PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: April 21, 2009

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000829

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: April 21, 2009

Summary: Prime Minister Gilani's statement that "Ambassador
Holbrooke does not need to worry much about Swat" as "we know the
ground realities better than him" dominated headlines in almost all
major newspapers on Tuesday. All newspapers also reported on their
front pages that the "government failed to move a resolution in the
Senate on the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation," following agitation from both
treasury and opposition members. Likewise, reports of a "row in
National Assembly over Sufi Mohammad's affront to superior courts"
received prominent display. Reports of abduction of six security
personnel in Swat were highlighted in several major dailies.
Security forces' operation in Orakzai Agency continued to garner
media coverage. Newspapers reported that "helicopters gunships and
jets pounded Taliban positions in Orakzai killing at least 11
militants." The daily, "Dawn," reported State Department
spokesman's remarks that the "violent extremism needs to be
confronted not just by Pakistan but the entire international
community."

Newspapers ran editorials on a host of subjects concerning security
situation and other issues. In its editorial on the fallout of the
Swat Peace Deal, the prestigious English daily, "Dawn," noted that
"the demands of Sufi Mohammad illustrates how he has used his
position as peace-broker to maneuver greater power and relevance
towards the extreme rightwing agenda." Commenting on the suicide
attack at a check-post in Hangu, another English language daily,
"The News," observed that "till the state shows a greater
determination to seize back full control of the country and the
welfare of people within it, there will be more such attacks and an
expansion in the sense of hatred that under-pin them." The liberal
Urdu daily "Express," advised the government to "ensure a permanent
solution to this problem as impromptu approach has only led to the
present uncertainty where the government's writ is challenged
repeatedly." End Summary.

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News Stories
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"Holbrooke Needn't Worry About Swat, Says PM" "The News" (04/21)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said that the
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation was bracketed with peace in Swat and the
government would protect it if peace prevailed in the area. . . To
a question regarding the concerns voiced by US Special Envoy on
Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke over the Nizam-e-Adl
Regulation, Gilani said, 'He [Holbrooke] does not need to worry much
about it. This is our country. We know the ground realities better
than him.'"

"Move To Table Adl Resolution In Senate Thwarted" "Dawn" (04/21)

"The government came under pressure in the Senate on Monday when the
MQM staged a token walkout in protest against the chairman's failure
to give a ruling on the status of parliament and its members in view
of remarks of the banned TNSM's chief Sufi Mohammad against
parliament, parliamentarians, high courts and the Supreme Court.
Lawmakers from both the treasury and the opposition opposed tabling
of the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation in the house."

"Row In NA Over Sufi's Affront To Superior Courts" "Dawn" (04/21)

"The government told the National Assembly on Monday it had taken
notice of the reported affront to superior courts by Swat valley
militant leader-turned-peacemaker Sufi Mohammad and asked for a
report from the NWFP administration about his Sunday speech that
sparked protests from some lawmakers."

"Govt Has Sought Explanation On Sufi's Statement, NA Told" "Daily
Times" (04/21)

"The government on Monday assured the National Assembly (NA) that it
had asked the NWFP government to provide an explanation for TNSM
chief Sufi Muhammad's statement declaring the court system,
democracy and parliament un-Islamic."

"Govt Will Adhere To Swat Deal If Peace Restored: Malik" "Dawn"
(04/21)

"The government would adhere to the Swat deal if militants restored
complete peace in the area and surrender their arms, Adviser to
Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on Monday."

"Six Security Personnel Among 10 Kidnapped In Swat" "The News"
(04/21)

"Suspected militants on Monday kidnapped nine people, including six
security personnel, from different areas of the Swat valley,
prompting security forces to set up four checkpoints."

"Orakzai Air Raids Kill 11 Militants" "Dawn" (04/21)

"Helicopter gunships and jets pounded Taliban positions in upper
Orakzai Agency on Monday, killing at least 11 militants and injuring
five."

"Clash In Wana Leaves Two Civilians Dead" "Dawn" (04/21)

"Two civilians were killed and seven people, four soldiers among
them, were injured in clashes between security forces and militants
in two areas of South Waziristan on Sunday night."

"US Urges Other Nations To Fight Extremists In Pakistan" "Dawn"
(04/21)

"The United States said on Monday that the entire international
community should join Pakistan in confronting violent extremists
like those who now run the Swat valley. 'Violent extremism needs to
be confronted not just by Pakistan but the entire international
community,' said State Department spokesman Robert Wood when asked
to comment on the situation in Swat."

"US Determined To Erase Trust Deficit: State Dept" "Daily Times"
(04/21)

"The United States on Monday renewed its commitment to support
Pakistan's efforts to root out extremism, and pledged sustained
economic assistance to demonstrate America's solidarity with the
Pakistani people. The State Department also reaffirmed Washington's
resolve to erase the trust deficit through continued bilateral
cooperation in a range of issues."

