PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: January 22, 2010

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000148

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: January 22, 2010

Summary: Coverage of U.S. Defense Secretary Gates' Islamabad visit
dominated front-pages on Friday morning. Headlines included: "U.S.
considering giving Pakistan drones: Gates" (Daily Times);
"Blackwater, DynCorp operating in Pakistan: Gates" (The Statesman);
and "Gates wants Pak operation extended to NWA" (The News). All
major dailies reported the Pakistan Army spokesperson's statement
that the military has no plans to launch a new offensive against
militants in the next 12 months. Secretary Gates' statement, made
during his visit to New Delhi, regarding the limits of India's
patience with respect to another Mumbai-like attack was the subject
of several editorials. Dawn observed that "maybe (Mr. Gates) was
playing to an Indian audience and saying what it wanted to hear."
The Nation maintained that "Gates needs to realize that Pakistan's
own patience with Indian games on that count is running out." Urdu
daily, Express, opined that "history shows that whenever American
officials visit India, they issue statements in favor of Indians,
and when they come to Pakistan; they always seek to please Pakistani
audiences." The mass-circulated Urdu daily, Jang, noted that Gates'
remarks on the subject can be "interpreted as a warning, a
prediction, or a piece of advice, but one cannot deny its severity."
Commenting on the Secretary's remarks that "Al Qaeda can trigger a
war between India and Pakistan," Daily Times called it a "frank
admission of the role of spoilers can play in inherently difficult
and intractable situations where peace is on the agenda." President
Zardari's request to "let Pak forces use drones," and Prime Minister
Gilani's statement urging "steps to bridge Pak-U.S. trust deficit"
also received wide coverage in today's papers. Media also reported
that the Supreme Court directed the government to furnish details of
Pakistanis handed over to the United States during the Musharraf
period. Some papers reported that U.S. troops in Afghanistan and
Iraq were given Bible coded gun sights. End Summary.

TOP STORIES

News Story: "Blackwater, Dyncorp Working In Pakistan': Us
Considering Giving Pakistan Drones: Gates" "Daily Times" "The
Statesman" (01/22)

"Visiting US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the US is
considering giving Pakistan drones for intelligence and
reconnaissance purposes, a private TV channel reported on Thursday."
(Story also front paged in all newspapers)

News Story: Gates Wants Military Operation Extended To NWA - "The
News" (01/22)

"US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said that he would
explore a possible Pakistani plan to move against Afghan Taliban in
North Waziristan later this year."

News Story: Gates Warns Of Militant Havens Dangers - "The Nation"
(01/22)

"US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates visited General Headquarters
and called on Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
Thursday. The visiting dignitary remained with him for some time and
discussed matters of mutual interest. . . Earlier talking to
reporters on his flight from New Delhi, US Defence Secretary warned
that Taliban safe havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border must
be tackled or both nations would suffer 'more lethal and more
brazen' attacks"

News Story: No New Operation For Now, Says ISPR - "Dawn" (01/22)

"The military said on Thursday during a visit by US Defence
Secretary Robert Gates that it could not launch any new offensive
against militants for six months to a year."

News Story: Zardari Asks U.S. To Let Pak Forces Use Drones - "The
News" (01/22)

"President Asif Ali Zardari yesterday said that drone attacks in
Pakistan territory undermined the national consensus against the war
on militancy and called for creating a mechanism whereby the drones
were used by Pakistan's security forces rather than by foreign
troops which raised question of sovereignty."

News Story: No Guarantee Against Repeat Of Mumbai Like Attacks,
Gates Told - "Dawn" (01/22)

"The government said on Thursday it could not guarantee against
repeat of 26/11 like attacks in India and the best safeguard against
such strikes was de-linking of peace process from action against
terrorism and the Kashmir and water disputes."

News Story: US Troops In Afghanistan Were Given Bible Code Gun
Sights - "Dawn" (01/22)

"A US firm on Thursday sought to quiet a controversy over coded
Biblical references inscribed on gun sights used by US troops in
Iraq and Afghanistan, announcing it was providing the military with
kits to remove them."

