MEDIA REACTION: INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 001872 SIPDIS STATE FOR NP, AC, PM STATE FOR INR/MR STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU STATE FOR AID/APRE-A USDOC FOR 4530/IEP/ANESA/OSA FOR BILL MURPHY E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV PREL IN SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS, INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS, INDO - NEPAL RELATIONS, WTO, AFGHANISTAN, PALESTINE; NEW DELHI. This countrywide cable reports on relevant media reaction/opinion from India's large non-English press. The Mission reports on English-language media via email through the daily "Early Edition" summary. -------------- INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS -------------- ¶1. "FIRE ON BOTH SIDES...," editorial in September 7 right-of-center Urdu daily HINDUSTAN EXPRESS: "U.S lawmaker Edward Markey, founder of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation has written a letter to the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton that both India and Pakistan are trying to enhance the capability of their nuclear weapons. In fact, India and Pakistan are very far away from regional solidarity and cooperation. And in this way, our extremely precious energies are being spent in defense affairs and preparations and purchase of weapons. We are using our resources to fuel the fire of enmity and hostility instead of using them in eradication of starvation, poverty and illiteracy." ¶2. "WE SHOULD NOT COME UNDER PAK PRESSURE," editorial in September 4 centrist Hindi daily DAINIK BHASKAR: "Pakistan is stockpiling weapons and it is no secret that the ultimate target of those weapons is India.... India has come a long way in progressing on the economic front, hut we still have many developmental challenges. If Pakistan is willing to ignore development, and go on hoarding nuclear arms, let it. India should not fall into this arms race trap. While we need to be alert and vigilant, let us not divert our finances toward acquiring arms." ¶3. "NATION OF 100 BOMBS," editorial in September 5 centrist Hindi daily, NAVBHARAT TIMES: "The revelation of illegal modification by Pakistan in the U.S.-made Harpoon missile targeting India clearly shows that it wants to increase its nuclear capacity at any cost. Pakistan's economy is in a mess and the lack of employment is diverting the country's youth to terrorism. The U.S. wants to destroy these organizations, but also continues giving economic aid to Pakistan in its strategic interest. As for India, we have the capability to handle any security threat from Pakistan. We should concentrate on nation-building, rather than increasing unnecessary defense expenditures." -------------- INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS -------------- ¶4. "CHINA'S MISCHIEFS," editorial in September 8 left- of-center Marathi daily, MAHARASHTRA TIMES: "China has brazenly denied the reports of incursions into India's border territory in Ladakh. India has to now follow the developments carefully. India cannot press the panic button immediately since China does not accept what NEW DELHI 00001872 002 OF 004 India believes as the existing border. It is a fact that the recent incident is a fallout of the absence of a mutually agreed Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries. India should therefore sort out the border disputes by using the standard mechanism of flag meetings and diplomatic negotiations..." ¶5. "INCURSIONS IN LEH-LADAKH: CHINA'S FRESH MISCHIEF" editorial in September 7 centrist Gujarati daily, DIVYA BHASKAR: "China which has until now created trouble in India's northeastern region has suddenly started displaying its ulterior motives in India's northern areas of Leh-Ladakh by illegally transgressing the Line of actual control (LAC) there.... China's latest move is yet another attempt to encircle India with a long-term objective of breaking India into 30 parts.... India which is caught in the cobweb of gathering 11/26 evidence for Pakistan has played down the incident though. It is high time that our leaders wake up to this threat number one...." ¶6. "WORRISOME ANTI-INDIANISM," editorial in September 6 right-of-center Hindi daily DAINIK JAGRAN: "The ill- treatment of the two Indian priests in Nepal's Pashupatinath temple is a serious setback to the age- old India-Nepal relationship.... The Indian government should try to go down to the bottom of the reasons for this kind of anti-Indian sentiments in Nepal.... Pakistani and Chinese elements are both present on Nepal's soil, fomenting trouble against India. China is trying to increase its strategic hold in the region vis-`-vis India and the trouble in Nepal could be a part of this effort." -------------- INDO - NEPAL RELATIONS -------------- ¶7. "TENSIONS IN INDO-NEPAL RELATIONS," editorial in September 6 right-of-center Urdu daily RASHTRIYA SAHARA: "Historically, Nepal and India are the two such blessed neighboring countries, which have good bilateral relations for centuries altogether. But it seems now, as efforts are being made to make the amicable mutual relations strained. Who should be made the clergy-in-charge of Pashupati Nath Temple situated in Nepal, is entirely an internal matter of Nepal. Any decision of Nepal government in this regard should be acceptable to one and all. But violence and terror against two Indian "Pujaris" cannot be justified in any way. It will hamper the good existing relations between the two countries." --- WTO --- ¶8. "IMPASSE IN DOHA ROUND," editorial in September 5 right-of-center Hindi daily, AMAR UJALA: "The impasse of the Doha Round is over agricultural subsidies and NEW DELHI 00001872 003 OF 004 import duties... U.S., Australia and the EU countries, despite having very high agricultural subsidy, want developing nations to cut down on their subsidy. WTO Director General Pascal Lamy is biased in ensuring that the EU subsidy cannot be challenged till 2013. Thus, the developing countries' demand is justified that developed countries should first scrap their subsidies and open their markets. The poor countries cannot proceed with the Doha Round unless rich nations shed their tenacity on agricultural subsidy. A biased WTO is not in the interest of the world's poor nations." ¶9. "TOWARD DOHA," editorial in September 8 independent Kolkata Bengali daily, ANANDABAZAR PATRIKA: "Will the WTO Doha Round be able to reach any positive conclusion? The recent New Delhi Ministerial Conference has kindled some hope... The 'success' of the present talks proved that India is quite supportive of international free trade. Every country will have to sacrifice a little in order to make the Doha Round successful. In this situation, India has a dual role to perform. First, India will have to become active in safeguarding its national interests... Second, India needs to keep the pace of bilateral trade moving with the ASEAN countries, especially with South Korea. Continuity of this will send out a signal that India is not opposed to trade liberalization...." -------------- AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶10. "AFGHANISTAN DEADLOCK," op-ed article in September 6 right-of-center Hindi daily, DAINIK JAGRAN, by strategic specialist K. Subrahmanyam: "Afghanistan is at a critical juncture. The U.S. and British troops are continually losing their lives. The Taliban attacks are constantly increasing. Besides that President Hamid Karzai's incapability and accusations of fraud against him are also worsening the situation... The U.S. forces' presence in Afghanistan is necessary for years. No anti-Al Qaida policy can be successful without defeating jihad in Pakistan. The Pakistani army wants the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan so that it could once again have control of this area. If the U.S. quits Afghanistan, the jihadis will become more aggressive." -------------- PALESTINE -------------- ¶11. "WHO IS THE ENEMY?," editorial in September 7 right-of-center Urdu daily URDU TIMES: "Muslim nations are doing nothing to restore AQSA mosque from the control of Zionists. Imam Sheikh Akrama Sabri, Chairman of Supreme Islamic Council and speaker of AQSA mosque says, Arab and Muslim countries have left Palestine alone and aloof. America befools the world community by giving an anti-Israel statement, while on the other hand; it is helping Israel in legalizing Jewish NEW DELHI 00001872 004 OF 004 settlements in Jerusalem. Nothing is wrong when Sheikh Akrama says that so called peace plan envisaged by the U.S is, in fact, a conspiracy to keep the Palestine issue in cold storage. Liberation of 'Bait-ul-Maqdis' is not possible until Arab and Muslim countries unite together." ROEMER