PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JUNE 23, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001380 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JUNE 23, 2009 Summary: The security forces' statement declaring that "Taliban were on their last legs" and that "22 more militants killed" in Swat valley dominated headlines in several major newspapers on Tuesday. All newspapers highlighted President Zardari's opinion piece formerly published in The Washington Post claiming that the "Taliban and Al Qaeda could spread to other parts of the world if they were not defeated in Pakistan and Afghanistan." At the same time, a statement by Prime Minister Gilani urging "U.S. to end biased policy on civilian nuclear technology transfer" received prominent coverage. An Al Qaeda leader Abu Al-Yazid's remarks that "if it were in a position to do so, Al Qaeda would use Pak nuclear weapons in its fight against the U.S." also received extensive coverage. Most major newspapers ran laudatory editorials on the Pakistan's victory in the second Twenty-Twenty Cricket World Cup. However, some English language newspapers editorialized the escalating post-election protests in Iran. The prestigious English language daily, "Dawn," noted that "irrespective of who wins, or if there is a compromise, one fact can no longer be denied. A large number of Iranians, especially among the post-revolution generation, now want reform - albeit within the Islamic system." Toeing the line, another English daily "The Nation," observed that "it is not possible at this day and time to stifle the democratic aspirations of the masses in the name of any ideology, secular or religious. Sooner or later, the people are bound to break the shackles and question the bona fides of any unelected authority, which tries to perpetuate control over their lives." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "Taliban On Their Last Legs In Swat - ISPR Says 22 More militants Killed" "The News" (06/23) "Security forces are in the final phase of eliminating terrorist hideouts and camps in Swat, Director-General ISPR Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said on Monday. Addressing a press briefing in Islamabad, Athar Abbas said: 'In the north, Biha Valley - the last stronghold of terrorists - has been fully secured and in the west, Shamozai area is being cleared. Search operations are being carried out in the secured areas to ensure that they are safe for the return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).' The military spokesman said various search and cordon operations were conducted by security forces whereby neutralizing a number of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and destroying a number of small and big tunnels, while 22 more terrorists were killed and five others were apprehended in Malakand." "Taliban Could Spread Globally: Zardari" "The Nation" (06/23) "Warning that the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda could spread to other parts of the world if they were not defeated in Pakistan and Afghanistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has called for urgent international assistance to enable his country to root out the terrorist groups. 'If the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are allowed to triumph in our region, their destabilizing alliance will spread across the continents,' Zardari wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Monday. 'We need immediate assistance,' he said, adding, 'Pakistan and the world community cannot afford defeat in the war against terror.'" "Stop Dancing With Dictators, Zardari Tells U.S." "Dawn" (06/23) "In an unusually harsh article published in The Washington Post on Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari blamed the United States for the present mess in Pakistan, claiming that Washington used his country as a 'blunt instrument of the Cold War.' But in the same article, he urged his American allies to send 'immediate assistance' to help him save democracy. The tone and the content of the article surprised many in Washington, causing some to speculate if relations between the two governments were still as friendly as both say. 'The West, most notably the United States, has been all too willing to dance with dictators in pursuit of perceived short-term goals,' he wrote." "Gilani Urges U.S. To End Biased Policy On Civil N-Tech Transfer" "The News" (06/23) "Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Monday that the United States should not pursue discrimination in its policy on civil nuclear technology and extend cooperation to Pakistan like India in this field. Talking to reporters after addressing the inaugural session of the 34th Nathia Gali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Gilani said Pakistan could not put its national security at risk and its nuclear program was defensive and peaceful. Rejecting the reports that Pakistan is slowing down its nuclear program, Gilani said: 'We are using it to meet our needs and cannot even think of slowing it down.'" "Al Qaeda Claims It would Use Pak Nuclear Weapons" "The News" (06/23) "If it were in a position to do so, Al-Qaeda would use Pakistan's nuclear weapons in its fight against the U.S., a top leader of the group said in remarks aired late on Sunday. 