PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: TOP STORIES, HILLARY CLINTON'S

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002677 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: TOP STORIES, HILLARY CLINTON'S VISIT, TERRORISM/MILITARY, - NOVEMBER 05, 2009 Summary: Six mainstream newspapers ran the U.S. Embassy's statement refuting press reports of the "arrival of 202 Blackwater personnel in Islamabad." Newspapers highlighted reports that "Pak Army (is) close to winding up first phase of operation by this weekend by capturing all major towns and villages in South Waziristan." Commenting on the Secretary Clinton's address at the Fortune Conference's sixth forum, the nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt," asked in its editorial "how could Ms. Clinton, hailing from a staunch Jewish family, be a well-wisher of the Muslim world". However, the English language daily, "The News," noted that "Secretary Clinton has offered us a view to the rear that is both illuminating and profoundly sad" in reference her recent interview with Fox News where she discussed U.S. negligence in allowing Al Qaeda to escape from Afghanistan to Pakistan. End Summary. TOP STORIES News Story: New Gas Management Plan Approved "Dawn" (11/05) "All industrial units and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations will remain closed two days a week on a rotation basis in Punjab and the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) during winter, according to a gas load management plan approved by the federal cabinet on Wednesday." (Story also front paged in all newspapers) News Story: CNG Station Owners Threaten Countrywide Strike "The Nation" (11/05) "All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Station Owners Association Wednesday rejected the decision of the Government regarding closure of CNG stations two days a week and threatened a countrywide strike if the decision was not withdrawn." (Story also front paged in all newspapers) News Story: U.S. Denies Blackwater Arrival "The Post" (11/05) "U.S. Embassy denying press reports of Blackwater personnel arrival in Islamabad has termed such news report as false. The story appearing in a newspaper Wednesday, headlined '202 Blackwater Personnel Arrive' and implying that the U.S. Embassy brought a large number of private security contractors to Islamabad on a recent PIA flight Tuesday, is completely false, said the Embassy in a statement issued in Islamabad on Wednesday." (Story also covered in 'Pakistan Observer,' 'Express,' 'Aaj-Kal,' 'Islam,' and 'Al-Akhbar.') HILLARY CLINTON'S VISITS News Story: Israel Settlement Activity Illegitimate: Clinton "Daily Times" (11/05) "The U.S. does not accept Israeli settlement activity as legitimate but believes that resuming peace talks is the quickest way to achieve a freeze, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday. Clinton, facing Arab criticism over a perceived U.S. tilt toward Israel on the issue of settlements in the occupied West Bank, said Washington's stance on the issue had not changed. The remarks were received positively by regional ally Egypt, which wants a focus on the 'end-game' of a Palestinian state." Editorial: Hillary Clinton's Lecture On Relations With The Muslim World; Can Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan Not Form A New Islamic Bloc?, an editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (11/05) "While addressing Fortune Conference's sixth forum and giving interview to Al-Jazeera channel, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the purpose of launching American program for the Muslim world was to have interfaith cooperation, give women their rights and enhancing cooperation in the fields of science and technology.... How could Hillary Clinton, hailing from a diehard Jew family, be a well-wisher of the Muslim world, her pronouncements to this effect notwithstanding? She has already blamed Pakistan for the acts of U.S. sponsored al-Qaeda.... If Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan join hands then this new bloc will fail the designs of anti-Islam forces and force the allied forces out of the region.... The terrorism and suicide attacks will also end with the exit of the American allied forces from the region." Editorial: Rear-View Vision, an editorial in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (11/05) "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has offered us a view to the rear to the rear that is both illuminating and profoundly sad.... The catastrophic decisions and policies of the Bush era are going to poison the world for generations to come, and undoing or repairing the damage to the relationship between America and most if not all of the Muslim world is a work to span multiple presidencies - both here and in the U.S. The yet-to-be decided or revealed new American military strategy in Afghanistan is going to 'bleed' into Pakistan. Looking back, America got it badly wrong in Afghanistan almost a decade ago. Looking forward one of our principal foes tells us we are in for a long war. Militarily the Taliban and Al Qaeda have never been decisively beaten; and no matter their losses the mindset that drives their ideology persists. The battle to change that has not even begun." Opinion: A Brainstorming Visit, an op-ed by Mohammad Waseem in the Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (11/05) "The hallmark of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit to Pakistan was an innovative style of diplomacy. Never before had a high-level American official come to this country with a mission to go beyond the state and meet society.... The idea in Washington was to clear the mist around the bill by addressing the reservations of the articulate sections of Pakistani society. The hosts of Hillary Clinton duly obliged. The idea in Islamabad was to avail this opportunity to communicate the government's own grievances to policymakers and lawmakers in Washington. Both agreed to give public diplomacy a chance.... The brainstorming visit of Secretary Clinton to Pakistan has been characterized by a high-profile, fast-paced and multi-dimensional exchange of opinions in public. On