PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: TERRORISM, KERRY-LUGAR BILL,

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002534

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: TERRORISM, KERRY-LUGAR BILL,
MISCELLANEOUS, INDIA-PAKISTAN - OCTOBER 19, 2009

Summary: Reports on the "steady gains in military's assaults on
militants' strongholds in South Waziristan," and "killing of 60
militants" dominated headlines in several newspapers on Monday. The
closure of the private and armed forces' schools and colleges across
the country "due to security reasons" received extensive coverage.
Pegged to this story, newspapers front-paged reports that the
government "launched a crackdown" on some religious seminaries in
Islamabad to check for the presence of foreigners there. In its
editorial, the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf," urged
that "besides the military operation in Waziristan, it is also the
need of the hour to expose the real but covert enemies engaged in
destabilizing Pakistan."

Some major dailies highlighted reports that "49 people were killed
in a suicide attack in southeastern Iran, including top commanders
of the elite Revolutionary Guards." Iranian President Nejad's
allegation that the "attack had been plotted from Pakistan" received
prominent display. Newspapers reported that President Zardari and
the Pakistani Foreign Office "condemned" the suicide attack in Iran.
Commenting on the bombing in Iran, the prestigious English language
newspaper, "Dawn," noted that "suspicion has immediately fallen on
Jandullah, though Iranian officials have also accused the U.S. of
instigating the bombings, a claim denied by the Americans."

All newspapers also reported the arrival in Islamabad of Senator
Kerry and U.S. CENTCOM chief General Petraeus. Senator Kerry's
remarks warning that "it would be 'entirely irresponsible' to send
more troops to Afghanistan and it would also have destabilizing
effect on Pakistan" were highlighted. Also underscored were reports
that "Jamaat-i-Islami held demonstration against the Kerry-Lugar
Bill and alleged activities of the U.S. private army in the
country." Underlining the "Pakistani interests" the leading mass
circulation populist, often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" reiterated
in its editorial that "there is no justification to attach insulting
strings to such aid package." End Summary.

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Terrorism
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News Story: "Troops Make Steady Gains In South Waziristan - 60
Taliban, Five Troops Killed" "Dawn" (10/19)

"Security forces claimed on Sunday to have made steady gains in
their assaults on militants' strongholds in South Waziristan and
army officials said they were surprised by low level of resistance.
The area has been heavily mined. There are a lot of improvised
explosive devices and mines. A military spokesman said five
security personnel were killed and 11 wounded during 24 hours of
operation Rah-i-Nijat. He put the Taliban's fatalities at 60."

News Story: "Terror Threats Lead To Closure Of Schools, Colleges
Countrywide" "Daily Times" (10/19)

"All educational institutions run by the federal government and the
armed forces and some top-ranking private sector institutions will
remain closed for up to a week in Islamabad, cantonments, all major
cities, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir, reported a
private TV channel late on Sunday."

News Story: "Madressahs In Capital Searched For Militants" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"The government launched a crackdown on some madressahs in the
federal capital with a view on Sunday to looking into their
activities and to ensure that terrorists are not hiding there in the
guise of students. However, no arrest was made from any of the
seminaries but their management was told that stern action would be
taken if they were found to be providing refuge to terrorists."

News Story: "Suicide Blast Hits Iran's Elite Force, Seven Commanders
Among 49 Killed - Ahmadinejad Seeks Pakistan's Action" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"A suicide bomber killed seven commanders of Iran's elite
Revolutionary Guards and up to 42 other people on Sunday in an
attack that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad charged had been plotted
from Pakistan."

News Story: "Foreign Office, Zardari Condemn Terror Attack" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit
have condemned Sunday's suicide attack in Iran. According to a TV
channel, Mr. Basit said that Pakistan enjoyed brotherly relations
with Iran 'and we condemn the sad event.' He refuted allegations
about presence of Jandullah in Pakistan. Mr. Basit assured Iran of
Pakistan's full cooperation in this critical situation."