'God willing, the nuclear weapons will not fall into the hands of the Americans and the Mujahideen would take them and use them against the Americans,' Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, said in an interview with the Al-Jazeera TV channel." "Fazlullah Trapped: Minister" "Dawn" (06/23) "Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday said Tehrik-Taliban Swat (TTS) Chief Maulana Fazlullah has been encircled by security forces but military authorities did not confirm it. Talking to reporters, the Minister said Fazlullah had been spotted and there was no question of his escape. 'By and large we know the location where he is hiding,' the Minister said." "Troops Face Tough Resistance In SWA" "The News" (06/23) "Security forces were still facing tough resistance from the militants led by Baitullah Mehsud to secure the important Wana-Jandola road in South Waziristan Agency (SWA),where 15 people, four of them tribesmen, were killed in bombing by warplanes and gunship helicopters on Monday. Sources said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter planes and gunship helicopters of the Army continued blitzing suspected positions of the militants in various villages of SWA, including Makeen, Barwand, Torwam, Srarogha, Tiarza, etc." "First Suicide Blast In Battagram - Kills Two" "The News" (06/23) "Two persons, including a cop, were killed and seven others injured on Monday when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a police check-post on Karakoram Highway." "Two Schools Blown Up, 20 Held" "The News" (06/23) "A girls primary school was blown up at Mashogagar on Monday morning in a fresh wave of terrorism in the provincial capital (Peshawar). Meanwhile, the political administration detained 20 tribesmen after miscreants dynamited primary school in Chakori area of Khar tehsil in Bajaur Agency on Monday." "Obama's Adviser Due In Region This Week" "Dawn" (06/23) "U.S. President Barack Obama is sending his National Security Adviser Jim Jones to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to follow-up on the implementation of our new, comprehensive strategy for the region," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer told reporters in Washington. For security reasons, the U.S. administration does not provide itinerary of its officials travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan but officials in India said General Jones will be in New Delhi on June 25." "Over 400 Detained After Tehran Street Clashes" "Dawn" (06/23) "Riot police armed with steel clubs fired tear gas to break up an opposition rally in Tehran on Monday, witnesses said, as demonstrators defied a Revolutionary Guards threat to crush further protests over the disputed presidential election. State radio said at least 457 people had been detained in street clashes in Tehran on Saturday that left 10 people dead, bringing the overall toll from a week of violence to at least 17." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "Post-Election Protests In Iran," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (06/23) "With the post-polls protests in Iran escalating by the day, we now have an announcement from the Council of Guardians that some discrepancies have been detected in the results. This adds a new element to the Iranian crisis that has kept the world on tenterhooks for the last fortnight.... Irrespective of who wins, or if there is a compromise, one fact can no longer be denied. A large number of Iranians, especially among the post-revolution generation, now want reform - albeit within the Islamic system. What is more, the religious establishment has split and the clerics in Qom are supporting the opposition.... Mr. Ahmadinejad will have to contend with changing realities. One hopes that the use of force is not an option to maintain the status quo." "Protests In Iran," an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (06/23) "It is not possible at this day and time to stifle the democratic aspirations of the masses in the name of any ideology, secular or religious. Sooner or later, the people are bound to break the shackles and question the bona fides of any unelected authority, which tries to perpetuate control over their lives. While Iran possesses the formal appurtenances of democracy like an elected Parliament and President, in its content the system is thoroughly undemocratic as a small group of clerics holds control over levers of power.... One-party rule, irrespective of whether the ruling oligarchy seeks legitimacy in the name of religion or a secular ideology.... The media in Iran remains under strict control. The government has debarred reporters, both local and foreign, from live coverage, forcing them to depend on official briefings and whatever information they can gather on the telephone.... What is needed on the part of the Iranian leadership and the opposition is to resolve the issue peacefully instead of taking recourse to force." "Iran's Crisis," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (06/23) "The crisis in Iran seems to be spiraling out of control, or at least this is the