PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: March 25, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000637

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: March 25, 2009

Summary: Remarks by the newly reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar
Chaudhary pledging to "cleanse judiciary of corruption" dominated
headlines in all newspapers on Wednesday. All newspapers front-paged
reports that the TNSM (Tehrik Nifaz Shariat Mohammadi) chief, Sufi
Mohammad, "threatened" to wind up his peace camp (in Swat) if the
government failed to enforce the 'Nizam-e-Adl' laws. In an
exclusive story, the English daily, "Dawn" reported that "hectic
consultations" began between Washington and Islamabad to "ensure
that there are no surprises for Pakistan" in the new U.S. strategy
for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Reports of a bomb blast in Quetta
that injured at least four persons received prominent display.

Most major dailies ran editorials on the U.S. "exit strategy" on
Afghanistan as hinted by President Obama during a recent interview.
The prestigious English daily, "Dawn," observed that "Mr. Obama's
reference to an exit strategy may have been meant to pacify his
domestic audience and the U.S. international allies, all of whom
worried about losing endless blood and treasure in a faraway place."
The second largest Urdu daily, "Nawa-i-Waqt," opined that
"President Barack Obama talks of troop withdrawal strategy for
Afghanistan, and on the other his representatives like Holbrooke are
describing Pakistan as the root of all the problems." The liberal
English language daily, "Daily Times," advised the Pakistani
politicians to "make up their mind whether they want to fight
Al-Qaeda or not, and if not, what strategy they plan to pursue."
End Summary.

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News Stories
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"Iftikhar Seeks To Cleanse Judiciary Of Corruption" "Dawn" (03/25)

"Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who marched triumphantly
into his office on Tuesday after a break of 16 months, appealed to
lawyers to help him rid the judiciary of corruption."

"Sufi Threatens To Close 'Peace Camp'" "Dawn" (03/25)

"TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad threatened on Tuesday to wind up
his peace camp if the government failed to immediately enforce the
Nizam-i-Adl Regulation."

"President Yet To Sign Nizam-e-Adl Draft" "Daily Times" (03/25)

"President Asif Ali Zardari has not signed the proposed Nizam-e-Adl
(Sharia) Regulation 2009 for Malakand division, although the
document was sent to him 11 days ago by the NWFP government. The
NWFP sent the proposed regulation to the president after NWFP
Governor Owais Ghani approved it on March 13."

"NWFP Resolves To Implement Nizam-e-Adl" "The News" (03/25)

"The provincial policy committee on Tuesday reviewed the situation
in different parts of the province and the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (Fata) and expressed the resolve to implement the
Nizam-e-Adl in the troubled Malakand division."

"Hectic Consultations Precede Unveiling Of US Strategy" "Dawn"
(03/25)

"Sending American troops into Pakistan is a "red line" that cannot
be crossed, says US special envoy Richard Holbrooke, but he refuses
to confirm or deny media reports that Washington may expand drone
attacks to Balochistan. As the United States prepares to unveil the
new strategy later this week, hectic consultations have begun
between Washington and Islamabad to ensure that "there are no
surprises for Pakistan in the new policy"

"Four Hurt In Quetta Blast" "The News" (03/25)

"Four persons were injured when a powerful bomb exploded near a cold
drink outlet at the Liaquat Bazaar here on Tuesday afternoon. Police
said the explosive device went off around 1:52 pm when the people
were busy in shopping."

"BRA Women Claim Carrying Out Bomb Attack" "Dawn" (03/25)

"Four people were injured when a bomb exploded in a cafe in the busy
Liaquat bazaar here on Tuesday, and the women's wing of the Baloch
Republican Army claimed responsibility for the attack."

"20 Extremists Back In UK After Training" "Daily Times" (03/25)

"Pakistan has tipped off British government about more than 20
Britons believed to have spent time with radical militant groups and
then returned to the UK. A Sky TV report said the tracked men may
have trained with extremist outfits."

"Naek Speaks Of 'Befitting Response' To Drone Attacks" "Dawn"
(03/25)

"Acting President Farooq H. Naek said on Tuesday that the United
States had been told to stop drone attacks. He said that if they
continued misadventure, the matter would be taken up in parliament
and the world would see a befitting national response."

"Gilani Pays First Visit To Kahuta Laboratories" "Dawn" (03/25)

"Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that the
government was fully aware of the country's defense needs and was
pursuing a policy of maintaining credible minimum deterrence for the
sake of peace and stability in the region. The prime minister was
addressing a gathering of nuclear scientists during his first visit
to the Kahuta Research Laboratories on the outskirts of the
capital."

"Taliban Warn Against Cellular Service In Waziristan" "Daily Times"
(03/25)

"The Taliban on Tuesday warned the government to stop expanding its
mobile telephone network in Waziristan, claiming it would be used to
spy on them."

