PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 16, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003015

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 16, 2009

Summary: Coverage of the suicide car bombing in Dera Ghazi Khan
dominated front pages this morning. Against the backdrop of this
latest attack, U.S-Pakistan dialogue on the fight against violent
extremism continued to play out in the headlines. Most papers
reported Admiral Mullen's meeting with his Pakistani counterpart,
General Majeed, carrying Mullen's message that "defeating the
Taliban and al Qaeda is a must for peace". Vice President Biden's
comments to MSNBC that stabilizing Pakistan and defeating al Qaeda
are America's main strategic goals in South Asia were also widely
covered. On the Pakistani side, coverage prominently featured the
Pakistani military's refusal of U.S. demands to crack down on the
Haqqani network. Many newspapers also carried Foreign Office
spokesman's statement that Pakistan has conveyed to the U.S. its
concerns over the extension of drone attacks. All major English
language dailies covered Counsel for the Federation, Kamal Azfar's
retraction of his statement that the CIA and GHQ threaten the
Pakistani democratic system; however reports indicate that Azfar
only clarified his stance on the GHQ, making no mention of his CIA
claims. Continuing its conspiratorial slant, The Nation front-paged
a story entitled "Arrival of the Jackals", alleging the CIA's
"longstanding presence in Pakistan". Law enforcement news completed
today's coverage with reports that the alleged American Jihadis have
been remanded and will be booked under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA).
End Summary.

TOP STORIES

News Story: 'Concern Over Haqqani Network': Stabilizing Pakistan
Main U.S. Goal, Says Biden "Dawn," "Daily Times," "The News"
(12/16)

"Stabilizing Pakistan and defeating Al Qaeda are America's main
strategic interests in South Asia, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden
said on Tuesday. He stressed the need for a long-term partnership
with Pakistan. In an interview to MSNBC television channel, Mr.
Biden also emphasized the need to work with Pakistan to undo the
Haqqani network and defeat the Pakistani Taliban."

News Story: Pak Rebuffs U.S. Demand To Hit Haqqani Group "The
Nation" (12/16)

"Pakistani military has rebuffed U.S. military's demands to hit
Siraj Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American
forces in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported on Tuesday."

News Story: Mullen, Majid Discuss Possible Implications Of U.S.
Afghan Strategy On Pakistan "Daily Times," "Khabrain," "Express"
(12/16)

"Chairman U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen called
on his Pakistani counterpart General Tariq Majid on Tuesday and
discussed Washington's revised policy for Afghanistan and the
region. The two exchanged views on the possible implications of the
new Afghan strategy on Pakistan, envisaging additional 30,000 troops
to turn around the war on terror and force the Taliban into
submission. Sources said Gen. Tariq highlighted the importance of a
stable Afghanistan for Pakistan and said Pakistan's armed forces
were committed to rooting out militancy from the Tribal Areas, the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said."

News Story: India Using Afghanistan To Destabilize Pakistan "The
Nation" (12/16)

"U.S. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Michael
Mullen, who arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day visit, called on
his Pakistani counterpart General Tariq Majeed and discussed new
U.S. Afghan policy, regional security and other professional matters
with him.... However, according to the sources, General Tariq
conveyed his concerns to the American Admiral over potential fallout
of U.S. troop surge on Pakistan. General Majeed also conveyed to the
U.S. counterpart the country's concerns over growing Indian
involvement in destabilizing Pakistan by using Afghan soil."

News Story: "Defeating Taliban, Al Qaeda Must For Peace: Mullen "The
News," "Jang" (12/16)

"The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Admiral Mike
Mullen has said that defeating Taliban and Al Qaeda was inevitable
for establishing peace and stability in the region, for which
Pakistan's cooperation with U.S. was of paramount importance,
military sources quoted him as saying during his special address at
National Defense University, Islamabad after arriving from Kabul on
Tuesday."

