PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: AUGUST 03, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001786 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: AUGUST 03, 2009 Summary: Most dailies on Monday highlighted a report that the NWFP government "registered a case against the banned Tehrik Nifaz-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad on charges of sedition." The follow-up reports and photographs of the violence against the Christian community in Gojra (a town in Punjab) over an alleged incident of desecration of the Koran continued to garner media coverage. All newspapers reported that "a case had been registered against 815 people who burnt dozens of houses in the town following the blasphemy incident." Some major dailies reported that the "Obama administration has decided to appoint former Assistant Secretary of State Robin Raphael as coordinator for non military assistance to Pakistan." The English daily, "Dawn," in its weekend edition highlighted a story that the "U.S. plans for bigger presence in Pakistan in the pursuit of it strategic interests in the region." The same newspaper also ran an editorial on the issue and observed that the "American Embassy will, in fact, be a full-fledged fortress bristling with armed Marines and APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers)." Commenting on the reports of "U.S. plans to have a bigger presence in Pakistan," the right-wing Urdu daily Islam wrote: "It (U.S.) wants to kill two birds with one stone by its increased military presence in this part of the world. The United States considers China as an 'economic threat' that can take control of the markets, which are presently occupied by the U.S. and its European allies, via Gwadar Port. Secondly, it feels threatened with 'Islam' whose epicenter is situated in this part of the world." Editorializing the recent incident of communal violence in the Punjab, the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News," observed that "ours is an intolerant society, and we are particularly intolerant of those whose faith is not Muslim." The Lahore-based English newspaper, "Daily Times," noted that "smaller incidents of persecution of the Christians have never stopped, but Gojra tells us that holocausts can repeat themselves as civic virtue declines in Pakistan under the influence of extremism." Likewise, the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt," wrote: "Unseen enemies of Muslim community take advantage of incidents like Gojra by using them for propaganda against Islam." End Summary. -------------- News Stories -------------- "Sufi Booked For Sedition" "Dawn" (08/03) "The NWFP government registered on Sunday a case against the chief of the proscribed Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM),Maulana Sufi Mohammad, charging him with sedition, rebellion, terrorism, rioting and other offences." "815 Booked, Protest Ends In Gojra" "The News" (08/03) "Christians in Gojra ended their six-hour-long sit-in on Sunday night, taking away seven bodies they had put on the railway track since Sunday evening after a case had been registered 15 nominated persons and 800 unidentified people, who burnt dozens of houses of Christians in Gojra on Saturday in reaction to alleged desecration of the Holy Quran." "Negligence Of Officials Blamed For Gojra Riots" "Dawn" (08/03) "As the death toll in violence against the Christian community rose to seven, relatives of the victims blocked the Multan-Faisalabad section of the railway track for over six hours on Sunday by placing on the track the coffins of the people killed in Gojra on Saturday. They protested against attacks on their houses and burning alive of seven members of their community by a mob." "Rioters Were Led By Masked Men From Jhang" "Dawn" (08/03) "The government on Sunday asked Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti to work in coordination with the government of Punjab to unmask the elements behind the Gojra violence, well-placed sources told 'Dawn.' They said the government had received information that a group of armed 'miscreants', with masked faces had come from Jhang and led the violence against Christians on the pretext of desecration of the Holy Quran." "Robin Raphael Gets Key Job In Pakistan" "The News" (08/03) "The Obama administration in an astute move has decided to appoint former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Affairs, Robin Raphael, an old South Asia hand and a known Pakistani friend, as coordinator for non-military assistance to Pakistan, informed diplomatic sources in Washington and Islamabad to 'The News.' Raphael will be a new member of U.S. Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Holbrooke's expanding team and will be based in Pakistan." "U.S. Plans For Bigger Presence Raise Eyebrows In Islamabad" "Dawn" (08/01) "The U.S. plans to have a bigger presence in Pakistan in the pursuit of its strategic interests in the region have raised several eyebrows in Islamabad. The two most obvious indications of U.S. intentions are the upcoming large-scale staff surge at the Islamabad Embassy, which includes hundreds of marines, and the massive expansion work at the embassy premises.... Jonathan Blyth, director of external affairs at the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations in Washington, in a media statement justified plans for the greater footprint in Pakistan, saying they were necessary for meeting future requirements in view of the 'greater commitment shown by the Obama administration towards Pakistan.' Deputy Chief of U.S. Mission in Islamabad Gerald Feierstein told 'Dawn' that upcoming large-scale programs needed more staff, but quickly added that nothing was final as yet. Others in Washington are justifying the expansion of the embassy on security grounds. Despite all these explanations, the situation remains puzzling and is definitely straining relations between the U.S. State Department and the Foreign Office in Islamabad. Are these arrangements being made just to cater for the enhanced security needs of the American Embassy and their diplomats based in Islamabad, or are they aimed at micromanaging Pakistan? This is just one question nagging Pakistani officials as they warily scan the developments and insist that there is something more