PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 29, 2010

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000223

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 29, 2010

Summary: The international community's endorsement of Afghan
President Hamid Karzai's initiative to engage the Taliban in talks
continued to dominate headlines on Friday morning. Newspapers
highlighted a UN official's statement that members of the Taliban
Quetta Shura secretly met with UN representatives in Dubai. Some
dailies also reported the Leadership Council of Taliban's remarks
calling the London conference "far removed from the ground realities
in Afghanistan," and its renewed demand for the withdrawal of
foreign forces and the "release of all prisoners from jails in
Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere." Both TV
networks and all newspapers extensively covered President Obama's
first State of the Union address, highlighting his pledge to start
bringing back American troops from Afghanistan by 2011. "The News"
and "Dawn" covered Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin's statement that
"the visa issue with the U.S. has been resolved and that Pakistan
has been assured of the release of $480 million from the Coalition
Support Fund and IDP support pledge by the first week of February."
Media also reported that three U.S. Embassy personnel were detained
in Gujranwala on charges of travelling in a vehicle with a fake
registration plate, and later released. Newspapers also reported a
bomb blast in Jaffarabad (Balochistan) that killed four people.
"The Nation" front-paged a report, quoting "reliable sources," that
U.S. trainers rejected the Interior Ministry's offer to move from
the Police Training College Sihala to Karachi, and in order to
extend their stay, directly approached the Presidency with an offer
to train its staff. Prime Minister Gilani's statement that
"Pakistan and India must not be held hostage" to the 26/11 Mumbai
attacks, and should hold a composite dialogue received prominent
display. "The News" reported Ambassador Patterson's visit to Fort
Rohtas. End Summary.

TOP STORIES

News Story: West Backs Afghan Security Pledges, Taliban Plan -
"Dawn" (01/29)

"World powers agreed on Thursday Afghanistan should take increasing
control for its own security from the end of this year and backed
President Hamid Karzai's plan to reward moderate Taliban who disarm.
Afghan security forces will take control of an unspecified number of
provinces 'by late 2010/early 2011,' the powers said after a
conference in London, saying it marked 'a new phase on the way to
full Afghan ownership.'"

News Story: UN Official Met Quetta Shura In Dubai -Karzai Seeks
Saudi Help: West Endorses Taliban Talks - "Dawn" (01/29)

"The Afghan government on Thursday invited the Taliban to a peace
council of elders as part of efforts to find a way out of a conflict
which is trying the patience and resources of Afghanistan's western
allies. In an indication of the quickening pace of diplomacy, a UN
official said members of the Taliban's leadership council had
secretly met the UN representative for Afghanistan to discuss the
possibility of laying down their arms. As leaders and ministers from
60 nations convened in London to discuss Afghanistan, the official
told Reuters that members of the Taliban's Quetta Shura had met UN
Special Representative Kai Eide on Jan 8 in Dubai."

News Story: Taliban Reject London Conference - "The News" (01/29)

"Terming the London conference as far removed from the ground
realities in Afghanistan, the Taliban central leadership on Thursday
argued that the U.S. and its allies should have freed all prisoners
from jails in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere,
removed the names of all Taliban members from the UN 'blacklist' and
refrained from sending more troops if they really meant to take the
proper steps for ending the Afghan conflict. The long statement by
the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in
Pashto was sent to media organizations. Its English translation also
became available later on the Taliban website."

News Story: London Afghan Conference A Propaganda Ploy: Taliban -
"Daily Times" (01/29)

"The Afghan Taliban on Thursday dismissed the London conference on
Afghanistan as a propaganda ploy and said the summit will fail to
produce results, the SITE monitoring service reported. 'The
war-mongering rulers under the leadership of U.S. President Barack
Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown want to deceive the
people of the world by holding the London conference to show that
people still support them,' SITE quoted an Internet statement as
saying. If the decision is taken to 'once again try to prolong the
military, economic, cultural and political occupation of
(Afghanistan),this conference will be a mere eye-wish like other
conferences.'"