News Story: Suicide Attack Outside Khosa's House Kills 33 "Daily
Times" (12/16)

"A suicide car bomb exploded in a market outside the home of the
Punjab chief minister's senior adviser, Zulfiqar Khosa in Dera Ghazi
Khan on Tuesday, killing 33 people and wounding 60 others.... The
attacker had packed the car with about 900 pounds (400 kilogram's)
of explosives, senior police officer Muhammad Rizwan said." (Story
also covered in all newspapers)

News Story: U.S. Flays Blast "The Frontier Post," "Jinnah,"
"Express," "Ausaf," "Pakistan" (12/16)

"The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan Strongly condemned the terrorist
bombing on Tuesday in Dera Ghazi Khan that claimed the lives of
innocent Pakistanis and injured many more."

News Story: GHQ's Been A Bad Boy, But Kayani Is A Gentleman "The
News" (12/16)

"Making a hasty retreat from his stunning Monday statement wherein
he had tried to unnerve the Supreme Court with CIA-GHQ sponsored
anti-democracy consequences, Kamal Azfar on Tuesday took refuge
behind the blame-it-on-past doctrine and told the court that the
General Headquarters (GHQ) had been destabilizing the democratic
process but gave the incumbent COAS a good behavior pass." (Story
also covered in all newspapers)

News Story: CIA Has Longstanding Presence In Pakistan "The Nation"
(12/16)

"The recent terror incidents in the major cities of the country have
shown light to an ugly reality related to the hatching up of a
malicious conspiracy against the very existence of Pakistan, which
has often been exposed in Western media. CIA has been working on its
heinous and expansionist plans in Pakistan for years. In a recent
article published in Times in September 2009, a CIA agent, Art
Keller, said that about 50 to 100 CIA agents have been working in
Waziristan to locate the presence of Osama bin Laden for the last
eight years."

News Story: Court Gives 10-Day Physical Remand: Six Americans To Be
Booked Under ATA "Dawn" (12/16)

"The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has reportedly decided to book
the six United States nationals under Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The
police had registered a case against Waqar Hussain Khan, 22
(Virginia),Ahmed Abdullah Mani, 20 (Virginia),Ramay S Zamzam, 22
(Egypt) Iman Hasan Yamar, 17, (California),Omar Farouk, 24 and his
father Khalid Farouk (Virginia) under the Pakistan Penal Code for
criminal conspiracy and violation of Foreigners Act after arresting
them from Sargodha on December 9 and sealed it soon after." (Story
also covered in all newspapers)

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

News Story: Concerns Over Drone Attacks' Extension Conveyed To U.S.:
FO "Daily times," "The Nation," "The News" (12/16)

"Pakistan has conveyed its concerns over the extension of drone
attacks to Balochistan to the U.S., a Foreign Office (FO) spokesman
told a private TV channel on Tuesday. Abdul Basit said the U.S.
could better understand the implications of extension of the
attacks, adding that the U.S. should not only avoid it but also stop
such attacks in FATA." (Story also covered in all newspapers)

News Story: NATO Oil Tankers Torched, Gas Pipeline Blown Up "Dawn,"
"The Nation," "The News," "The Frontier Post" (12/16)

"Two oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan were
torched and a gas pipeline in the Loti area of Dera Bugti district
(Quetta) was blown up on Tuesday, police said."

News Story: Taliban Want Talks With Govt.: Malik "Daily Times"
(12/16)

"The Taliban leadership is sending messages from various sources to
the government for holding dialogue, Interior Minister Rehman Malik
said on Tuesday. 'The government cannot hold talks with unreliable
people who don't even fulfill their commitments. If the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) really wants to hold dialogue with
the government, they must surrender and lay down their arms first,'
Malik said."