a personal note, the visit is expected to give the lady an authentic voice in the foreign policy establishment on matters relating to Pakistan." Opinion: The Daylight And Dark, an op-ed by I.M. Mohsin in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (11/05) "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Pakistan for three days.... Despite all the glitches, Hillary offered a robust relationship in future while urging Pakistan to do more.... This conundrum underlines that U.S. can adapt to any dictator, if American interests are perceived as being served, while singing eulogies for democracy. However, Hillary did say that in future the U.S. would not support any dictator who seized power in Pakistan. The taste of pudding would lie in eating like always. If a disaster of this type strikes again, Pakistanis could invoke such homilies to muster sponsorship.... The U.S. must clearly define her mission in Afghanistan while pursuing the political portal seriously. Pakistan would help but it can't fight fully facing back-stabbing. By Hillary's analogy, 'dark' has been replaced by 'daylight' under Obama. What a bleak day for Pakistan!" Opinion: The Mesmerizing Hillary, an op-ed by Khurshid Akhtar Khan in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (11/05) "She came, she charmed and she conquered. Well, not quite. Most were mesmerized but some are still searching for the evil inside the sophisticated exterior and the hidden agenda behind the warm messages of friendship and better understanding that the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought with the people during her recent mission to Pakistan.... Clinton has done her job. She has worked through her strength of public speaking and strong personality to unambiguously state her government's policy without giving anything away and has removed any illusion of our government's capacity to influence it in any way.... Our unending petty domestic bickering, faltering economy and armed forces overextended on too many fronts have rendered us too ineffective to enforce a meaningful foreign policy and have totally isolated us internationally and from our immediate neighbors. God helps those who help themselves. We are just relying on the U.S. that has transformed itself into the devil to whom we have sold our soul." Opinion: Obama's Quest For A Pakistan Policy, an op-ed by Mushahid Hussain in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (11/05) "Hillary Clinton's visit with a difference was probably the most significant event in Pakistan-American relations since the advent of President Barack Hussein Obama. She came, she saw, but while she did not quite conquer the "hearts and minds" of Pakistanis, Hillary at least earned their grudging admiration. She showed more guts than the bunkered-up Pakistan rulers, who refuse to leave the comfort and safety of their '5-star prisons' in Islamabad. Unlike the aloof and abrasive Holbrooke, Hillary reached out to the 'real' Pakistan. She got a peep into the emerging Pakistani society - dynamic, vibrant, outspoken and self-confident. She seemed taken aback, used as visiting high-level Americans are to a sanitized Islamabad, where the officially-certified truth of the fawning ruling elite links sycophancy and servility to their self-perpetuation." TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES News Story: Army Close To Winding Up First Phase Of Operation "Dawn" (11/05) "The Army is winding up the first phase of Operation Rahi-i-Nijat by this weekend by capturing all major towns and villages in the Taliban heartland of South Waziristan, senior military officials said." (Story also front paged in all newspapers) News Story: Intense Street Battles As Troops Enter Ladha "Daily Times" (11/05) "The Pakistan Army on Wednesday laid siege to Ladha town during the ongoing operation in South Waziristan, on a day that saw fierce street battles with the Taliban, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Athar Abbas said. He said the forces were engaged in intense fighting with terrorists and had so far killed at least 10 Taliban. Seven soldiers were injured in the fighting." News Story: U.S. Missile Strike In Waziristan Kills Two "Dawn" (11/05) "A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles on Thursday into North Waziristan killing two people, Pakistani intelligence officials said. The strike hit a house in a village about 18 km (12 miles) east of North Waziristan's main town of Miramshah." News Story: Taliban Kill Two Female Teachers In Bajaur "Daily Times" (11/05) "Two female schoolteachers were killed on Wednesday when the Taliban ambushed their car in Shandai Mor, two kilometers from Khar in Bajaur Agency." News Story: Journalists As Spies In FATA? "The Nation" (11/05) "Agents of notorious spy agencies are using journalistic cover to engage themselves in intelligence activities in NWFP and FATA, sources informed 'The Nation' on Wednesday. To the surprise and shock of many, top bosses of Federally Administrated Tribal Area (FATA) Secretariat are allegedly feeding these journalists with secret reports and information regarding Pak Army and militant groups operating there." News Story: Fazlullah Aide Held With Rupees 81.5m "Daily Times" (11/05) "Security personnel have arrested Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat Chief Mullah Fazlullah's Finance Secretary Bakht Zaman, and 24 other Taliban, official sources said on Wednesday. They said the security forces had recovered Rupees 81.5 million from the TTP Finance Secretary." News Story: Six Foreigners Among 13 Held In Hangu "Daily Times" (11/05) "Hangu police arrested 13 criminals, including six foreign nationals, in a crackdown on various areas of the district, on Wednesday, speaking at a press conference, District Police Officer (DPO) Gul Wali Khan said." News Story: U.S. Judge Rejects Aafia's Objections To Defence Team "Daily Times" (11/05) "Setting aside Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui's objections over her legal defence team at a pre-trial session, a U.S. judge has ruled that she would have to be represented by lawyers already appointed by the U.S. District Court. Dr. Aafia is scheduled to