News Story: "Petraeus Arriving To Assess SWA Operation?" "The
Nation" (10/19)

"Chief of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus is due in
Islamabad today (Monday) to discuss with Pakistan's military
leadership the ongoing operation against militants in South
Waziristan. U.S. diplomatic sources say Pentagon was rushing in
equipment that would help the Pakistani security forces with
mobility, night fighting and precision bombing. They said that
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also
spoken to Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to emphasize
continued U.S. support."

News Story: "U.S. Urged To Deal With Pakistan Carefully" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"John Kerry, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations, warned on Sunday that it would be "entirely
irresponsible" to send more troops to Afghanistan and it would also
have destabilizing affect on Pakistan. Senator Kerry was among half
a dozen prominent U.S. lawmakers and officials who participated in
debates on various U.S. channels on Sunday, which focused on the
Pakistani military offensive in South Waziristan and how it would
impact the rest of the region."

News Story: "Over 100,000 Flee Fighting: Officials" "Dawn" (10/19)

"More than 100,000 people have fled South Waziristan where the
government has launched a major ground assault against the Taliban,
officials said on Sunday. They are settling in neighboring Tank and
Dera Ismail Khan districts, Colonel Waseem Shahid from an army
support group said."

News Story: "NATO Fails To Block Arms' Supply Into SWA" "The Nation"
(10/19)

"Lack of credible intelligence about reinforcements and supplies
from neighboring Afghanistan into Waziristan, has puzzled security
experts in evaluating actual strength of the besieged militants in
South Waziristan. Background discussions and interviews by 'The
Nation' has revealed that security experts were divided over the
actual strength of insurgents' fighting FORCE and sources of their
supplies. Some of them were of the view that TTP's late commander
Baitullah Mehsud and his terror networks in South Waziristan had
sufficient stocks of weapons and explosives to stand the offensive
launched by Pakistani security forces. However, others believed
that reinforcements and supplies from Afghanistan into Waziristan
continue unabated."

News Story: "Taliban Launch Fund-Raising Campaign" "Dawn" (10/19)

"Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has started a fund-raising campaign in
the Orakzai Agency and parts of the Kurram Agency and Hangu. Sources
said the TTP men were asking tribesmen to donate generously because
the conflict in South Waziristan was likely to be a long one."

News Story: "SWA Operation Gets Ample Space In U.S. Media" "The
Nation" (10/19)

"Pakistan's 'most ambitious' military operation against militants in
South Waziristan was featured prominently in American print and
electronic media, which underscored its importance in the process
aimed at putting an end to the insurgency in the country. In
Washington, Obama administration officials were quoted as saying in
Sunday's New York times that they were pleased Pakistan at least
decided to go ahead with the offensive. Senior American military
officials said they were closely monitoring the long-awaited
offensive."

News Story: "On Whose Side Is U.S. Anyway?" "The News" (10/19)

"The U.S.-led NATO forces vacated more than half a dozen key
security check-posts on the Afghan side of the Pak-Afghan border
just ahead of the major Pakistan Army ground offensive (code named:
Rah-e-Nijat) against Taliban-led militants in the volatile tribal
area of South Waziristan, it is learnt. It is feared that the
American decision will facilitate Afghan Taliban in crossing over to
Pakistan and support militants in striking back at the Pakistani
security forces in the troubled tribal area. Latest reports
indicate that the Americans have also removed some posts close to
North Waziristan, which could encourage even more Afghan Taliban
fighters to cross over to the Pakistan side. This has raised many
eyebrows in government and military circles with points being made
about 'conflicting interests' and dubious American designs."

News Story: "Govt. To Overcome Militancy Soon, Says Owais" "The
News" (10/19)

"NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani on Sunday hoped the government
would overcome the insurgency-like situation in parts of NWFP and
FATA within the next few months."