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

News Story: Pakistan Army Does Not Share Operational Plans: US
Official - "Daily Times" (01/22)

"The Pakistani military does not inform Washington of its plans
before launching operations against the Taliban along its western
border, a senior US military official said on Thursday."

News Story: Islamabad Hands Over Shopping List To US - "The Nation"
(01/22)

"Pakistan while handing over a list of its defence and military
needs to the US has demanded that latest weapon and helicopters
should be provided for effective action against terrorists in tribal
areas. According to sources, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates along
with his delegation met Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar at the
Defence Ministry."

News Story: Positive Steps Needed To Overcome Pak-US Trust Deficit:
Gilani-"Daily Times" (01/22)

"De-listing Pakistan from the group of countries whose nationals
have been designated for special screening at US airports,
uniformity in dealing with Pakistan and India, an end to
counterproductive drone attacks and quick disbursements under the
Coalition Support Fund (CSF) will help bridge the trust deficit in
relations between Pakistan and the US, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani said on Friday."

News Story: SC seeks details of Pakistanis handed over to US
-"Daily Times" (01/22)

"The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the government to furnish
complete details of Pakistanis handed over to the US during Pervez
Musharraf's tenure and those detained in other countries."

News Story: Senators Slam Robert Gates' Comments On Possible Indian
Attack -"Daily Times" (01/22)

"Senators from opposition benches on Thursday severely criticized a
statement by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that it would be
difficult to stop India from attacking Pakistan in case of a
Mumbai-like attack in the future."

News Story: 'Gates' Statement Conspiracy Against Pakistan' - "The
Nation" (01/22)

"Opposition Senators Raja Zafarul Haq and Prof Khurshid on Thursday
severely criticized the statement of US Secretary Defence Robert
Gates that it would be difficult to stop India from attacking
Pakistan if incident like that of Mumbai terror attack happened in
the future."

News Story: Pakistan's Response To Attack Will Be Intense, Says
Report - "Dawn" (01/22)

"Pakistan's response to a possible Indian attack could be
disproportionate and Islamabad would retaliate to even the least
invasive of India's military options, warns a US think-tank.

News Story: Militants Warn Mehsuds Against Returning Home - "Dawn"
(01/22)

"Thousands of Mehsud people who have left their native towns because
of the ongoing military operation have been warned by militants not
to return to South Waziristan."

News Story: Nine Terrorists Killed In Mohmand Clashes- "Daily Times"
(01/22)

"Clashes between the security forces and terrorists left at least
nine terrorists dead in Mohmand Agency during the last 24 hours, an
FC spokesman said on Thursday."

News Story: Five Militants Killed In Swat Operation - "The News"
(01/22)

"Five militants, including a commander, were killed in a clash with
security forces in Madyan in Swat district on Thursday. Official
sources said security forces carried out search operations in Madyan
area and killed five militants, including a commander, in an
exchange of fire. Some of the militants were identified as Nadir
Khan and commander Sultan Akbar."

POLITICAL ISSUES

News Story: Govt To Ensure Foolproof Security For Dr AQ Khan -
"Daily Times" (01/22)

"In view of serious threats to the physical security of Dr Abdul
Qadeer Khan and other scientists and the recent incidents of
abduction and killing of scientists in neighboring countries, the
government on Thursday decided to ensure foolproof security for the
nuclear scientist."

News Story: India Wants Talks But Pakistan Must Probe 26/11: Krishna
- "Daily Times" (01/22)

"India wants to resume the peace dialogue with Pakistan but will
only do so if Islamabad is serious about bringing the perpetrators
of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice, Indian External Affairs
Minister SM Krishna said on Thursday."

News Story: US Must Push Pakistan To Act Against Terrorists: Antony
- "Daily Times" (01/22)

"India on Thursday asked the US to advise Islamabad to dismantle
"the terror infrastructure" in Pakistan and stop the use of its soil
by terrorist groups planning to mount attacks inside India. Defence
Minister AK Antony told reporters that although India did not want
any confrontation with neighboring countries, it would be difficult
to progress unless Pakistan acted."

