

"N. Korea Fires Missiles After Nuclear Test" "Dawn" (05/27)

"North Korea reportedly fired two short-range missiles on Tuesday,
in a move set to heighten tensions after its latest nuclear weapons
test drew global condemnation."

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Editorials/Op-eds
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"A Positive Verdict," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (05/27)

"There is a need for a transparent accountability process of
politicians. Shutting the Sharifs out of politics while others with
dubious pasts were allowed to run for office was wrong. But there
is no doubt that activities of politicians and public officials need
to be scrutinized and the wrongdoers among them punished. If those
tasked with governing the country are themselves above the law, it
makes a mockery of the idea of the rule of law."

"Eligibility Of Sharif Brothers," an editorial in the Karachi-based,
pro-Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (05/27)

"Supreme Court's verdict is a significant step to undo the
dictatorial decisions of the Musharraf regime in the Pakistani
politics. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif must be happy that they
have directly benefited from their struggle for the independence of
judiciary. Time has come for Nawaz Sharif to play his pivotal role
in the politics at this critical juncture."

"Supreme Court Decision On The Sharif Brothers' Eligibility," an
editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily
"Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (05/27)

"Mian Nawaz has reacted to the Supreme Court verdict in his favor by
saying that the country is now heading in the right direction. We
feel that this is not a good trend in politics that favorable
verdicts are welcomed while allegations are hurled if the decisions
are not favorable. This harms the democratic process."

"North Korea's Nuclear Test," an editorial in the center-right Urdu
daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (05/27)

"Prudence demands that discriminatory attitude about nuclear
capabilities [of different countries] should end and all the
countries that have tested nuclear devices should be recognized as
the nuclear powers.... Only then comes the planning to rid the
globe of the nuclear weapons."

"North Korean Test," an editorial in the centrist national English
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/27)

"The double standards applied by the international community in the
case of nuclear weapons need to change. There can be no justice in
permitting them to some while denying them to others. Judging
nations as 'good' or 'bad' will always be a game of subjectivity.
The case of Israel demonstrates the truth in this. The North Korean
experiment is a reminder of this. Atomic bombs are indeed
dangerous. Perhaps a uniform policy aimed at ridding the world of
the menace they present then needs to be applied to all nations,
whether big or small, powerful or weak."

"N. Korea's Nuclear Adventure," an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(05/27)

"What prompted North Korea, an impoverished and economically
devastated country, to opt for its second nuclear test in less than
three years? It will find few supporters for its actions as its
domestic compulsions and foreign policy goals do not really justify
a costly nuclear program. In fact, the latter works against it by
vitiating the environment in the region and raising the suspicions
of neighboring states... Without clear indications on North Korea's
part, the Obama administration has not been able to formulate a
coherent North Korean policy."

"Lessons From North Korea's Test," an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (05/27)

"As Mohamed ElBaradei, the outgoing Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, has made clear, the
non-proliferation regime has to be made fair and the world has to be
configured such that states do not consider that nuclear weapons
potential can be the currency of power - or at least buy security
against external aggression. Mr. Obama talked about banning the
bomb during his campaign. He has also spoken about tightening the
non-proliferation regime. But as Mr. ElBaradei has said, neither
can be done until the U.S. can take the lead and go for deep cuts
before the 2010 NPT review conference. Any move against offending
states like North Korea must have the moral weight of manifest
measures by the bigger powers."

"N. Korea Does It Again," an editorial in the Islamabad-based
rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (05/27)

"International strategic experts are of the opinion that the
objective of the test is to win the attention of the Obama
administration to push the North Korea issue up the agenda.... The
need is to build confidence among the weaker and small nations
against the powerful ones who dictate terms and create instability
through different means. This hostile attitude by the neighbors and
major players in the international arena forces the weaker ones to
pursue for means for deterrence against aggression."

"North Korean N-Tests," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal
English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (05/27)

"North Korean action seems to have put the US in a rather awkward
position, when it chooses to ignore a clandestinely nuclear Israel
and is bent upon unraveling the NPT by providing India civilian use
nuclear technology.... The NPT has lost its significance due to a
unilateralist approach adopted by the US, especially after 9/11.
The U.S. and its allies need to rethink their North Korea policy."

"Provision Of AWACs To India And The Satanic Triumvirate," an
editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (05/27)

"First AWACS plane from Israel has arrived in India.... Pakistan
had been asking for AWACS since 1980s in order to protect its
eastern border from possible Indian aggression. Despite the fact
that Democratic and Republicans admitted the services rendered by
General Ziaul Haq and Musharraf, none of the parties accepted the
two military dictators' requests.... The supply of the AWACS
plane(s) has proved that in this region America only cares about
India."

"India Gets AWACS," an editorial in the center-right national
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (05/27)

"By spending so much, New Delhi on the one hand has ignored millions
of poverty stricken Indians, and on the other, it intends fuelling a
new arms race in the Subcontinent. Pakistan under these
circumstances cannot remain indifferent and would therefore be
forced to take necessary steps. Israel has always sided with New
Delhi in its attempts to dominate Islamabad. Its strategy to arm
India with aircraft that are counted among the most sophisticated in
the world poses a serious threat to Pakistan."