"NATO Also Needs To Do More Against Terror: ISPR" "Daily Times"
(04/21)

"Inter Services Public Relations spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas has
said the Pakistan Army is 'doing enough' in the war on terror, and
instead called on the NATO to 'do more' in Afghanistan - 'as most of
the terror centers, in our opinion, are there,' a private TV channel
reported on Monday."

"Zardari To Visit U.S. Early Next Month" "The Nation" (04/21)

"President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to leave for Washington
early next month to hold talks with his U.S counterpart Barrack
Obama on important bilateral regional and global issues with focus
on security situation in Afghanistan and tribal areas."

"Swat Taliban Vow To Extend Sharia Law To Other Areas" "Daily Times"
(04/21)

"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Muslim Khan has said
sharia law would not be restricted to Malakand division and that the
Taliban will not lay down weapons unconditionally, a private TV
channel reported on Monday."

"TTP, TNSM Ban Political Parties In Bajaur" "Daily Times" (04/21)

"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) announced to ban
political parties and politics in the agency after talks on Monday,
sources said. Both the organizations also banned the assembly of
more than three people at a place."

"Fazl Assails Manner Of Swat Sharia Enforcement" "Dawn" (04/21)

"Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has criticized the
manner in which Sharia is being implemented in Swat. 'The process of
enforcing Sharia in Swat is incorrect. It must be implemented on the
basis of recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology.'"
"Two Terrorists Held In Capital: SSP" "The News" (04/21)

"The Islamabad Police late on Monday announced the arrest of two
hard-core terrorists from the federal capital who were acting as
planners and facilitators for carrying out acts of terror in the
city. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad Tahir Alam
Khan said Khairullah Mahsud, a resident of South Waziristan was
arrested by the law enforcing agencies from a local Park."

"JI Deplores Govt's Silence On Drone Attacks" "The News" (04/21)

"The Jamaat-e-Islami, NWFP chapter, has asked the government to
review its 'pro-US policies' and take effective steps for stopping
the US drone attacks."

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Editorials/Op-eds
--------------

"Fallout Of The Deal," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (04/21)

". . . Sufi Mohammad has claimed that criminals accused of murder,
extortion and terrorism cannot be brought to book. Furthermore, the
demand illustrates how Sufi Mohammad has used his position as
peace-broker to maneuver greater power and relevance towards the
extreme rightwing agenda. It underscores the danger inherent in
depending for peace on the man who heads the TNSM, an organization
banned for its militant and subversive activities, and whose
credentials in terms of respecting the jurisdiction of the lawful
government are extremely suspect."

"Games Of Hatred," an editorial in the centrist national English
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21)

". . . The militants who have enforced their own laws in Swat and
those who wage war elsewhere in the northern areas are closely
inter-connected. They cannot be regarded as separate entities but
must be dealt with through one, cohesive strategy. So far this
strategy has been lacking. So too has the will and commitment that
should back it. This is the reason why militants remain free to
create havoc in our country and prove that the writ of the state no
longer exists across a large portion. Till the state shows a greater
determination to seize back full control of the country and the
welfare of people within it, there will be more such attacks and an
expansion in the sense of hatred that under-pin them."

"Sufi Muhammad's Address And Government's Writ," an editorial in
liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 100,000) (04/21)

"Reacting to Sufi Muhammad's remarks the Federal Information
Minister has said that no one will be allowed to establish a state
within a state, and that the media should help inform the nation
about who Sufi Muhammad is and what his agenda is. The question is:
did the government not think about these issues while signing the
peace deal with an outfit - and that too a banned one? Did the
government not have any other solution to help stop the violent
activities in Swat? The government must ensure a permanent solution
to this problem because ad hoc decisions have only led to the
present uncertainty where the government's writ is challenged
repeatedly."

"Sufi Muhammad Shows True Colors," an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (04/21)

"The text of the Nizam-e-Adl law was quite harmless. It thought that
the provincial judiciary will get to appoint the qazis and will then
exercise some supervisory role in the setting up of Darul Qaza
appellate courts. Its claim that the law will fulfill the
long-standing desire of the Swat people to reintroduce the sharia of
the Wali of Swat will be falsified soon after the courts start
handing down punishments that the Wali's judicial system never did.
The Wali's system was cheap and quick but it was not based on sharia
as there were no hudood punishments under it. An Al Qaeda website
in February this year lauded a Somali court run by an armed militia
called Shabab for sentencing to death a 55-year-old politician for
being guilty of 'showing sympathy for Christianity.' After being
riddled with bullets, his corpse was thrown into the infidels'
cemetery. And Somalia today is counted as a 'failed state.'"
"No Room," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The
News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21)

". . . The state, in the form of its most powerful tools, has backed
the Maulana, backed him to the point at which he was able to
confidently turn the screw a little tighter and demand that all
judges in Malakand be abolished giving April 23 as a deadline for
the establishment of Darul Qaza. There is every likelihood that the
government will comply, if not to the day then very close to it,
with his deadlines. Power and initiative have shifted in the last
fortnight, and the game has moved into a different phase. The
fractures that run up and down formal politics make governance of
national unity - briefly visited post election - impossibility. The
much-discussed but never seen 'moderate majority' are looking
increasingly like wishful thinking, a mirage."