News Story: Obama Whistles Past Afghanistan In Annual Address -
"Dawn," "The News," "The Nation" (01/29)

"In his first state of the union address on Wednesday night, U.S.
President Barack Obama re-emphasized an earlier pledge to start
bringing back American troops from Afghanistan by 2011 to satisfy
his own people who do not want a prolonged engagement in a distant
war. The U.S. President uses his state of the union speech -
delivered in a joint congressional session - to underline his
achievements in the preceding year and to spell out his plans for
the future. 'In Afghanistan, we're increasing our troops and
training Afghan security forces so they can begin to take the lead
in July of 2011, and our troops can begin to come home,' said Mr.
Obama, earning a standing ovation from the lawmakers and his
guests."

News Story: U.S. Visa Row With Pakistan Almost Over - "The News"
(01/29)

"The visa issuance controversy between Washington and Islamabad,
that applied brakes on pledged financial inflows from the U.S., has
now almost been fully resolved, said Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin
while talking to a select group of journalists in Islamabad on
Thursday. The controversy erupted when Pakistan's establishment for
the first time gave tough time to Washington after people from the
U.S. recently were found involved in 'highly questionable
activities' and Pakistan decided to introduce security process for
any visa seeker from the U.S."

News Story: $480m From U.S. Soon - "Dawn" (01/29)

"Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has said that the visa issue
with the United States has been resolved and Pakistan has been
assured of the release of $480 million from the Coalition Support
Fund and IDP support pledge by the first week of February, while
talking to journalists in Islamabad on Thursday."

News Story: 3 Employees Of U.S. Embassy Arrested in Gujranwala Over
Suspicious Activities - "Jang" (01/29)

"The Gujranwala police, on Thursday, arrested three employees of the
U.S. Embassy, travelling in a vehicle bearing fake number plate,
IDL-5264, over suspicious activities. Later, these people were
released, but the police withheld the vehicle for bearing fake
number plate. According to the police, Robin, Raja Mukhtar and Afad
Ali, who were lodging in a hotel near Gulshan Iqbal Park in the
precincts of Dhalay Police Station, were found involved in
suspicious activities. The police intercepted them and asked to
produce the documents of their vehicle, but they failed to do so.
Resultantly, the police arrested and interrogated them for five
hours. It is also said that official of some intelligence agencies
also interrogated the arrested persons. Later, they were released on
clearance."

News Story: 'Trainers' Reject Karachi; Want To Move Near Simly Dam;
Sihala Still Not Vacated - "The Nation" (01/29)

"The issue of shifting the American trainers from Police Training
College Sihala has become a headache for the government as Interior
Ministry had announced about the closing of camp. Interior Ministry
announced the closing of the U.S supervised training camp while the
trainers were in the process of offering to train the President's
security detail comprising SSG (Special Service Group) personnel, it
has been learnt reliably. The Presidency accepted their offer and
sent 20 names of personnel including 5 from the Prime Minister
House. The sources further said that the Interior Ministry was not
aware of the direct correspondence between the U.S. trainers and
Presidency and therefore went ahead in the normal course of events
to close down the American trainers' camp, in the face of growing
protests. They had offered a site in Karachi for relocation of these
trainers but their team, after visiting Karachi rejected the site,
reliable sources informed 'The Nation.'"

News Story: U.S. Envoy Visits Rohtas Fort - "The News" (01/29)

"Pakistani nation has rich cultural heritage; people living here are
hospitable and Rohtas Fort is the asset of the world. U.S.
Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson said this while addressing
at Rohtas Fort on Thursday. The U.S. Ambassador visited the
different sites of the fort and appreciated the ancient artwork."

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

News Story: NATO Supply Convoy Ambushed In Karachi - "Dawn" (01/29)


"A convoy of trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces fighting the
Taliban in Afghanistan was attacked with guns and grenade on the
Northern Bypass in the early hours of Thursday, leaving three people
wounded."