"Induction of AWACS Into South Asia," an editorial in the
Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (05/27)

"The sale of Boeing P-8 maritime patrol aircraft worth $2.1 billion
will take away the edge Pakistan had because of its acquisition of
older generation P-3s from the United States. All this should be a
matter of concern to our policy makers, who must tell the United
States and other countries that Pakistan will have no option but to
upgrade its nuclear deterrence in the face of widening gap in
conventional arms capability between Pakistan and India."

"Taliban Under Pressure," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal
English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (05/27)

"The operation in Swat has exposed the vulnerabilities of the
Taliban elsewhere too. Forced to mobilize on a big scale in South
Waziristan, Mohmand and Orakzai, they have had to expose their Uzbek
and Arab warriors to the Pakistan Army, resulting in their capture.
Knowledge of their tactics by now should enable us to predict their
behavior. The Taliban will melt away. They will begin recovering
from the shock they have received from the Army. The trend of
kidnappings will become strong to fill the fast-emptying kitty of
the Taliban warlord. Funds will be sought from the Arabs in the
Gulf who think that the Taliban are busy defeating the Americans in
Pakistan. And more weapons will be inducted into the region. Now
is the time to broaden and intensify the war against the Taliban and
not give them time to regroup and come back again."

"Military Might," an editorial in the centrist national English
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/27)

"To keep up morale and ensure we can build a united front against
militants, preventing any attempt at a future resurgence, a
long-term recovery plan for Swat and other areas needs to be
announced now. The militant move to pull back from Mingora suggests
they may be thinking of further action at some point later, after
troop numbers have been reduced in the area. This after all is a
game they are experienced in. Our best hope against such tactics is
to ensure local people are ready to fight them off."

"Assistance For IDPs And International Community's
Responsibilities," an editorial in the leading mass circulation
centrist Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (05/27)

"This is the biggest ever internal displacement in Pakistan. No
doubt, the federal government as well as the provincial
administration along with other national and international
organizations are leaving no stone unturned to provide assistance to
the IDPs of Swat valley, but the problem is so enormous that the
international community will have to come forward to lend a helping
hand in these efforts."

"Worrisome Dimensions Of IDPs Issue," an editorial in the
Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (05/27)

"The Government and the international community are doing their best
to provide them every comfort at camps set up close to their areas.
There are apprehensions that IDPs are being misused by land and drug
mafia that is taking them to different corners of the country in
fulfillment of their nefarious designs. This aspect should be
looked into seriously."

"Whose War Is This?," an editorial in the Karachi-based right-wing
pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu daily "Jasarat" (cir. 3,000) (05/27)

"Prime Minister Gilani has declared that the war on terror is
Pakistan's own war. We would like to ask that if this war is ours,
then whom we are fighting with? Are we not fighting with our own
Muslim brethrens? More than 66 thousand expecting mothers have
taken refuge in the IDPs camps. Will Prime Minister tell us for
whose survival this war is vital? Pakistan has suffered more than
anyone else in this American war, how can we call it as our war?"

"Crises That Loom Beyond The Military Action," an op-ed by Shireen

M. Mazari in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir.
55,000) (05/27)

"Coming back to the issue of religious extremism, one fallout of the
military operation is going to be a dangerous coalescing of this
brand of extremism with the political and economically marginalized
segments of our society - the numbers now growing because of the
manner in which the IDPs are being treated by the state and its
various entities. Unless there is a qualitative change in the
state's approach to this issue of violent extremism, we are not
going to rid ourselves of militancy - whatever label it is given."

"What Next?," an op-ed Asad Munir in the centrist national English
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (05/27)

"The way Operation Rahe-e-Rast is being conducted, one can assume
that within eight to ten weeks, may be earlier, the forces will
flush out terrorists from Malakand. The Taliban will resort to
suicide bombing and other terrorist activities to pressurize the
government, demoralize the public and divert army's efforts in other
direction. However, since all the segments of society have realized
that the Taliban are a threat to the security of the country, the
terrorists are likely to fail in their design."

"How Many 'Bombs' Will Deter?," an op-ed Zubeida Mustafa in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (05/27)

"As Pakistan plods on with its war in Malakand against the Taliban
and struggles to cope with the hundreds of thousands who are being
displaced, controversy over its nuclear arsenal would be the last
thing it would ask for.... There is a need to reduce our excessive
dependence on the United States which forces us in to a position of
subservience allowing us little room for maneuver.... It must be
remembered that if our dependence on the U.S. keeps growing and we
cannot even mobilize our resources for the social sector, Pakistan
will be reduced to being a banana republic."

"Government Should Take Notice Of U.S. Violation Of Pakistani
Airspace" an editorial in the Lahore-based independent Urdu daily
"Din" (cir. 10,000) (05/27)

"Let it be recalled here that U.S. helicopters violated Pakistani
airspace early yesterday morning. In this perspective, it was being
expected that during their meetings with the U.S. Senators, the
national leadership including the President, the PM and Mian Nawaz
Sharif would raise this issue with them. However, this did not
happen. It is our leaders' duty to repeat their protest on the
drone strikes with each U.S. delegation that visits Pakistan, so
that when these delegations return to the U.S., they can put
pressure on administration officials and Pentagon."
Patterson