News Story: 20 Killed In Orakzai Air Strikes "Dawn" (12/16)

"Twenty militants were killed and six others injured in air strikes
in lower Orakzai Agency on Tuesday evening. Three camps and four
vehicles of the militants were destroyed, official sources said."
(Story also covered in all newspapers)

News Story: 23 Militants Killed In Kurram "The News" (12/16)

"Security forces killed 23 more militants and injured five others
while five were arrested in the Muswozai area in Kurram Agency on
Tuesday, official sources said." (Story also covered in all
newspapers)

News Story: Jamaat-e-Islami Holds Anti-U.S., India Rally In Chakwal
"The Nation," "The News" (12/16)

"Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chakwal arranged protest rally against AMERICA
and India on Tuesday. The protesters were carrying banners and
placards in which anti-America and India slogans were inscribed."

EDITORIALS/OPINIONS

Editorial: Please Stop, an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(12/16)

"The American side needs to stop its public posturing and reflect
privately on the pluses of the present partnership with Pakistan. So
keen of late to drum up the differences, the Americans have perhaps
deliberately but no less foolishly downplayed the very real
cooperation of the Pakistani security establishment. From a
reasonable level of partnership across the Pak-Afghan border to
impede the flow of militants in both directions to the
intelligence-sharing that makes drone strikes possible in the
Waziristan agencies to the occasional breaking up of Al Qaeda cells
inside Pakistan, there is in fact a healthy degree of ongoing
cooperation between the two countries. Beating the 'do more' drum,
however, obscures that reality and makes the security establishment
here bristle at the thought of being bullied by a 'friend' and an
'ally'."

Editorial: Our Friend! Our Enemy!, an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/16)

"U.S. Central Command Chief General David Petraeus should not make
light of the warning by Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq
Pervaiz Kayani to stop drone attacks in FATA. The U.S. General was
also told about the Indian involvement in terrorist activities in
Pakistan through Afghanistan. General Kayani's worry would lend
credibility to the perception that the U.S. in league with New Delhi
is involved in the ongoing destabilization of Pakistan.... The
repercussions of U.S. adventurism would be severe to say the least.
Drone attacks are no antidote to the prevailing conundrum.... By
making Pakistan a scapegoat for its own failings in Afghanistan, the
U.S. would be living up to its reputation of a proverbial
weathercock ditching its partners in the end."

Editorial: Threat To Quetta, an editorial in the populist, often
sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/16)

"The prospect of drone strikes over an urban centre is indeed
horrifying. The bombings in the northern areas have already created
much angst and, in some ways at least, fuelled militancy. Any action
elsewhere would meet with still angrier reaction. It is obvious that
loss of innocent lives, or 'collateral damage' as the U.S. terms
such deaths of women, men and children, will be unavoidable in that
situation. We must hope and pray that this never becomes a reality.
But we must also ask what our own government is doing to ensure
this.... In the wake of the growing demands that the Quetta issue be
addressed, the government needs to act quickly - and, for once,
wisely. For our sakes, more than for anyone else, the Taliban need
to be acted against wherever they are based."

Editorial: Pak-U.S. Relations May Ultimately Rupture, an editorial
in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer"
(cir. 5,000) (12/16)

"Vibes from Washington and the talks General Petraeus held in
Islamabad leave no doubt that Pakistan is coming under increased
pressure from the United States to deploy more troops along the
Durand Line, expand the military operation to North Waziristan and
act against alleged Taliban leadership in the vicinity of Quetta.
The message from the Obama administration is categorical and if it
does not act more aggressively, U.S. will use considerably more
force on its side of the border to shut down the Taliban attacks....
If the U.S. went ahead with its plan to launch drone strikes in
Quetta or any other settled area, then the Government and the people
would certainly react to this misadventure and it may rupture
Pak-U.S. cooperation in the fight against extremist groups and
further destabilize the whole region."

Editorial: Time Has Come To Take Courageous Decisions, lead
editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir.
10,000) (12/16)

"Although, for the time being, President Barack Obama has expressed
his concern over a proposal to expand the drone attacks to Quetta,
we know that, when it comes to their interests, the Americans feel
no qualms in violating all the ethics and human rights. We think
that it is the need of the hour that our rulers pick up some courage
and take decisions according to the wishes of the Pakistani masses.
The day, when our rulers succeed in getting rid of the fear from the
U.S., we would gain the status of an indomitable and respectable
country in the comity of the nations."