"Maulana Sufi Muhammad's Remarks And Reaction," an editorial in the
center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (04/21)

"Sufi Muhammad's desire for the implementation of Shariah may be
justified but he should think a hundred times before calling ulema
who disagree with his thought as traitors of Islam... At the same
time, we request people reacting to Maulana Sufi Muhammad's
statement to realize the gravity of the situation and keep in mind
the mindset of people living through a tribal era."

"Sufi Muhammad's Address; Implications And Writ Of The State," an
editorial in the Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 5000) (04/21)

"An important part of the Prophet's teachings is to spread the light
of education. Sufi Muhammad should look into those tribal areas
where around 2000 schools have been destroyed, depriving thousands
of girl and boy students of education. Are such steps [as
destroying schools] not a negation of the Prophet's teachings? The
need is for the leader of the TNSM to focus on the Swat peace deal
and try to bring peace in his limited area so that the U.S. and
allies can be convinced of the efficacy of peace deals as they are
terming such agreements as dangerous for Islamabad."

"New Apprehensions Regarding Sufi Muhammad," an editorial in the
independent Urdu daily "Din" (cir. 5000) (04/21)

"Following the implementation of Nizam-i-Adl Regulation, Maulana
Sufi Muhammad has adopted an incomprehensible stance as a show of
power... His views are confirming all the apprehensions expressed by
the civil society, NGOs, political parties and analysts - i.e., that
he will expand his agenda rather than containing himself to the
implementation of Nizam-i-Adl. Soofi Muhammad's remarks objecting
to turbans of other colors except black; calling democracy, the
constitution and judiciary un-Islamic is tantamount to shaking the
very foundations of Pakistani society.... It seems like testing
times have arrived for our ulema, mashaikh, public representatives
and intellectuals - in addition to protecting the country from India
and the U.S., they now have to deal with elements raised for years
as pressure groups."

"Nizam-e-Adl Unconstitutional," an op-ed by Dr Khalil Ahmad in the
centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21)

". . . Until and unless the government sets upon this course of
action and by taking people in confidence and announcing an all-out
war against the terrorists, it has no moral justification to remain
in power. If it keeps ceding this or that town or district to the
perpetrators of terror under this or that pretext such as dialogue
and peace, it is betraying the people who voted for it."

"The Taliban Will Be Defeated," an op-ed by Mosharraf Zaidi in the
centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21)

". . . The love affair of the Pakistani people with their country is
a firewall that will hold. Violent extremists can flog the odd
alleged straying couple, but they cannot flog 172 million people.
They cannot win this war, and that is why they're so angry all the
time."

"What Breeds Extremism," an op-ed by Rasul Bakhsh Rais in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (04/21)

". . . Religion is embedded in our society, its culture and values
system, and is equally a very strong force that shapes social
institutions and the general attitudes of people. Religion is not at
risk, and does not need to be rescued through the agency of the
state; it is the liberties of the citizens and the idea of a free
society that are at risk if the hegemonic view of religion replaces
pluralism of faith."

"Do We Know Our Identity?" an op-ed by Aqab Malik in the
Karachi-based centre-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (04/21)

"Pakistan is without a doubt a feudal society that has had a
succession of sprouting buds, in the form of institution building,
quashed in their embryonic stage as soon as the emancipation of the
country's masses challenged the status quo. However, this is not to
imply that the Taliban are the solution. Far from it, the Taliban
represent the most uncivilized form of governance that has emerged
from the limited imaginations of the feudal and industrial elite.
Their form of justice may well be quick but it is also brutal and
not representative of the general Pakistani mindset. . ."

"Pakistan's Current Crisis," an editorial in the second-largest,
center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000)
(04/21)

"To top it all, our civil and military rulers are relying on
outsiders, especially the U.S, which has created anger and unrest in
the nation - with the result that on the one hand we are facing a
rebellion-like situation in NWFP and Balochistan and on the other
hand, people are terming democracy and judiciary of Quaid and
Iqbal's Pakistan as un-Islamic. This has prompted CM Shahbaz Sharif
to say that no one will be able to stop the Taliban from spreading
their influence to other parts of the country if Pakistan does not
make any progress towards good governance, the state of unrest
persists and people are deprived of economic and social justice."

"How Disappointing," an editorial in the center-right national
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (04/21)

". . . US participation in the conference and speaking out the truth
without any fear of the Zionist entity (Israel) would have
significantly improved its image in the Muslim world. Its contention
that Israel should not be condemned in the conference, as it has
done nothing wrong to the Palestinians, to all intents and purposes
amounts to rubbing salt on the wounds of the Palestinian nation."

Feierstein