PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: December 11, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002966

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: December 11, 2009

Summary: Coverage of the arrest of five Americans in Sargodha
dominated front page news for the second consecutive day, citing
President Obama and Secretary Clinton's statements on the
investigation. The reports coincided with extensive coverage of
President Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. The
President's remarks on war and peace were carried alongside reports
of anger in Peshawar over his selection. Papers covered a wide
variety of statements on U.S. security operations, including
comments by the Foreign Office spokesman and General McChrystal
ruling out "hot pursuit" inside Pakistan and Interior Minister
Rehman Malik's statement that "Blackwater is not operating in
Pakistan." U.S. Congressional actions also figured prominently,
with reports on the 1.5 billion dollar appropriation under
Kerry-Lugar and calls for more controls on aid to Pakistan.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's call "for withdrawal from Afghanistan
and Pakistan" also received coverage with the latest polls on U.S.
support for the President's Afghanistan plan. More law enforcement
issues rounded out coverage, including reports on former president
of the Bank of Punjab, Hamesh Khan's arrest in the U.S. and
continued coverage of the Headley case. Some newspapers covered the
release of American Nicole Tung, who had been held on charges of
"spying for the U.S." Several Urdu papers reported that police
stopped a U.S. Embassy vehicle "fleeing a checkpoint in Islamabad,"
and let the passengers go after they "apologized to the officers."
Commenting on the ongoing military offensive against militancy, a
prominent columnist, Ayaz Amir, opined in "The News," that "we have
to fight this war on our own, within our borders, without being seen
as an American appendage." End Summary.

TOP STORIES:

News Story: U.S. Probe Into Arrest Of Americans In Pakistan "Dawn"
(12/11)

"U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he envisioned 'a
series of investigations' into the arrest of five American Muslims
in Pakistan for allegedly attempting to contact two militant
groups." (Story also covered in all newspapers)

News Story: War At Some Level An Expression Of Human Feelings, Says
Obama - "Dawn" (12/11)

"U.S. President Barack Obama accepted on Thursday the Nobel Peace
Prize, uncomfortably acknowledging his role as a leader at war while
insisting that conflict can be morally justified." (Story also
covered in all newspapers)

News Story: Anger In Peshawar Over Prize "The Nation" (12/11)

"The Nobel prize is for those who have made achievements, but Obama
is a killer," Jabir Aftab, an engineer living in the shadow of bomb
attacks in Peshawar, said Thursday. As President Barack Obama
conceded others "may be more deserving" of the prize he won for
international diplomacy, there was anger and bewilderment in
northwest Pakistan where many blame the United States for a surge in
violence."

News Story: U.S. General Rules Out 'Hot Pursuit' Into Pakistan
"Dawn" (12/11)

"Commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley
McChrystal, told a congressional panel on Thursday that his troops
would not enter Pakistan to fight militants."

News Story: U.S. 'Hot Pursuit' Out Of Question "The Nation"
(12/11)

"Pakistan would never compromise on its nuclear capability and
nuclear deterrence and its security forces are fully capable of
combating terrorism, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said this
during a weekly media briefing on Thursday. He added that Pakistani
security forces did not need assistance from any country, neither
there was any option of hot pursuit."

News Story: All Terrorists In Pakistan Are Locals, Says Malik
"Daily Times" (12/11)

"The U.S. security contractor, Blackwater, is not operating in
Pakistan and all the terrorists in the country are locals, a private
TV channel quoted Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying on
Thursday"

News Story: U.S. Congress Approves $1.5 Bn For Pakistan "The News"
(12/11)

"The U.S. Congress has appropriated the amount of $1.5 billion for
Pakistan for fiscal year 2010 under the Kerry-Lugar Law. Of this
amount $268 million will be used as military assistance."

Editorial: Sound Judgment Of Chief Justice About Our Rulers'
Character, an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi
Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (12/11)

"It has now become almost crystal clear that the U.S. wants to
expand the Afghan war to our tribal areas. Our successive
governments have bartered away our national dignity and independence
for the U.S. financial assistance. At this critical juncture of
Pakistan's history, the role played by the people, occupying the top
echelons of power in the country, is pushing the nation into further
despondency. We think it is high time for us to formulate an
independent national policy to arrest the growing threats to the
very existence of Pakistan."