Editorial: Respecting Pakistan's Sovereignty, an editorial note in
the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir.
150,000) (12/15)

"U.S. magazine Newsweek has revealed in a report the President Obama
has opposed drone attacks in Quetta and said that there is a danger
that ordinary citizens might die [in such strikes].... There is no
existence of the Taliban Shura in Quetta, Al Qaeda and Taliban
leaders are not in Pakistani areas; they might be in Afghan
provinces under Taliban control. The U.S. should work within Afghan
borders, finish the job quickly and leave the country. Pakistani
authorities are fully capable of taking all possible measures in
Pakistan, [the U.S.] need not worry about it."

Editorial: Hopes Pinned On Our Political And Military Leadership:
Lessons From The Fall Of Dhaka, an editorial in the second-largest,
nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/16)

"Is the satanic triumvirate of U.S.-India-Israel not conspiring
against Pakistan the way India conspired to break Pakistan in 1971?
Aren't the infamous Blackwater and RAW playing the same games on
Pakistani soil?... Our political and military leadership need to
work together to face this difficult situation; otherwise repeating
past mistakes could lead to fulfillment of our enemy's aim of
making Pakistan disappear from the world map."

Editorial: Undaunted Step Taken By LHC Regarding Deportation of 5
Detained Americans, second editorial in the popular rightist
Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/16)

"The entire Pakistan feels pride in the decision of the Lahore High
Court (LHC) to stop the deportation of five U.S. nationals arrested
from Sargodha a couple of days ago. We hope this ruling will set a
trend that in future the American and Pakistani citizens would be
treated at par before the law."

Editorial: High Court's Positive Decision [To Stop Deportation Of 5
U.S. Detainees], an editorial note in the Lahore-based populist
center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (12/16)

"The U.S. government demands that these persons [arrested from
Sargodha] should be deported. Naturally, one wonders why the U.S. is
making this demand when around the world every government wants to
protect its citizens and avoid their deportation. We feel that the
Pakistani agencies should try to get to the bottom of this issue, as
some people suspect that these U.S. citizens came to Pakistan with
terrorist objectives."

Editorial: Deviant Diplomats?, an editorial in the populist, often
sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/16)

"There are a number of reports of vehicles carrying diplomats
bearing fake number-plates. There have been other incidents where
usually Americans have been involved in altercations and threatening
behavior with our citizens. There does not appear to be any record
of any foreign national being prosecuted for unlawful behavior....
It is no unsubstantiated rumor that diplomats are toting weaponry
and acting aggressively; they have been caught red-handed. We need a
little more clarity and a lot less fog around the issue of what
diplomats here are and are not allowed to do. Because in a country
where accidents happen with monotonous frequency, this is beginning
to look like a large accident waiting to happen."

Editorial: Ulema Against Terrorism, an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (12/16)

"Interior Minister Rehman Malik's initiative to ask the Ulema to
play their due role in denouncing suicide attacks and defeat the
menace of terrorism must be appreciated. After Mr. Malik's call to
the Ulema, many renowned Islamic scholars have come out and spoken
against suicide bombings in particular and terrorism in general....
It was quite disappointing - though hardly surprising - to see
former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmad saying that
there was no need for the Ulema to issue a fatwa (decree) against
suicide bombing.... Instead of being in denial, we would urge Qazi
sahib to lend his support to the government and the nation in
spreading the true message of Islam, i.e. peace!"

Opinion: The Blackwater Chronicles, an op-ed by Irfan Husain in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (12/16)

"In Pakistan's context, the firm has become synonymous with public
perception about American interference in the country. Despite
repeated denials, Blackwater/Xe is widely viewed as yet another
symbol of Washington's intrusive policies. This impression was
recently reinforced by a New York Times story alleging that the
firm's operatives worked hand in glove with the CIA in covert
anti-terrorist operations. In the wake of President Obama's recent
announcement of the surge that will add 30,000 soldiers to the
present strength of 68,000 in Afghanistan, few realize how deeply
the concept of defence outsourcing has become entrenched. For
instance, there are already 104,000 American private security
contractors in Afghanistan."