News Story: "Hizb-ut-Tahrir Safe House Raided In Islamabad" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"Police raided a 'safe house' of the proscribed student organisation
Hizb-ut-Tahrir on Saturday and took into custody over two dozen
activists. Six activists of the group managed to escape despite a
siege of the house in sector F-8/3, Islamabad. According to a
senior police officer, the activists were suspected of helping
militants."

News Story: "Agencies Fear New Wave Of Terrorism" "The Nation"
(10/19)

"The intelligence agencies on Sunday feared a new wave of terrorist
attacks in near future on important government installations in
major cities of the country."

News Story: "Red Zone Could Be The Next Terrorist Target" "The News"
(10/19)

"Next target of terrorists could be the high security Red Zone of
the federal capital with militants attempting to capture some
sensitive buildings including the Foreign Office, National Assembly,
President House, Prime Minister House, Supreme Court, PTV,
Privatization and Housing buildings in the Constitution Avenue,
intelligence agencies warned the relevant authorities."

News Story: "Nine Taliban Arrested In Swat" "Daily Times" (10/19)

"Security forces arrested nine Taliban from different areas of Swat
during a cleanup operation on Sunday, sources said. They said two
Taliban were held in the Palai area of Malakand while violating
curfew. Security forces arrested the remaining seven from the
Charbagh, Fizaghat and Saidu Sharif areas, they added. The Swat
Media Centre has announced a curfew in Malakand and Swat from 10pm
to 6am."

Editorial: "Waziristan Operation: Elimination Of Real Enemies Also
Necessary," an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily
"Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (10/19)

"Besides the military operation in Waziristan, it is also the need
of the hour to expose the real but covert enemies engaged in
destabilizing Pakistan. This enemy remains in the background and
uses its Pakistani agents to achieve this goal. In fact, the actual
power behind this conspiracy is the United States which is
destabilizing Pakistan in connivance with India and Israel. It is
imperative to conduct the Waziristan operation with utmost care and
farsightedness as our forces will have to face the combined might of
terrorists and their real patrons there."

Editorial: "Waziristan Operation, And Civilians Safe Transfer," an
editorial in the Lahore-based Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir.5000) (10/19)

"The army needs to take on the extremists with full vigor and
courage, and continue Operation Rah-i-Nijat with the cooperation of

the civilians. It is not unjustified to expect that the U.S.
authorities will provide military equipment to the army at the
earliest so that terrorism can be uprooted completely."

Editorial: "Operation Rah-i-Nijat Has To Be Result-Oriented," an
editorial in the liberal national Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25000)
(10/19)

"Operation Rah-i-Nijat has begun. The nation is fully supportive of
the brave army in this war. It is not difficult for anyone to
understand that the army is fighting a war for the nation and
country's existence. We strongly believe that our courageous troops
will be successful in this mission. The operation should continue
until final deliverance from the terrorists."

Editorial: "Dos And Don'ts Of SWA Operation," an editorial in the
Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (10/19)

"Finally the much awaited operation against militants of outlawed
Tehrik-I-Taliban Pakistan has been launched in South Waziristan
Agency (SWA) to destroy their safe havens, command structure and
ammunition dumps.... Now that a full-fledged operation is in
progress, we hope that it would be taken to logical conclusion with
complete elimination of the enemies of the country and the
humanity."

Editorial: "Finally, A Go-Ahead For Waziristan Operation," an
editorial in the country's premier business newspaper, "Business
Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (10/19)

"The terrorists are challenging the integrity of the Pakistani State
from their hideouts in the tribal areas. Any dithering or delay to
take them on can be disastrous for the country. What is needed is a
full-scale military operation aimed at the elimination of the
terrorist hideouts, training centers and facilities that help them
remain in business. Attempts should be made to isolate the
terrorists from the rest of the population by winning over as many
tribal elders and rival commanders as possible. This alone can
guarantee that the conflict zone does not extend to the area
inhabited by the Waziri tribe or to the neighboring North Waziristan
Agency. All necessary measures should be taken to reduce collateral
damage."