News Story: U.S. Lawmaker Calls For Withdrawl From Afghanistan,
Pakistan - The News" (12/11)

"A U.S. lawmaker sharply opposed to the war in Afghanistan plans to
offer twin resolution come January aiming to force President Barrack
Obama to bring home any U.S. forces there and in Pakistan.
Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich's proposals unveiled
Wednesday could lead to a first vote to guage support among Obama's
congressional allies for his decision to send 30,000 more troops to
Afghanistan."

Opinion: The Sharp Head Of The Tempest Brewing, an op-ed by Ayaz
Amir in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The
News" (cir. 55,000) (12/11)

". . . We cannot afford to be tied to America's apron strings the
way we are at present. We have to fight this war on our own, within
our borders, without being seen as an American appendage. It is time
to loosen, not tighten, the American connection. . ."

News Story: Hamesh Khan Arrested In United States "Daily Times"
(12/11)

"Hamesh Khan, the former president of the Bank of Punjab (BoP),has
been arrested in America by the U.S. Department of Justice, a
private TV channel reported on Thursday. According to the channel,
the U.S. Department of Justice has informed Islamabad about Hamesh
Khan's arrest, after the Pakistani government had contacted
Interpol, requesting that they arrest the former BoP president."

News Story: Alleged U.S. Spy Released "The Nation" (12/11)

"An American national, held on charges of spying for the U.S., was
released on Wednesday by the local authorities. Local security staff
posted on Pak-Afghan border in the turbulent Khyber Agency had
rounded up the alleged female spy Nicole Tung who claimed to be
working for the U.S. government but failed to show any proof
including passport or valid visa document."

News Story: Makes U.S. Nationals Respect The Law Of The Land "The
Nation" (12/11)

"Police officers' commitment to law enforcement was revealed when
one of them, a young ASP, chased a fleeing U.S. embassy vehicle
after it deliberately ignored the police's request at a picket to
stop and broke through the picket instead. The ASP gave them chase
and brought the Americans back from two kilometers away from the
picket and forced them to tender an apology to the police officials
deployed there, sources said on Thursday."

News Story: U.S. Considers Using Drones For Supplies "Daily Times"
(12/11)

"The U.S. military is taking a serious look at resupplying combat
troops in Afghanistan using unmanned aircraft, an Air Force general
said on Wednesday. Faced with the task of delivering vast amounts of
supplies by land and by air to troops in the mountainous,
land-locked country, senior officers were considering using
pilotless aircraft to help with the job, said U.S. Transportation
Command chief General Duncan McNabb."

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

News Story: Imran Says He Got Positive Response From Taliban "The
News" (12/11)

"Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, who on Wednesday offered
his services and even showed the willingness to go to the tribal
areas to get the mounting terrorism issue resolved through political
dialogue, got encouraging response from the Taliban side."

News Story: 10 Militants Killed In Bara Search Operation - "Dawn"
(12/11)

"At least 10 suspected militants were killed and several others
injured during a search operation carried out by security forces in
Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on Thursday."

News Story: Who Is David Coleman Headley? - "Daily Times" (12/11)

"David Coleman Headley was known as Daood Gilani until 2006. He is
the son of a noted former director general of Radio Pakistan,
General (r) Salim Gilani and half brother of Prime Minister Yousaf
Raza Gilani's public relations officer (PRO),Daniyal Gilani. . ."

Opinion: The Long Duel, an op-ed by Mowahid Hussain Shah in the
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000)
(12/11)

" . . . Given Obama's speech and the escalating conflict on the
Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier, what lies next? Situational awareness
suggests that America is in for the long haul. . . Obama's ambitious
agenda on healthcare, jobs, and economic recovery has to compete
with the rising costs of its Afghan undertaking. If mishandled, it
can consume his presidency, just as Vietnam consumed Lyndon Johnson,
and 9/11 consumed the Republican administration of George Bush.
Obama now owns the Afghan war. . ."

POLITICAL ISSUES


News Story: Policy Of Nuclear Deterrence To Remain Intact: FO - "The
News" (12/11)

"Pakistan on Thursday ruled out any chances of a compromise on its
policy of nuclear deterrence and cautioned major powers in the
region to refrain from creating instability by helping India to
further its nuclear ambitions."