"UN Team For Benazir Probe Due Next Month" "Dawn" (03/25)

"A United Nations technical team is expected to reach Pakistan in
the third week of April to establish infrastructure in the country
for the fact-finding mission to begin its investigation into the
assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto."

"UNHCR Appeals For Solecki's Release" "Daily Times" (03/25)

"The UN refugee agency on Tuesday appealed for the release of John
Solecki, an official who was kidnapped 50 days ago by Baloch
insurgents."

"Obama Seeks Swift G20 Action" "Dawn" (03/25)

"US President Barack Obama sought swift action from G20 leaders on
stimulating the economy abroad and new powers to wind down failing
financial firms at home on Tuesday, a day after markets cheered his
plan to soak up toxic assets weighing down the banks."

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Editorials/Op-eds
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"Exit America," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (03/25)

"Mr. Obama's reference to an exit strategy may have been meant to
pacify his domestic audience and the US's international partners
with a troop presence in Afghanistan, all of whom are worried about
losing endless blood and treasure in a faraway place. Here in
Pakistan it is important to properly understand the thrust of what
the U.S. is attempting to do in Afghanistan in the years ahead. The
simplistic, and dangerous, conclusion would be that the western
world is preparing to turn tail and therefore our security
establishment's policy of hedging its bets and keeping its links to
militant's alive stands vindicated."

"Rogue State Within A Rogue State: American Analysis Or Plan? Cause
Of Concern," an editorial in the second-largest, center-right
nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) (03/25)
"On the one hand President Barack Obama talks of troop withdrawal
strategy for Afghanistan and on the other his representatives like
Holbrooke are describing Pakistan as the root of all the
problems.... The only strategy to face Taliban is that their status
is recognized.... David Kilcullen's analysis is food for thought
for the entire nation, its rulers and decision makers. This could
be a conspiracy to get a hold of Pakistan's nuclear weapons...."
"Obama And 'Exit Strategy' For Afghanistan," an editorial in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (03/25)

"As Pakistan declares it wants NATO to leave Afghanistan, it has no
post-withdrawal strategy of survival. It assumes that somehow, after
withdrawal, America will continue with the same policy of "only
carrots" towards Islamabad. In particular, Pakistan has no strategy
about "filling the vacuum" in Afghanistan after the American exit,
unless it wants the Taliban and Al Qaeda to oblige Pakistan while
altruistically leaving Pakistan to be ruled as it is being ruled
now. The plan to boost aid to Pakistan is still a part of a
"realistic" policy of engagement in Afghanistan."

"No Easy Exit," an editorial in the centrist national English daily
"The News" (cir. 55,000) (03/25)

"With Pakistan and Afghanistan now joined at the hip in terms of
American strategic thinking in the region and a planned U.S. 'surge'
of 17,000 troops in Afghanistan in the near future; the need for an
exit strategy is ever more urgent as 'drift' is nowhere on the Obama
agenda. But surges and diplomatic engagement in Kabul and Islamabad
are unlikely to produce the same results as in Iraq - where after
seven years a semblance of stability is returning and honourable
exit a real possibility. The two countries are like chalk and
cheese, and what 'fixes' one may not 'fix' the other."

"Possibility Of U.S. Troop Withdrawal [From Afghanistan]," an
editorial in the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000)
(03/25)
"We want to applaud Obama that he did not make the troops withdrawal
an issue of his ego.... Pakistan administration, religious scholars
and intellectuals should start thinking about the problems that will
emerge with the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan."
"U.S. Announcement Of Strategy Of Withdrawal From Afghanistan," an
editorial note in the Karachi-based, pro Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily
"Islam" (cir. 15,000) (03/25)

"At last the U.S. has felt the need of a 'safe exit' from
Afghanistan, and President Obama, in an interview, has said that as
additional troops are being stationed in Afghanistan, there should
be a policy of safe exit from Afghanistan too.... U.S. must
understand that peace in Afghanistan is subject to pulling out of
foreign troops from the war-torn country. Moreover, the declining
American economy also requires that instead of squandering dollars
on the barren mountains and inhospitable land of Afghanistan, the
U.S. administration must take care of the thousands of Americans who
stand jobless owing to the global economic meltdown."

"Afghan Imbroglio," an editorial in the center-right national
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (03/25)

"The U.S. knows very well that the principal threat to Pakistan's
security and viability comes from what it calls the jehadist forces,
which are the creation of its own masterstroke, dating back to the
days of Afghan resistance to the Soviet forces... Now, it points a
finger at Pakistan as being the most dangerous point from which
could emanate threat to U.S. and Western interests... Mr Obama's
exit strategy should give serious thought to the raison d'tre of
these ugly ground realities and take pains to deal with the root
causes of terrorism."