News Story: 'Conspiracy Of The Pen' Will Be Foiled: Zardari - "Dawn"
(01/22)

"President Asif Ali Zardari has said he will not be deterred by what
he called the "conspiracy of the pen" and the people will foil all
plots."

News Story: A Testing Time For The Judiciary: Justice Iftikhar -
"The News" (01/22)

"The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
on Thursday expressed his determination to deliver justice to the
masses regardless of how heavy the price paid for it."

News Story: Pakistan Not To Blame For Terror Acts In India: Malik -
"The News" (01/22)

"Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said Pakistan could not be held
responsible for any terrorist attack inside the Indian Territory, as
members of the Senate on Thursday strongly criticized the statement
of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that it would be difficult to
stop India if a Mumbai-type incident occurred again."

MISCELLANEOUS

News Story: US Intelligence Chief Meets Pak-Americans - "Daily
Times" (01/22)

"US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair on Tuesday held a
roundtable discussion with Pakistani-Americans as part of an effort
to boost the recruitment and retention of Pakistani-Americans in US
intelligence agencies."

EDITORIALS/OPINIONS

Editorial: Mutual Failure - an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(01/22)

"Maybe he was playing to an Indian audience and saying what it
wanted to hear. The true import of US Defence Secretary Robert
Gates's recent statements in New Delhi will be known only after
assessing the remarks he makes during the Pakistani leg of his
ongoing South Asian tour. While in India he praised the government
there for showing restraint in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. He
also said it would 'not be unreasonable to assume that Indian
patience would be limited were there to be further attacks'. This
argument is flawed on two counts. One, even after the heat of the
moment had subsided; India did not show restraint and went out of
its way to conflate terrorist organizations based in Pakistan with
the operations of the Pakistani state. . . . India seems hell-bent
on isolating Pakistan in any way possible. This outlook is an
invitation to disaster."

Editorial: Nothing Much To Offer - an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (01/22)

"Defence Secretary Gates has arrived in Pakistan with an
inexplicably large delegation, after visiting India. Bringing
nothing new, he has admitted to the presence of 'independent'
operations by Blackwater and Dyncorps in Pakistan and hinted that
the US is merely considering giving drone technology to Pakistan. .
. . As for Mumbai, Gates needs to realize that Pakistan's own
patience with Indian games on that count is running out. More
disturbing has been the unconfirmed information that the US and UK
are insistent upon India having a major military role in
Afghanistan. . . .Gates seems to have come with the same "do more"
mantra and brings no good news on the offensive discriminatory
screening procedures for Pakistanis. . . An additional agenda seems
to be to compel Pakistan to concede ground to India, especially in
Afghanistan. But why should Pakistan continue to pay the price of
following destructive US policies. . . ."

Editorial: Conspiracy To Trigger War Between India And Pakistan - an
editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (01/22)

"It seems that the views expressed by the U.S. Defense Secretary
Gates are impressed by Indian point of view, and it is an attempt to
win New Delhi's support. Nevertheless, Mr. Gates has ignored the
ground realities, and has forgotten what his own country and its
allies have been doing in Afghanistan for the last eight years. And
what happened to its (American) tall claims of Pakistan's pivotal
role, as a frontline state, in the war on terror. The history shows
that whenever the American officials visit India, they issue
statement in favor of the Indians, and when they come to Pakistan,
they always seek to please Pakistani audiences. This approach, at
the end of the day, creates misunderstanding between Islamabad and
New Delhi."

Editorial: What Message U.S. Defense Secretary Is Delivering To
Pakistan - an editorial in the leading mass circulation populist,
often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (01/22)

"U.S. Defense Secretary Gates' recent statement, made at a press
conference in New Delhi, that India's patience will be limited if
there is a repeat of 26/11, can be interpreted as a warning, a
prediction, or a piece of advice, but one cannot deny its severity.
This statement is akin to the statements of New Delhi which it
issued immediately after the Mumbai attacks. Now people of Pakistan
are bound to think that if Pakistan committed a mistake by joining
the U.S. bloc during the cold war? And if it was a mistake, it must
be corrected now."