Opinion: Quetta Shura, an op-ed by Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad in the
country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir.
25,000) (12/16)

"On September 29, Ambassador Anne Patterson told Washington Post
that the Quetta Shura was high on the U.S. list and the Obama
administration had 'turned its focus to Quetta,' which had now
become a 'major Taliban base' from where Mullah Omar and his
commanders plan and launch cross-border strikes in Afghanistan....
Suspicions, meanwhile, continue to persist. Washington believes
Pakistan is unwilling to take action against Sirajuddin Haqqani or
Mullah Omar because it hopes to preserve the Taliban leadership with
a view to using them as a weight that acts to balance the Indian
influence in Afghanistan after the U.S. forces have left....
Meanwhile, attacks by unmanned aircraft on Quetta are not a feasible
proposition. The city has a population of 850,000 and the collateral
damage would be quite high. This would have damaging repercussions
for the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban. Public opinion in
Pakistan, currently supporting the military operation in the tribal
areas, would suddenly take an anti-U.S. turn depriving the army of
the much-needed popular support, which has led to quick victories in
Swat and South Waziristan. While drone attacks might kill a few
Taliban in Balochistan, they would put the government in a position
where it might not be possible for it to carry on the war on
terror."

Opinion: We Have The Time!, an op-ed by S.M. Hali in the
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000)
(12/16)

"In response to U.S. President Obama's latest Afghan policy, the
Taliban's response has been: 'You may have the watches but we have
the time!' That is a pragmatic thought since Obama has exposed his
cards by disclosing the date of July 2011 for commencing the egress
of US troops from Afghanistan. Now all that the Taliban have to do
is to wait the period out, and once the troops withdraw, they would
take over from where they had left.... The Taliban will never give
up on its goals and the only resolution would be to grant the
Taliban the status of a political player. Maybe Obama is buying
himself some time to negotiate a 'decent interval' which would cover
his 2012 election campaign, so both Obama and the Taliban are vying
for time but only the Taliban have it."

Opinion: Chasing Shadows, an op-ed by Iftekhar A. Khan in the
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000)
(12/16)

"The truth is that Obama seems to have lost control of the US
foreign and defence policies. It is the hawks of the military
industrial complex and national security advisers, who 'war game'
with public lives and resources in alien lands, which dictate U.S.
policies.... the U.S. agenda in Pakistan is not obscure anymore; the
superpower intends to stretch the war with drone strikes in
Balochistan beside FATA. The U.S. already knows that the weak-kneed
Pak government beholden to it will make superficial noises of little
consequence and not much else. This supports the oft-repeated stance
that destabilization activity surrounds the arc:
CAS-Afghanistan-FATA-Balochistan (Gwadar). With surge in U.S./NATO
troops in Afghanistan, the region round the arc is likely to boil
over. People are seething with anti-Americanism; they attribute
deaths and destruction of property because of daily blasts to the
U.S. War on Terror the country has been sucked into."

Opinion: No More Jihadi Proxies, an op-ed by Dr. Manzur Ejaz in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (12/16)

"Pakistan and the U.S. have put themselves in such a tight corner
that both countries are not left with many choices. President Barack
Obama made winning the Afghan war his priority even during his
election campaign.... On the other hand, the Pakistan military does
not seem ready to go all the way against all kinds of Jihadis
because of its apprehensions, real or perceived, about India....
However, it is clear that the U.S., run by President Obama or
someone else, can hardly run away from Afghanistan. As a matter of
fact, China and Russia cannot afford a Taliban-run Afghanistan
either. Therefore, all the international powers, actively fighting
or by-standing, are united against the Taliban rule. Therefore,
Pakistan's military cannot sustain its Jihadi proxies by any means
and should adopt alternative approaches by strengthening economy and
democratic rule in the country."