Editorial: India Fuelling Terror, an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/11)

"As evidence of Indian involvement in sponsoring terrorism in
Pakistan, whether it is FATA, Balochistan or another part of the
country, has continued to multiply, the Interior Minister's
accusatory finger can no longer be termed as Islamabad's mere
knee-jerk reaction against its arch enemy.....Reports also indicate
that the Interior Ministry has kept the Foreign Ministry posted with
these developments. Again, COAS General Kayani apparently took up
the matter with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, as he, in
turn, has confirmed that he conveyed Pakistan's concerns to the past
as well as the present Indian Army Chiefs."

Editorial: Solid Proofs Of Indian Interference In Pakistan, an
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/11)

"Interior Minister is providing hard evidence of Indian interference
and the Foreign Minister does not consider it enough. This
situation can best be described as unfortunate, lack of coordination
between the two ministries and incompetence of the authorities
concerned.... India blamed Pakistan for Mumbai attacks without any
evidence. However, we have proofs of Indian terrorism [in
Pakistan]. There is now no justification for Indian High
Commissioner to be in Pakistan.... Pakistan should take a strict
note of the situation and should think of the eastern border instead
of the western one, where India has deployed its warplanes
squadrons."

Editorial: Lack Of Harmony On The Issue Of Indian Interference In


Pakistan, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir.25,
000) (12/11)

"It is a matter of concern for the nation that the government
statements on Indian interference in Pakistan lack harmony. The
Interior Minister says that it has provided solid evidence of Indian
interference to the Foreign Ministry yet the Foreign Minister says
that the evidence that has been provided is insufficient. The
question is: if there is lack of harmony on such a vital issue, what
would be the state of affairs in other areas?"

Opinion: How U.S. Winked At Indian Nukes, an op-ed by Basharat
Hussain Qizilbash in the center-right national English daily "The
Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/11)

"For quite some time now, the U.S. media has been propagating scary
stories about Pakistan's nuclear weapons while maintaining a deathly
silence about the Indian nukes. . . In other words, the Americans
gave a clear pass to the Indians. . . However, an article in the
Washington Post, while realising the fallout of this detonation in
the region critically observed: "India's Peaceful Nuclear Explosion
Experiment is first of all the test of a bomb....There (is) no real
distinction between a military and peaceful explosion....For India
to call its explosion 'peaceful' and to abjure all military intent
is in a word rubbish...the blast can only further aggravate
Pakistan's fears of Indian domination."

Editorial: Need To Expose Indian Conspiracies Before International
Community, an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily
"Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/11)

"India is the main beneficiary of the war on terror while Pakistan,
despite rendering innumerable sacrifices, has been continuously on
the receiving end. Washington has played the central role in
elevating New Delhi to the position of a regional bully with a view
to use India in containing China. The criminal silence of our own
rulers, over the Indian interference in Pakistan, is almost
unfathomable for the nation. We think that the government must take
immediate and hectic steps to expose India's nefarious designs
against Pakistan, and at the same time, develop a national strategy
to counter this growing threat to our country."

News Story: Giving Up Nuclear Command Not Sign Of Weakness: Zardari
"The News" (12/11)

"President Asif Zardari has said his decision to hand back the
chairmanship of the National Command Authority (NCA) that controls
over country's nuclear assets should not be seen as a sign of
weakness; rather, it demonstrates the vitality of the Pakistani
democracy."

News Story: Zardari Seeks US Mediation On Kashmir Issue "Dawn"
(12/11)

"President Asif Ali Zardari called upon U.S. President Barack Obama
on Thursday to demonstrate American neutrality and willingness to
help India and Pakistan overcome their mutual distrust by stepping
up its efforts 'to mediate the Kashmir dispute'."

MISCELLANEOUS

News Story: Foreign Airlines Told To Restart Peshawar Operations By
31st - "Daily Times" (12/11)

"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has set December 31 as a
deadline for foreign airlines - mainly from the Gulf - to restart
operations from Peshawar or discontinue services if they feel the
security situation is a threat."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)

Patterson