Special Editorial: "Attack On A Nuclear Establishment," an editorial
in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer"
(cir. 5,000) (10/19)

"While the foreign trained, foreign funded and foreign armed
terrorists have started launching multiple orchestrated attacks on
different cities of Pakistan, a critical sabotage in one of the
country's nuclear establishments now appears to be on the agenda of
perpetrators of terror in Pakistan and their masterminds abroad....
this is because following unsuccessful attempts to strike at highly
guarded sensitive installations including the GHQ, Intelligence
agencies and police premises, there is mounting evidence that
foreign inspired terrorists would, as a last resort, go far more
coordinated and precision attacks at the sites of our strategic
assets. Their backers and planners are fully aware of the
difficulties that Pakistan would face at the international level if
they succeed in reaching near to any of the nuclear missile sites.
I have reasons to apprehend that the final target of these
terrorists and their handlers is to create a scene somewhere in or
around a nuclear installation so that Pakistan may be dubbed as a
failed State."

Editorial: "Bombings In Iran," an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(10/19)

"Two attacks, including a suicide bombing, in Iran's volatile
Sistan-Baluchistan province on Sunday have killed over 30 people,
including senior officials of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Suspicion has immediately fallen on Jandullah, though Iranian
officials have also accused the U.S. of instigating the bombings, a
claim denied by the Americans.... Jandullah has been linked to,
variously, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, South Waziristan and even Al Qaeda -
claims which have been buttressed since the introduction of suicide
bombings in Iran by Jandullah last December. Add to this the

decades-old animosity between the U.S. and Iran and the American
presence in Afghanistan, and an even murkier picture emerges in
which Jandullah may be using a series of shifting, tactical
alliances with regional players to further its own agenda....
Supporting Jandullah in any way is to play with fire, and all the
players in the region must understand that such support can have
dangerous, unpredictable consequences for regional stability."

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KERRY-LUGAR BILL
--------------

News Story: "Kerry Reaches Islamabad" "Daily Times" (10/19)

"A private TV channel reported on Sunday that Senator Kerry had come
to Pakistan to meet the country's political leadership and remove
misconceptions concerning the Kerry-Lugar legislation. He is also
expected to discuss the bill with opposition leaders."

News Story: "Jamaat-e-Islami Holds Demo against U.S. Aid" "Dawn"
(10/19)

"The Jamaat-e-Islami demonstrated on Sunday against the Kerry-Lugar
Bill and alleged activities of the U.S. private army in the country.
The demonstrators raised slogans against the ongoing army operation
in Malakand division and South Waziristan as well as against the
United States."

News Story: "Kaira At Pains To Defend KLB, NRO" "The News" (10/19)

"Admitting that the explanation annexed to the Kerry-Lugar Bill
(KLB) is not part of the law, Federal Minister for Information and
Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Sunday said that heads of two
committees had to file their interpretation and the U.S. President
had endorsed it.... When asked as to what emerged from the
parliamentary discussion on the KLB because a huge majority of
parliamentarians was opposed to the KLB but the foreign minister
delivered a speech and the National Assembly session was prorogued,
Kaira said it was not Pakistan's bill that a 'yes' or 'no' was to be
said in the Pakistani Parliament."

News Story: "Govt. Now Takes Credit of KLB Fiasco" "The News"
(10/19)

"In a Machiavellian twist to the massive outburst of public scorn
over the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the publicists of the PPP government are
now taking the credit for the universal hue and cry in Pakistan and
have officially told the Pakistan embassies around the world to use
it 'as a positive sign of democratic pluralism,' whatever that
means."