Editorial: The Spoilers' Game - an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (01/22)

"US Defence Secretary Robert Gates' statement that al Qaeda can
trigger a war between India and Pakistan is a frank admission of the
role spoilers can play in inherently difficult and intractable
situations where peace is on the agenda. Mr. Gates said that
terrorists in al Qaeda's syndicate - which includes Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban as well as Lashkar-e-Tayyaba - are
trying "to destabilize not just Afghanistan and Pakistan, but
potentially the whole region, by provoking a conflict perhaps
between India and Pakistan." The question is whether the two
neighbors are ready to resist these spoilers' machinations. . . ."
Editorial: U.S. Defense Secretary's Warning To Us In Indian Tone:
You Are Paving The Way For Indo-Pak War Yourself, an editorial in
the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir.
150,000) (01/22)

"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned that militant groups
in South Asia possibly want to push Pakistan and India towards war
in order to destabilize the region and India would not be patient if
a Mumbai like attack happened again.... During his press conference
in New Delhi the Defense Secretary looked to be Indian Defense
Minister.... Who gave Robert Gates the authority to advocate
India's nefarious designs against Pakistan's security...? Staging
of a Mumbai like attack itself or with the help of America is not
beyond India to have a justification for aggression against
Pakistan.... President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani and the Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani should not be
apologetic in their meetings with the U.S. Defense Secretary and
should tell him that it is America that is responsible for upheaval
in the region."

Editorial: American Interference: Region's Future Will Not Be Better
Than Its Present, an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban
Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (01/22)

"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that Muslim militant
groups are planning to trigger a Pak-India war and that the Indians
will be exhausted of their patience in case another Mumbai-like
attack happens in their country. This statement of Mr. Gates is not
only a clear manifestation of the contradiction in the U.S. policy
but also a new tactic to put more pressure on Pakistan. Extremism is
also rife in India but it seems that U.S. Defense Secretary
intentionally winked at this reality. We think that the entire world
has fully understood the element of hypocrisy in the U.S. policies."


Editorial: Robert Gates Utterances, an editorial in the center-right
Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (01/22)

The impression of Defense Secretary Robert Gates utterances seems
right that al-Qaeda is trying to create a conflict between Pakistan
and India. Gates' warning is worth noting and Pakistan and India
should be vigilant about it. It is imprudent to extend attack
threats in reaction to a possible Mumbai like act of sabotage.
India should be told that it should desist from immediate action in
the wake of any provocation in order to thwart terrorists'
conspiracy."

Editorial: Pak-India Ties Are Threatened By The U.S., Not Al Qaeda,
an editorial in the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily
"Khabrain" (cir. 50,000) (01/22)

"It is not clear from the U.S. Defense Secretary's statement -- who
adopted an Indian tone while speaking in India - whether this was a
warning to Pakistan or a demand to 'do more?' Whatever the case, the
Pakistan government must take strong note of his remarks. Robert
Gates is in Pakistan today; has any senior official protested to him
about his remarks? No one would dare make such statements in the
future if our leadership boycotts foreign dignitaries making
controversial statements... American leaders and politicians must
avoid making provocative statements which might create fissures
between the two countries and increase anti-U.S. sentiment in
Pakistan."

Editorial: U.S.-India Nexus And Conspiracies Against Pakistan, an
editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir.
10,000) (01/22)

"Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, U.S.
Defense Secretary Gates said that India's patience will be limited
if there is a repeat of 26/11. It seems that the real objective of
Washington's continuous wooing of New Delhi, especially after the
9/11 attacks, is to assign India the role of regional policeman. In
fact, the U.S. wants to use India against Pakistan and China in
order to safeguard its own interests. But any misadventure against
Pakistan will be grave miscalculation on the part of the Indians."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)

Patterson