than what meets the eye." "U.S. Embassy Has Been Allotted Land To Improve Administration And Security; U.S. Troops Are Not Coming: Foreign Office Spokesman" "Express" (08/03) "Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit has said that the media reports about the coming of the U.S. soldiers in Islamabad are not true. Talking to a wire service Online, he said that the U.S. Embassy has been allotted a piece of land to improve its administration and enhance security. Meanwhile, the CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inyat Ellahi has also maintained that the reports of the coming of the U.S. contingents are incorrect, and all foreign missions have right to expand their structures owing to their administrative requirements." "Four Terrorists Killed, Arms Seized By Troops" "Dawn" (08/03) "Four terrorists were killed and 27 suspects, a local militant commander among them, were arrested in different parts of Swat and Malakand on Saturday night and Sunday morning. An ISPR press release issued in Islamabad on Sunday said that during a search operation, security forces discovered two tunnels and a training camp with bunkers in Biha valley." "Seminary Razed As Operation continues In Lakki Marwat" "Dawn" (08/03) "Police backed by army demolished a religious seminary, believed to be used as safe haven by militants, in Lakki Marwat on Sunday." "Military Refutes Reports About Peace Talks With Baitullah" "The News" (08/03) "With sections of the foreign media reporting that the government was again holding peace talks with Baitullah Mehsud, a high-ranking military official refuted the reports by categorically stating that the time to seek a truce with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) head was past, the Army officer, who wished not be named, told 'The News.'" "Two Cops Shot Dead In Peshawar" "The News" (08/03) "Militants gunned down two policemen in Paharipura while a police party escaped a booby trap when a bomb disposal squad defused explosives placed with the body of a slain prayer leader in Mashogagar in the early hours of Sunday." "1.2 Million IDPs Return Home" "The Post" (08/03) "Over 1.2 million displaced people have so far returned to various areas of Malakand division, said Special Support Group spokesman Lt. Col. Waseem Shahid on Sunday." "Kabul Rejects Malik's Claims About Terrorist Camps" "Dawn" (08/03) "Afghanistan rejected on Sunday reported claims by Pakistan's interior minister that President Hamid Karzai had admitted that 'terrorist' training camps in this country were operating against Pakistan. 'This is absolutely not true. This is baseless," Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said at a press conference in Kabul." "Attack on Nukes Can't Be Ruled Out: Expert: U.K. Faces More Threat From Inside Pakistan Than From Helmand" "Dawn" (08/03) "A House of Commons report published on Sunday concluded that the U.K. faced more threat from inside Pakistan than from Afghanistan's Helmand province where, the report asserted, British soldiers were sent on 'an ill-defined mission undermined by unrealistic planning and lack of manpower.' The Labor-chaired Commons foreign affairs select committee report raises the alarming specter of Al Qaeda, "which has shifted its focus into Pakistan.' Professor Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistan at Bradford University, told the committee that a direct attack on Pakistan's nuclear weapons infrastructure could not be ruled out." -------------- Editorials/Op-eds -------------- "U.S. Security Plans," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (08/03) "State Department's plans for the U.S. Embassy (Islamabad) go beyond legitimate security needs and contain elements which are not only astonishing but scary.... The American embassy will, in fact, be a full-fledged fortress bristling with armed Marines and APCs.... The State Department should look at the plans from another point of view. Will this festung Amerika endear itself to the people of Pakistan or will it add to the misgivings that already exist among large sections of Pakistanis who may not necessarily be the Taliban's friends? A force of 350 soldiers belonging to the elite Marine corps with APCs at their disposal is a strength that goes clearly beyond the legitimate requirements of security and raises a question or two about its intentions. Ignoring the conspiracy theorists one cannot but see this development in the light of periodic reports in the American media that the Pentagon has contingency plans for taking hold of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. The surge and the construction plans are unacceptable." "What Is The Purpose Of Increasing U.S. Presence In Pakistan?," an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (08/03) "According to some media reports, the U.S. has made a grand plan to post hundreds of its marines and other personnel in Islamabad to achieve its strategic objectives.... They (Americans) are also exerting pressure on Pakistan to get import of the armored vehicles for its soldiers.... It is not a routine matter, in fact, a longstanding planning of the big powers is involved behind this move. The U.S. considers this region as its battlefield to safeguard its national interests. It wants to kill two birds with one stone by its increased military presence in this part of the world. The United States considers China as an 'economic threat' that can take control of the markets which are presently occupied by the U.S. and its European allies via Gwadar Port. Secondly, it feels threatened with 'Islam' whose epicenter is situated in this part of the world. It is not very difficult to infer that such designs can create troubles for Pakistan's integrity, internal security, and the left over sovereignty." "Fear And Dread," an editorial in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (08/03) "No member of any religious or ethnic minority anywhere in the country will be feeling safe and secure today. Members of the Christian minority will be feeling particularly threatened as the details of the events at Gojra on Friday and Saturday last emerge.... Ours is an intolerant society, and we are particularly intolerant of those whose faith is not Muslim. Intolerance is not only interfaith, as within the Muslim majority there are