"Fresh Nonsense Of A Senior U.S. Advisor," an editorial note in the
popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (03/25)

"A senior adviser to the U.S. CENTCOM has warned that the Pakistan
state could collapse within six months, if immediate steps aren't
taken to remedy the situation... These remarks are baseless and a
pack of lies and the Jewish lobby is behind this story. And perhaps
they are perturbed over the growing awareness of the Pakistani
nation, and the independence of judiciary in the country. The aim
of this report is nothing but to generate a hype of Al-Qaeda, to
persuade the U.S. administration that if it doesn't launch military
operation inside Pakistan, the Al-Qaeda and Taliban will take over
the country within six months."

"U.S. Offer For Kashmir Solution," an editorial in the Lahore-based
populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (03/25)
"According to a newspaper report, America has assured Pakistan of
renewed efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue with the condition that
Pakistan and Iran first play a role in bringing about [U.S]
reconciliation with the Taliban. Any such effort from the U.S.
should be welcomed. However, America has always abandoned us after
achieving its objectives. If the U.S. plays a concrete role in
helping resolve the Kashmir issue, it would go a long way in
improving U.S. image at the public level. If that happens, Pakistan
would have no objection to fostering a Taliban-U.S. reconciliation."

"Pakistan's Major Threat: U.S. Ignorance," an op-ed by Shireen M
Mazari in the centrist national English daily "The News" (cir.
55,000) (03/25)

". . . Certainly nothing has impacted the Pakistani populace against
the U.S. as the drone attacks have, and U.S. ignorance about the
functioning of our society has made them continue with this negative
policy. . . Perhaps the absurdity of the U.S. ignorance is reflected
most clearly now in the statements coming from Obama's Special Envoy
for this region, Richard Holbrooke. He showed it after his visit to
Pakistan when he talked about people not being able to walk their
dogs in Peshawar. More recently he declared, with his usual
arrogance, that the 9/11 terrorists, the killers of Ms Bhutto, the
Mumbai attackers and the perpetrators of the attack on the Sri
Lankan cricket team were all one and the same lot."

"War On Terror And U.S. Expectations," an editorial in the
Lahore-based independent Urdu daily "Din" (circ. 5000) (03/25)
"In an interview with a British television President Zardari has
said that we have not received a single dollar yet, and that Britain
and the U.S. should help us or we will not be able to fight the war
on terror.... Despite spending billions of dollars and an untold
amount of weaponry, the U.S. President admits even today that
terrorist havens continue to exist in Afghanistan and that Al Qaeda
could still attack U.S. and allied interests. In this scenario,
without giving the present [Pakistani] government a single dollar,
how does the U.S. expect Pakistan to continue the war on terror
according to its expectations, for the protection of U.S.
interests."
"Those Elements Who Challenge Pakistan's National Security Must Be
Responded Befittingly," an editorial in the leading mass circulation
centrist Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (03/25)

"The government must put in plain words why the U.S. officials are
now declaring Quetta as a 'safe haven' for Mullah Omar and Usama Bin
Laden? Have they any concrete evidences for such serious
allegations? Haven't they planned to hit Balochistan with drone
missiles in the garb of this preposterous stance? This U.S. stance
clearly shows that following FATA, their next target is Balochistan.
The remarks of the U.S. military adviser to General Petraeus, and
Ambassador Holbrooke are a matter of serious concern for the whole
Pakistani nation."

"Mumbai Attacks: Indian Ratification Of Pakistani Stance," an
editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 100,000)
(03/25)
"Indian Home Minister P. Chidambram has said that there is no clear
evidence of Pakistani state involvement in the Mumbai attacks
although the attacks have links to the Pakistani soil. This Indian
ratification of Pakistan's stand is a proof that terrorists are
non-state actors and pose as much threat to India as they do to
Pakistan. Hence, instead of strengthening the terrorists and
weakening Pakistan, India should support Pakistan in its efforts to
counter terrorists."
"Umeed-e-Sehar (Hope of Light)," an Op-ed by Nasim Zehra in the
centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (03/25)

". . . The Americans too appreciate Pakistan's current anti-status
political developments. Hence, the Americans may have not been
players but followers in the current phase. The flow of political
events forced them to change their assessment on General Parvez
Musharraf's viability as president and subsequently they changed
their original position on supporting President Asif Zardari all the
way. Instead, the British and the U.S. Secretary of States both
called President Zardari to "encourage" him to take steps to prevent
the impending March 16 confrontation. What we are experiencing in
Pakistan is that the demands of a growing mass movement asking for
rule of law, justice and good governance, the logical and effective
response to the challenges Pakistan faces, our permanent
Establishment's desire for internal stability and political
cease-fire, the international demands made for internal political
stability and good governance all seem to converge to force the hand
of the state and politician in the right direction."

Patterson