News Story: West Luring Taliban With 'Cash For Peace': Telegraph -
"Daily Times" (01/29)

"Western governments plan to buy off nearly 12,500 Taliban fighters,
with the promise of being paid to defend their own villages,
according to a report carried by the 'Daily Telegraph' on Thursday.
According to the report, the objective of the move is to
"reintegrate" half of the estimated 25,000 Taliban fighters by
providing them with new jobs, thereby dividing the Taliban and
allowing military forces to combat the remaining hardcore factions."


News Story: Rift Among Bajaur Taliban Widens - "Dawn" (01/29)

"Differences among militants in Bajaur Agency simmering for some
time have widened and one group is reported to have replaced local
Taliban chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad with Maulana Mohammad Jamal
(Maulvi Dadullah). Maulana Faqir was the Deputy Chief of the banned
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and a close associate of Baitullah
Mehsud."

News Story: Aafia Denies Trying To Kill Americans - "The News"
(01/29)

"Aafia Siddiqui says she never picked up a gun and didn't try to
kill American personnel in Afghanistan. Aafia testified at her New
York trial on Thursday afternoon. She began her testimony by telling
how she was educated in the U.S. Earlier in the day, Judge Richard
Berman cleared Aafia to testify. Her lawyers had tried to block the
testimony, saying her 'diminished capacity' would result in a
'painful spectacle.' Prosecutors said it would be unprecedented to
deny a defendant such a basic right."

News Story: Action Against Militants To Continue: Owais - "Dawn"
(01/29)

"The government has decided to continue action against militancy
till complete elimination of the miscreants and restoration of the
government's writ in the FATA."

News Story: Nine More Militants Killed In Bajaur - "The News"
(01/29)

"Security forces on Thursday claimed to have killed nine militants
and injured five others during a clash in Salarzai Tehsil of Bajaur
Agency, official sources said."

News Story: Blast In Jaffarabad Claims Four Lives - "Dawn" (01/29)

"Four people were killed and 20 others injured in an explosion in
Sobatpur town of Jaffarabad on Thursday, Jaffarabad's District
Police Officer Syed Fareed Ali Shah told 'Dawn.'"

POLITICAL ISSUES

News Story: Luring Taliban The Only New Policy; Diplomats React
Strongly To London Moot - "The Nation" (01/29)

"The London Conference on Afghanistan held on Thursday fizzled out,
as anticipated, without bringing about any significant outcomes.
Though the event was a repetition of the already discussed issues,
but it reflected a change in U.S. Afghan policy that now focuses on
luring the Afghan Taliban. With the absence of key players like
Iran, the event, as diplomatic circles in Islamabad see it, was
nothing but a replay of U.S. ambitious future plans that were
endorsed by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF),NATO and
allied Western states.... Some diplomatic circles on Thursday
reacted strongly towards the declaration and said that it lacked
anything substantial, apart from harping on the same tune of
'dialogue with Taliban.'"

News Story: Karzai Seeks Saudi, Pak Role In Afghan Peace - "Daily
Times" (01/29)

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday called for Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan to play their roles in establishing peace in the
war-torn country."

News Story: S. Arabia Wants Taliban To Abandon Osama - "Dawn"
(01/29)

"The Taliban must deny sanctuary to Osama bin Laden before Saudi
Arabia will agree to act as a mediator in any Afghan peace deal, the
country's foreign minister said on Thursday. Prince Saud Al Faisal
was replying to a call by Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saudi
Arabia to help bring peace to Afghanistan."

News Story: London Conference Not a Big Success: Maliha - "The News"
(01/29)

"Pakistan's former Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Maliha Lodhi on
Thursday said London Conference was not a big success and it could
not bring any big change in the given situation. She said if
America or Europe thinks that the Taliban could be weakened
militarily or their loyalties could be bought, it was their
mistake.... Talking to 'Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath,' she further said
the present conference was 6th in nine years and Obama
administration had given three Afghan strategies in just one year."


News Story: Gilani Says 101 Mumbai-Like Attacks Have Rocked Pakistan
Since 26/11 - "Dawn" (01/29)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan and India must
not be held 'hostage to the Mumbai terror attacks' and should resume
the composite dialogue. 'People should not be made hostage to one
incident. If we are hostage to one incident the beneficiaries will
be terrorists,' Mr. Gilani said in an interview with India's CNN-IBN
television channel on Thursday."