News Story: "U.S. May Allow $250 Million To Help Lifeline Power
Consumers" "The News" (10/19)

"The Obama administration has given positive indications to Pakistan
for allowing utilization of around $250 million assistance under the
Kerry-Lugar Bill for protecting electricity consumers using first
100 units from the upcoming tariff hike in the vicinity of around 20
per cent till August 2010. 'We have received 'positive indications'
from U.S. authorities on utilizing some portion of $874 million in
the ongoing fiscal 2009-10 under the Kerry-Lugar Bill to protect the
poorest segments from the upcoming power tariff hike," Finance
Minister Shaukat Tarin confirmed to 'The News' on Sunday."

News Story: "Stocks React Favorably to Kerry-Lugar Bill Act" "The
Nation" (10/19)

"Pakistan's capital market, while disregarding the terror strikes
across the country, is most likely to celebrate enactment of the
Kerry-Lugar Act (KLA) of the U.S. that would enable $1.5 billion
annual assistance to Pakistan in addition to defence aid. The
foreign players continued with special interest in the local stocks,
as the U.S. legislation sailed through the enactment process."

News Story: "Kerry-Lugar Bill Act (KLA) A Recipe Of Disaster" "The
Nation" (10/19)

"Renowned economist Dr. Shahid Hassan Siddiqui has described
Kerry-Lugar Act (KLA) as disastrous from the financial point of view

and therefore it must be rejected, as the explanatory note attached
to the Act has no meaning. In an exclusive interview with 'The
Nation' on Saturday, he said, it must be understood clearly that
Pakistan was already suffering losses of 8 billion dollars per year
due to war on terror whereas the total U.S. aid likely to be
received by Pakistan is 3 billion dollars per year that includes
$1.5 billion under KLA, therefore the country suffers a loss of $ 5
billion annually."

News Story: "PML-N Rejects Kerry-Lugar Bill, Says Chaudhry Nisar"
"Dawn" (10/19)

"The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) does not accept the
Kerry-Lugar bill despite its having been signed and approved,
opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Sunday. Nisar
said the PML-N has a categorical stance against the Kerry-Lugar Bill
as the bill goes against Pakistan's national interests, while
addressing the media in Karachi."

Editorial: "Pakistan's Interests Superior To Everything," an
editorial in the leading mass circulation populist, often
sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (10/19)

"The reservations expressed by the Pak Army on some strings attached
to the Kerry-Lugar Bill have not been addressed during Foreign
Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visit to Washington and are still part
of this legislation. The government should convey the concerns of
the Pakistani nation to Washington through the prime mover of this
bill, Senator John Kerry, who is in Pakistan on an official visit.
It should make it clear to the Obama Administration that Pakistan is
not the sole beneficiary of this aid package rather it is a
bilateral issue. Terrorism is not a threat only to Pakistan rather
the entire world has fallen victim to this menace. Pakistan
rendered meritorious sacrifices in the war on terror and, as a
result, has suffered huge losses. Hence it reserves the right to
seek assistance from its allies countries. There is no justification
to attach insulting strings to such aid packages."

Opinion: "KLB - A Perspective," an op-ed by Senator Salim Saifullah
Khan in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The
News" (cir. 55,000) (10/19)

"Senator John Kerry will visit Islamabad early next week and this
opportunity must be exploited to clear the AIR and downplay the
differences. The government lost the opportunity to negotiate the
terms in early March when the draft bill was discussed. Reports
indicate that Zardari gave the green signal to the proposed draft.
The visit of Senator Kerry should be availed to get a more formal
and authentic version of the explanatory note attached to the
bill.... My concern on this bill is the strains it is likely to
create, both domestically and with the U.S. to the detriment of our
national interest. The controversy must now stop. The debate is
likely to create a rift in civil military relationship with have
disastrous consequences. The negative Pakistani reaction to the
bill has created a similar harsh reaction on the Hill. The
statements by influential congressmen and Senator John Kerry show
their frustration and resentment, and unless Pakistan demonstrates
caution and moderation in its approach towards the U.S. intention
and policy it could ruin the goodwill and friendly sentiment so
painstakingly cultivated."