feeling one gets from reading the West's commentary, especially the U.S., on Iran's political crisis.... Iran's military has ordered demonstrators to 'end the sabotage and rioting activities' terming it a 'conspiracy' against Iran.... Violent protests by Iran's opposition have caught the attention of the world, which is building up pressure on Iran to consider the demands of the opposition party." "Presidential Election In Iran," an op-ed by Javid Husain in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (06/23) "It is extremely difficult at this stage to predict accurately the future course of events in Iran except to say that the struggle between the conservatives and the reformists will continue for quite some time to come. In view of the overwhelming power in the hands of the conservatives, the Iranian authorities will most probably succeed in quelling the disturbances and restoring calm in the country. However, this calm would be an uneasy one waiting for another event to disrupt it until and unless the Iranian people are able to find a synthesis between their democratic inclinations and religious traditions, which suits their genius." "For Iran's Soil," an op-ed by Rasul Bakhsh Rais in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (06/23) "The dissent against the clerical regime is not new. Social and political resistance against Iran's theocratic configuration has been brewing for long. The alleged rigging has given the sentiment a fillip.... The clerical establishment of Iran has squandered off much of that popularity and its popularity among the masses today is questionable at best.... Iran is now caught in a big political rift, which is more than simply an issue of ascertaining who really won the presidential election and who lost it. It is once again about how Iran must define itself internally and in relation to its neighbors and the international community." "Indian Absurdity On Hafiz Saeed's Arrest," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (06/23) "Indian government has hinted at possibility of getting in touch with Interpol to secure Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed's arrest.... Indian antagonism against Hafiz Saeed stems from his support for Jihad-i-Kashmir. But this is not something restricted to Hafiz Saeed; hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris and Pakistanis have the same conviction.... India would be better off if it paid attention to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in keeping with UN resolutions.... Hafiz Saeed is a Pakistani and no Indian government should dare to think ill of him. "The Fantasy Of U.S.-Mahsud Nexus" news commentary by Toronto-based analyst Sadiq Saleem in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (06/24) "The News" (06/23) "Whenever the Pakistani nation is on the brink of consensus against the excesses of the Jihadi networks, some weavers of conspiracy theories invoke anti-Americanism to confuse the nation and destroy the consensus. The latest example of this trend is the fantastic story about Baitullah Mehsud, a man now clearly identified as a threat to the Pakistani state, as operating at the behest of the United States. Blaming the Americans absolves of any responsibility our own establishment and the grand Jihadi enterprise (which some call Jihad Inc.) that has existed since the days of the CIA and ISI-backed Jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan." "Going For The Kill," an op-ed by Farooq Hameed Khan in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (06/23) "With the U.S. having 'mysteriously' or to be more apt, 'deliberately' failed in targeting Mehsud in CIA's drone attacks, despite repeated and accurate intelligence sharing with U.S. agencies, Operation Rah-e-Nijat may well prove to be the coup de grace against Baitullah Mehsud and his followers.... Like in Swat, the army must physically capture and occupy all militant strongholds in Waziristan, if militants are to be routed on a permanent basis. With Waziristan's proximity to the Durand Line and the porous border, the routes of infiltration and reinforcements of men and materials from Afghanistan must be blocked.... Rah-e-Nijat must net the top militant leadership in Waziristan; if this is done the rest will fall easily." "Terms Of Re-Engagement," an op-ed by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (06/23) "The behind-the-scenes role played by the U.S. in facilitating the meeting and nudging Delhi towards talks. Washington has understandably been concerned that Indo-Pakistan tensions can derail its plans for the stabilization of Afghanistan and pursuit of its vital counter-terrorism goals.... The tentative steps towards a diplomatic thaw have been accompanied by indications that Delhi wants to recast the terms of the engagement. Indian officials have purposely leaked the idea that even if formal dialogue is resumed its structure would be 'very different' from that pursued earlier. Whether or not this is a pretext for India to wriggle out of meaningful negotiations on Kashmir, any effort to recast an agreed framework for dialogue will be resisted by Islamabad." (All circulation figures are based on estimation) Patterson