stand trial on January 19 - on charges of the attempted murder of U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan last year - after Judge Richard Berman declared her mentally fit to stand trial." News Story: Aafia's Family Dissatisfied With Legal Experts "The Nation" (11/05) "Pakistani Embassy in the U.S. has hired incapable legal experts to follow the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, while Aafia and members of her family have conveyed their concerns to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in this regard, 'The Nation' has learnt reliably." News Story: U.S. Embassy Allowed To Import Weapons "The post" (11/05) "Government had issued license to U.S. Embassy for the import of armed weapons and explosives by the Ministry of Interior while ignoring the rules and regulation, according to documents available with Online (Wire Service)." (Story not available online) Editorial: Ignored Victory In South Waziristan, an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (11/05) "The final success of the operation will depend on the ability of the Pakistan army to prevent the expanding of the war front. The Taliban must be engaged within the territory controlled by Pakistan and the enemy must not be allowed to flee to areas where Pakistan army cannot pursue them. If the enemy were able to flee across the Durand Line and regroup on Afghan territory, the effectiveness of the operation would be halved, putting pressure on the paramilitary forces that the army will leave behind after 'pacifying' South Waziristan." Editorial: Evidence Of Indian Involvement In Balochistan, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (circ, 25,000) (11/05) "Today, more than ever, there is a need to unveil the several local and foreign players involved in unrest, terrorism and interference in Balochistan and Waziristan. The level of Indian hypocrisy is such that Indian Foreign Secretary S.M. Krishna has said that all of Pakistan's problems are self-created. He also rejected the allegation of Indian arms found in Waziristan and is instead raising a hue and cry that terrorists are about to be sent to Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Foreign Office has said that the evidence of Indian involvement in Waziristan has not been handed over to India yet. It is a need of the hour to present this evidence to the world, especially the U.S. without any delay." Editorial: Indian Interference: Recommendation to Raise The Issue on World Level, an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (11/05) "It was really shocking to hear a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Pakistan government did not present to her any evidence regarding the Indian interference in Balochistan and Waziristan during her recent visit. At a time when Pakistan is passing through the most critical juncture of its history, our government's failure to present such evidence to the top American diplomat is beyond our understanding. All the countries whose names have been presented before the Parliamentary Committee on National Security for their alleged involvement in our domestic affairs, insistently lecture us to cleanse our country of terrorists. But, at the same time, they also provide funds and weapons to those very militants to carry out terror activities in Pakistan. We think that it is high time our government exposed the actual character of these 'champions of war against terror,' before the international community." Editorial: Eliminating Militancy, an editorial in the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (11/05) "The growing strength of the Afghan resistance ought to have brought home to the U.S. and allies, shortly completing the eighth year of their turbulent occupation of Afghanistan that they can neither hold their own for long nor peace could return to the country as long as they stay there.Q. A dispassionate assessment should inform the U.S. that nothing goes in its favor. Sooner or later it has to leave. But who should fill the gap to calm down the situation in this society that prolonged outside intervention has made highly divisive?" Editorial: Hamid Karzai's Second Tenure, And The War On Terror, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (circ, 25,000) (11/05) "Hamid Karzai has been declared President of Afghanistan for the second time.... These are indeed happy moments for Mr. Karzai and his supporters but he must realize that his responsibilities have increased this time around, as expressed by President Obama in his telephone call. It has now been proven that there has been large-scale embezzlement of foreign assistance to Afghanistan in the last 8 years which has angered the U.S.; this annoyance can be gauged from President Obama's conversation with his Afghan counterpart. Due to this embezzlement, neither the war on terror could be made effective, nor was there satisfactory progress in reconstruction efforts. In his second term, President Karzai not only has to control corruption, but also produce results in the war on terror." Opinion: Confronting The Challenge, an op-ed by Talat Masood in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (11/05) "As an all-out military campaign in South Waziristan proceeds to establish government control over the area, the Taliban-Jihadis combined have responded by wrecking havoc through their retaliatory terrorist attacks in the heartland of Pakistan. This poses a serious challenge because the militants want to demoralize the public and spread despondency to build pressure on the government to stop the military operation. It is, however, not an unexpected development and the political leadership, instead of bunkering themselves, should lead from the front and give the nation confidence and resolve to face these testing tQs.... Cooperation with the U.S. is crucial in fighting the insurgency as it will be a major player in the region for the foreseeable future but over-reliance on it would be counter-productive. The American approach tends to be heavy-handed and there is not sufficient sensitivity and understanding of the complexity of our current situation." (All circulation figures are based on estimation) Patterson