PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JULY 10, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001552 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JULY 10, 2009 Summary: All newspapers highlighted on Friday Prime Minister Gilani's statement that "Over three million people displaced from militancy-hit areas of Malakand would start returning home from July 13." Pegged to it were reports that "39 militants were killed when military planes bombed Taliban hideouts in Orakzai agency." Newspapers also gave prominent coverage to the statement of the Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, Admiral Paola, that "Pakistan's sovereignty must be respected." In a Washington datelined story, the English daily, "Dawn," reported that "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is likely to visit Pakistan as well when she travels to South Asia next week." Most major dailies gave prominent coverage to Ambassador Patterson's visit to the Jalozai IDPs camp near Peshawar. Local political developments dominated editorial themes in most newspapers. However, some newspapers continued to comment on the ongoing military operation against militants. The Urdu daily, "Express," wrote: "Military operation, eradication of terrorism and the return of IDPs are the steps that are appropriate, but American drone attacks are impacting the public opinion negatively.... There is no justification for American attacks, for our military is already uprooting the terrorists." Another Urdu daily, "Khabrain," observed that "it is good news for the IDPs and the people of the country that the military operation that started on May 8 is about to end and the return of the IDPs is to start.... The question of the Taliban leadership whereabouts is yet to be answered and also about the whereabouts of the weapons and bodies of the Taliban who have been killed." End summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "IDPs To Start Going Home From 13th" "Dawn" (07/10) "Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Thursday that over three million people displaced from militancy-hit areas of Malakand would start returning home from July 13, while addressing a news conference in Islamabad." "39 Militants Killed In Orakzai" "Dawn" (07/10) "Thirty-nine militants were killed and eight injured when military planes bombed Taliban hideouts in Orakzai agency on Thursday. According to unconfirmed reports, about 14 camps of militants were destroyed in Starsam, Drogai and Behram Garh areas of Chappri Feroze Khel in the lower and Ghiljo in upper Orakzai agency." "Top NATO Official Stresses Respect For Sovereignty" "Dawn" (07/10) "Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee, said on Thursday that Pakistan's sovereignty must be respected and military operations in its territory should be carried out by its own forces, while addressing a news conference in Islamabad. During meetings with Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen. Tariq Majid, Admiral Paola discussed the military operation in parts of FATA and the NWFP and situation in Afghanistan and along the Pakistan-Afghan border." "NATO Not To Conquer Afghanistan: Giampaolo" "The News" (07/10) "Chairman of the Military Committee of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola on Thursday said the NATO forces were not there in Afghanistan to conquer the country like Alexander the Great, while addressing a news conference in Islamabad." "Hillary Likely To Visit Pakistan" "Dawn" (07/10) "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is likely to visit Pakistan as well when she travels to South Asia next week for strategic talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi, diplomatic sources told 'Dawn.'" "U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson Visits Jalozai IDP Camp Complex" "Daily Times," "The Statesman," "The News," "Pakistan Observer," "Jang," "Aaj Kal," "Jinnah," "Al Akhbar" (07/10) "U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson on Thursday visited the Jalozai camp complex in Nowshera District where 120,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently receiving humanitarian relief from the United States channeled through both the Government of Pakistan and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). During her visit, Ambassador Patterson handed over the first of 22,000 plastic jerry cans and 5,000 school kits for the camp's internally displaced families." "U.S., EU Market Access To Help Lessen Poverty: Asif; U.K. Seeks World Support For Pakistan" "The News" (07/10) "President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said that Pakistan's economy had been bruised by the war against militancy and there was need for access of Pakistani products to the United States and the European Union market to help Pakistan meet the challenges of poverty and unemployment. The President made these remarks during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who called on him in Islamabad on Thursday." "Al-Qaeda Leaders In FATA, Claims Mullen" "The News" (07/10) "Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has said the Al Qaeda leadership resides in the FATA of Pakistan and the United States is determined to defeat them, Mullen said in his remarks at the National Press Club in Washington on Thursday." "Islamabad Urged To Concede Its 'Tacit Approval' Of Drone Attacks" "Dawn" (07/10) "The drone attacks are creating new tensions between Pakistan and the United States as U.S. lawmakers urge Islamabad to accept the responsibility for approving the strikes. Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told a recent congressional hearing that the attacks would not take place if it were not for the tacit approval of Pakistan's leadership." "12 Militants Killed In Waziristan Air Attacks" "Dawn" (07/10) "Warplanes pounded suspected Taliban hideouts in four villages in Laddha and Kani Guram areas of South Waziristan, killed 12 suspected militants on Thursday." "Three Militants Killed In Bajaur" "The News" (07/10) "Security forces on Thursday claimed to have killed three militants and injured five others in the ongoing offensive in various areas of Bajaur Agency. Sources said the paramilitary forces targeted suspected locations of the militants in Charmang area of Nawagai Tehsil with artillery and mortars." "110 Suspects Held, 25 Houses Razed" "Dawn" (07/10) "As many as 110 suspects were arrested and 25 houses of suspected militants were destroyed during a search operation by security forces in the Safi tehsil of the Mohmand Agency on Thursday." "Taliban Eye New Allies" "Daily Times" (07/10) "In the wake of renewed attacks by the Pakistan military and the United States, the Taliban and Al Qaeda might join Jandullah, a group that has staged attacks on Iran and strained Iranian-Pakistani relations, military specialists told Washington Times on Thursday." "Forces Kill Several Militants In Swat" "The News" (07/10) "Security forces on Thursday killed several militants and destroyed a number of their hideouts during an operation in Tiligram area of the restive Swat Valley. Also, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the body of a Taliban commander for Sakhra, Omar Zada, who was killed on Wednesday, was recovered on Thursday." "Taliban Insist Fazlullah Is Alive And Well" "The News" (07/10) "Claiming that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter chief Maulana Fazlullah was alive and well, the Swat Taliban on Thursday played an audio-tape of his voice to reporters in support of their claim." "3 Foreign Airlines Stop Flying To Peshawar" "The News" (07/10) "At least three Gulf-based foreign airlines flying to the city diverted their flights to Islamabad during the last two days following the rocket attack on the Peshawar International Airport. Officials at the Peshawar airport confirmed the report and said these airlines had cited security reasons as the basis for their decision." "Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal Has Adequate Protection: U.S. official" "Dawn" (07/10) "The U.S. administration is confident that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is adequately protected from the Taliban and other extremist groups, said Paul Jones, U.S. deputy special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Transcript released on Thursday, quoted Mr. Jones as telling a U.S. Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that the administration had no reason to believe that the militants were about to seize Pakistan's nuclear weapons." "Gilani to Meet Singh In Egypt: FO" "The News" (07/10) "The Foreign Office on Thursday confirmed the planned meeting between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Sharm El Sheikh next week with a hope to resume composite dialogue process between the two countries" "Diplomats Hopeful Of Summit 'Surprise'" "Dawn" (07/10) "Pakistan will hold talks with India on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt next week with an open mind, but without much hope of a major breakthrough. 'The situation is quite dicey ... signals from India are not particularly positive, diplomatic sources told 'Dawn' on Thursday. Foreign secretaries of the two countries will meet on Tuesday (July 14),and their Prime Ministers the following day." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "Completion Of Swat Operation And Rehabilitation Of IDPs," an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (07/10) "Military operation, eradication of terrorism and the return of IDPs are the steps that are appropriate, but American drone attacks are impacting the public opinion negatively. As many as 50 people were killed in the drone attacks on Pak tribal areas the other day. It is said that most of the targeted persons were extremists. Even if all of them were extremists, there is no justification for American attacks, for our military is already uprooting the terrorists. America is creating problems for Pakistan and for itself by taking action on its own." "Rehabilitation Of IDPs: Government Should Take Necessary Steps," an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (07/10) "It is good news for the IDPs and the people of the country that the military operation that started on May 8 is about to end and the return of the IDPs is to start.... The question of the Taliban leadership whereabouts is yet to be answered and also of the whereabouts of the weapons and bodies of the Taliban who have been killed. There are some areas that were declared cleared, but security forces and the people were attacked in these very areas after the declaration. What is the guarantee that more attacks would not take place in the cleared areas? Are police and civil administration strong enough to combat terrorists and people would not have to leave their homes once again? Is it not possible for the Frontier Governor, Chief Minister and MPs to start living in these areas in order to restore people's confidence and to personally welcome the IDPs." "Russia Becomes Party To Afghan Conflict," an editorial in the country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (07/10) "From the Pakistani perspective the U.S.-Russia agreement lends a new dimension to the war in Afghanistan in that Washington 'discovers' an alternate supply route. As it would reduce Americans' dependence on Pakistani government's co-operation in ensuring uninterrupted supply of war material and food for the coalition forces, as a corollary they would not feel beholden to their Pakistani counterparts' for 'advice and consent' in the conduct of war. Naturally, over time, the two may tend to move away from each other instead of coming together. That is not a happy development given that already Pakistan and the United States remain poles apart on the issue of drone attacks. Also, no less crucial to Pakistan is the message emitting from the U.S.-Russia agreement - that by agreeing to give transit route facility to the Americans, Russia is back into the 'great game.'" "A Summit To Watch," an op-ed by M.A. Niazi in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (07/10) "While Pakistan remained preoccupied with the latest battles in the War on Terror taking place on its soil, Russia and the U.S., at the level of their Presidents, no less, made agreements which made Pakistan not so crucial in the War, while the U.S. continued its attempt to do (through combat) what NATO had been unable to, and which Pakistan had not managed in its equivalent tribal areas to root out militancy.... The U.S. had initially been stridently condemnatory of the invasion, but now it seems it is willing to shut up in exchange for a place in the Great Game. Russia has long played this Game, for about a century before it became Soviet in 1917, so its anxiety to get back in will be understandable, if not appreciable. So far, the Game was beyond Pakistan, but the introduction of the Russian factor needs study.... While Pakistani diplomacy at present does not seem up to the task, it should not be impossible to put across the position that while Pakistan may well lose its centrality to the War on Terror (which the government values not only for its geopolitical reasons, but because of the money it brings in from the U.S.)." "Allowing The Drone Attacks," an op-ed by Dr. Masooda Bano in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (07/10) "The U.S. is continuing to launch drone attacks in the tribal belt of Pakistan. The increased frequency of these attacks confirms that they have all along taken place with the consent of the Pakistani government, as well as the army. In the last five days alone two drone attacks have resulted in more than thirty casualties.... The U.S. drones attacks now create little resistance within the Pakistani public because in some way everyone is becoming used to them. It is no longer an exceptional event; it is in fact a matter of daily routine. Why Pakistan should stand at a point where violation of its sovereignty by another nation should be so easily accepted by its civilian and military elite is however a question that requires serious thinking.... The quite acceptance of these drone attacks, above all, leads to the uncomfortable realization that the grand plan for fighting the militant resistance in Pakistan is actually still scripted by the U.S." "Government Should Help Dr. Aafia," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (07/10) "American lawyer of Dr. Aafia, Dawn M. Cady, has said that he is still waiting for Government of Pakistan help for the release of his client.... Dr. Aafia was handed over to Americans during the dictatorship of Musharraf.... So much so that Dr. Aafia is being interrogated naked on the orders of American court.... The Chief Justice of Pakistan should take suo moto notice of Dr. Aafia matter in the missing persons' case." (All circulation figures are based on estimation) Patterson