Opinion: "The Kerry-Lugar Bill Fiasco," an op-ed by Shamshad Ahmad
in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News"
(cir. 55,000) (10/19)

"The Kerry-Lugar Bill was supposed to bring a 'larger conceptual
framework' and mutuality content to the 'transactional'
U.S.-Pakistan relationship. It has done just the opposite. There
has been a serious backlash in Pakistan over the intrusive
conditionalities attached to U.S. military aid which are seen by the
people at large and major civil and military stakeholders in the
country's power structure as compromising national sovereignty....
All this notwithstanding, the amount involved in this aid package is
not really big money. We can do without it.... Instead of giving
our country as ransom, we should be fixing the fundamentals of our
governance and choosing to live our own lives as an independent ans
self-reliance nation."

Opinion: "Points To Ponder!," an op-ed by Khalid Iqbal in the

center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000)
(10/19)

"The Kerry-Lugar Bill (KLB) could have accrued the Americans a lot
of goodwill provided it was not torpedoed by the curiosity-oriented
stipulations aimed at micro-managing Pakistan's internal affairs....
Pakistan squeezing would not bring any dividends; it will only
curtail American leverage. Allies must work in an atmosphere of
trust and harmony for a win-win finale. All the options for
Afghanistan need Pakistan's endorsement, as indeed its active
participation. The eyewash of attaching a Congressional explanatory
appendage to KLB is not enough. There is a need to put in place a
credible damage reduction mechanism to curtail the mounting trust
deficit.

Opinion: "The Problem With Aid," an op-ed by S. Akbar Zaidi in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (10/19)

"With donors determining the type of aid and its intended purposes,
domestic priorities are often compromised by governments whose eyes
sparkle at the offer of apparently 'free' monies. Building
infrastructure in remote areas or supporting health programs which
have few users may sound beneficial but such efforts can be wasted.
Often governments don't want such projects, often the supposed
beneficiaries are not consulted and do not use these facilities,
resulting in a global landscape littered with unused or half-built
donor-funded schools, roads and hospitals. Donor assistance ends at
the end of the project, leaving infrastructure and social capital to
waste away. Quick-fix solutions often come undone just as
swiftly.... Since Pakistan is highly dependent on aid, it is aid
dependence which is the real problem. The conditionalities are not
the problem."

Opinion: "Kerry-Lugar Bill: Myths And Facts," an op-ed by Shahzad
Chaudhry in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily
Times" (cir. 10,000) (10/19)

"The Bill (Kerry-Lugar) and its language in certain clauses are a
manifest failure of Pakistani institutions to protect their vital
interests. What the Foreign Minister and the Pakistani Embassy in
Washington seem to be doing now should have been done over the last
six months.... It is learnt, very reliably, though with some
apparent generalization, that every third employee in U.S. State
Department is an Indian-American; most of them along with their
native colleagues are enjoined the task to draft these Bills. Any
surprise, then, on what we get as an end product? Perhaps the only
question left to ask is: are the Pakistanis too encouraged or
tracked to make their mark in U.S. institutions?"



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Miscellaneous
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News Story: Hillary To Head Visiting U.S. Energy Delegation" "Daily
Times" (10/19)

"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will head the delegation of
energy experts due to visit Pakistan this month for discussions on
how to fulfill the country's future energy requirements, sources
told 'Daily Times.'

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India-Pakistan
--------------

Editorial: "Indian Atrocities In Occupied Kashmir, And Pakistan" an
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (10/19)

"American magazine Time writes in its latest edition that India
should change its stance on Kashmir in order to resolve the
dispute.... American hypocrisy on Kashmir became evident when
President did not even once cite the Kashmir dispute after assuming
the office; notwithstanding his mentioning of the dispute in his
electoral speeches whereby he said that the war against terrorism
could not be won without resolving the dispute.... We should tell

America that unless it forces India to resolve the Kashmir dispute
we cannot play an effective role in its war against terrorism."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)
Patterson