deeply-ingrained intolerances that manifest themselves as sectarian violence.... The only way to change this tendency towards mindless persecution is to change the message that goes into the minds of those that perpetrate it. We need to be hearing words of conciliation and fraternity from our mosques." "Fear And Shame Of Gojra," an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (08/03) "After a week of simmering Muslim-Christian dispute over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in tehsil Gojra in Toba Tek Singh district in Punjab, violence has broken out simply because the local administration ignored orders from Lahore to control the situation.... Smaller incidents of persecution of the Christians have never stopped, but Gojra tells us that holocausts can repeat themselves as civic virtue declines in Pakistan under the influence of extremism.... Tragically, blasphemy cases have proliferated after the promulgation of the blasphemy law, and action taken against the accused is not by the state but by the vigilantes the state cannot control.... These are signals of doom. And the crime is being committed by the non-state actors that were once considered 'assets' of the military-state. Their dominance in Punjab is well established and their control over local population to the detriment of local administration is also well known. The laws mean nothing under these circumstances." "Sad Gojra Incident," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (08/03) "Unseen enemies of Muslim community take advantage of incidents like Gojra by using them for propaganda against Islam. Whatever the reason, setting ablaze minorities homes is condemnable and unacceptable. It is enmity or something else; people should not be allowed to take law in their hands." "Gojra Riots," an editorial in the Karachi-based right-wing pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu daily "Jasarat" (cir. 3,000) (08/03) "The riots in Punjab's remote area of Gojra have now taken a form of Christian and Muslim clashes, and the provincial government has failed to stop violence. The way these incidents occurred showed that there are some hidden hands behind this tragedy. For quite some time American institutions have been reporting of possible threats to minorities in Pakistan. Looking at history of riots in Karachi and other places we are of the firm view that the American CIA is behind these acts, and all patriots both Muslims as well as Christians must be united together to foil these conspiracies." "Gojra Incident: What A Shame," an editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 5,000) (08/03) "In our opinion, the real culprits behind this gory incident are those who spread the rumors of desecration of Holy Quran to hurt the sentiments of the people and then incited the enraged people to violence.... Such incidents create a sense of insecurity among the people and bring a bad name to the country." "Attempt To Spread Lawlessness, Religious Hatred," an editorial in the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (08/03) "The clash between two groups in Gojra on alleged defiling of the holy book resulted in the burning to death of 7 people and burning of about 70 houses.... There is no justification for considering any community perpetrator of any crime without proper investigation.... The responsibility of the Gojra riots collectively lies on the people of the area who failed to create an atmosphere based on rationality; they could not create a culture where no one could level baseless allegation against anyone." "Taliban Exit In Swat Due To Military Operation," news analysis by Shamim Shahid in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (08/03) "Amidst certain reservations, Taliban seem on 'dying' position as a result of successful military action in parts of Swat. Some of the self-styled or so-called religious forces are making attempts not only to 'rescue these dying elements' but also trying their level best to hide their dubious role in promotion of Talibanization in the name of Jihad against the United States.... Whatever might be criticism and objection against the ongoing military action 'Raah-e-Rast' in Malakand but it had made happy the common men of the area." "Back To Square One?," an op-ed by Huma Yusuf in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (08/03) "The fallout of the conflicting efforts in Afghanistan can have a major impact on the precarious struggle against militancy in Pakistan. Firstly, the U.S. army's military push in the region threatens to drive more Afghan Taliban into Pakistan, particularly during the current lull in fighting to allow for the repatriation of the internally displaced. More problematic is the renewed international excitement about engaging in talks with the Afghan Taliban.... This much is true, however, that if the U.S. and Afghan governments want to talk to the Taliban, Pakistan will certainly be involved." "Talking to India," an op-ed by Ahmad Faruqui in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (08/03) "Should Pakistan take Singh's hand of friendship? The obvious answer, yes, does not seem to sit well with some analysts in Pakistan.... It is time for the leaders of both countries to seek a new beginning. They need to do something that their predecessors have not been able to do: sign a no-war pact. That would alleviate Pakistan's fears about an Indian invasion which since 1971 has been a strong part of the national memory. And it would stop Pakistan from venturing down the slippery slope of seeking strategic parity with India." "Prudence Or Expediency!," an op-ed by Khalid Iqbal in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (08/03) "If India and Pakistan are to achieve a sustainable good neighborly relation, they have to evolve a robust bilateral mechanism for crisis management.... Platter of composite dialogue is full of lingering issues, needing persistent attention. Some of these have defied solution for the last 60 years or so; majority of these have fallen hostage to faulty attitudes and erratic fixations. There is a need to go beyond the bounded vision to surpass such inhibitions. Pakistan is ready for this cruise; India needs to make up her mind quickly, and come on board." (All circulation figures are based on estimation) Feierstein