Opinion: Obama's 'Nobel' Path, an op-ed by Shamshad Ahmad in the
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir.
55,000) (12/16)

"To prove himself worthy of the prize, Obama must establish his
'peaceful' credentials. He could do so only by ensuring U.S.
withdrawal from Iraq on schedule, ceasing drone strikes across the
Durand Line, preparing the ground for withdrawal from Afghanistan in
eighteen months as announced, and getting the Palestinians a state
by the end of 2011 even through unilateral recognition. Another
Nobel Laureate and a fellow democrat president, Woodrow Wilson's
ghost doesn't have to come to remind Obama that to make 'the world
safe for every peace-loving nation, it must be assured of justice
and fair dealing, and that unless justice is done to others it will
not be done to us.' President Obama's 'Nobel' path line is clearly
drawn. He must go ahead and follow it lest history rewards him, like
his predecessor, with flying Size 10 Shoes."

POLITICAL ISSUES

News Story: SC Asks Govt. To Elaborate On 'GHQ Threats' "Dawn"
(12/16)

"A judge of the Supreme Court implicitly asked the government's
first law officer on Tuesday to state in clear terms whether the
government wanted to save President Asif Ali Zardari.... 'Tell us if
the GHQ (General Headquarters) is doing something. Then we can pass
a restraining order, but if it is the question of saving President
Asif Ali Zardari then this should be clearly addressed so that we
can answer to this,' observed Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, a member of
the 17-judge bench hearing the petitions against controversial
National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)."

News Story: Taliban Threat To Democracy, Not CIA Or GHQ "Daily
Times" (12/16)

"An attorney for the federal government - Barrister Kamal Azfar - on
Tuesday altered a statement he made in the Supreme Court on Monday,
saying the actual threat to democracy was the Taliban, not the CIA
and General Headquarters."

Editorial: No One Would Be Threatened If All Remain Within Limits,
an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily
"Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (12/16)

"In response to a question before the 17-member Supreme Court bench
hearing the NRO cases, government lawyer Kamal Azfer said that GHQ
and CIA pose a threat to democracy; and that GHQ had derailed
democracy in the past. Although the army has not directly responded
to this remark, U.S. General Petraeus who was visiting Pakistan
stated that the army does not wish to remove Zardari.... It is very
unfortunate that American Generals are reassuring our government.
When we drag the U.S. into every issue, why do we complain that we
face a threat from CIA?"

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

News Story: Pakistan Set To Get $1.2 Billion From IMF "Dawn" (12/16)


"Pakistan is set to get the fourth disbursement of $1.2 billion from
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Stand-by Arrangement
(SBA) later this month. Sources in the finance ministry told Dawn on
Tuesday that documentation was complete for the IMF Executive Board
to take up Pakistan's case on Dec 23. This would be the board's last
major meeting this year."

News Story: Climate Change Will Endanger Livelihood "The Nation"
(12/16)

"The UNFPA's State of the World Population 2009 and it's Pakistan
Supplement examined how family planning, reproductive healthcare and
gender relations could influence the future course of climate
change. The supplement highlighted how climate change poses threats
that could increase the incidence of poverty to put further burden
on already marginalized setions of population. Report stressed that
climate change will potentially endanger the lives and livelihoods
of most vulnerable groups..."

News Story: Load-Shedding Of Up To Four Hours A Day From December 25
"Dawn" (12/16)

"Electricity load-shedding of up to four hours a day is likely to
start from Dec 25 across the country because of a sharp decline in
hydel power generation. Power generation would drop sharply between
Dec 31 and Jan 31 as releases from water reservoirs would be reduced
in the wake of the canal cleaning drive by Sindh and Punjab."

MISCELLANEOUS

News Story: NWFP Minister Thanks U.S. For Rescue Equipment "Daily
Times" (12/16)

"NSFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has thanked the
U.S. government for donating search and rescue equipment to the
provincial government, said an official release issued in Peshawar
on Tuesday."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)
Patterson