News Story: Nisar Fears Govt. Heading For Clash With Judiciary:
President Enjoys Immunity, Insists Gilani - "Dawn" (01/29)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stuck to his stand in the
National Assembly on Thursday that President Asif Ali Zardari
remained immune from any criminal proceedings after his policy
statement a day earlier was challenged by opposition leader Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan as indicative of a clash with the superior
judiciary."

News Story: Judiciary, Executive Not On Collision Course, Says CJ -
"Dawn" (01/29)

"Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry observed on Thursday that
the judiciary and the executive were not on a collision course."

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

News Story: No FoDP Pledges in Dubai Conference - "The News" (01/29)


"Pakistan miserably failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity
provided by the UAE government which organized a conference on
January 26 in Dubai under FoDP platform on the topic 'Democratic
Pakistan - Public-Private Partnership.'... The incompetence of the
government officials emerged in the Dubai conference as one of the
main reason for Pakistan's complete failure to attract financial
inflows from FoDP."

News Story: Release Of Full ADB Report On RPPs Withheld - "Dawn"
(01/29)

"The government withheld the release of full report of the Asian
Development Bank on rental power projects for the time being, but
cleared two of the most expensive RPPs to be set up at Naudero in
Sindh under the Larkana Development Project, a senior official of
the water and power ministry told Dawn on Thursday."

MISCELLANEOUS

News Story: U.S. Diplomats Meet Detained Nationals In Jail - "The
News" (01/29)

"A four-member delegation of the US Consulate met the five detained
American nationals in the District Jail on Thursday. The delegation,
led by Andra Hailry, arrived here under tight security and met Rami
Zamzam, Umer Farooq, Iman Hassan Yamir, Ahmad Abdullah Manni and
Waqar Hassan Khan. The meeting continued for four hours. A
translator was also present on the occasion."

EDITORIALS/OPINIONS

Editorial: In Fact India Has No Role In Afghanistan, an editorial in
the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (01/29)

"Strangely enough, the United States has urged India to be
transparent with Pakistan about their activities in Afghanistan,
implying that India has a right to be there in Afghanistan.... One
wonders what role India has in Afghanistan when under no pretext
India can interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan or use
Afghan soil for terrorist and other activities against Pakistan....
The United States has made no secret of its desire to give India a
predominant role in the region and wants India to assume
responsibilities as a policeman in Afghanistan following withdrawal
of the U.S. and Western occupation forces from that country."

Editorial: Kayani's Plain Talking, an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (01/29)

"General Kayani's reiteration of the need for NATO to recognize
Pakistan's role in the fight against Al Qaeda and to give it a
bigger role in finding a solution for Pakistan was also timely.
Pakistan, as a neighbor of Afghanistan and as a state that has paid
the heaviest price for the U.S.-led war there post-9/11, has to
ensure that its interest are not sacrificed. It also has to ensure
that its hostile neighbor India is not allowed space in Afghanistan.
Unless the U.S. and NATO are prepared to concede this ground,
Pakistan will find it difficult to continue its vital cooperation.
Also, as General Kayani pointed out, to have the vital trust between
NATO and Pakistan, there has to be meaningful intelligence sharing.
Kayani's blunt message to NATO on military matters needs to be
emulated by the political leadership for strategic cooperation with
NATO in Afghanistan."

Editorial: Pakistan's Enhanced Role Is Vital To Resolve Afghan
Issue, an editorial in the leading mass circulation populist, often
sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (01/29)

"In his briefing to the NATO military committee in Brussels, Army
Chief General Kayani urged the international community to enhance
Pakistan's role to resolve the Afghan issue because Islamabad is
more cognizant of the ground realities and geo-political situation
of Afghanistan as compared to all other countries. It has become
clear during the last couple of years that peace in Afghanistan will
remain elusive until India is stopped from using the Afghan soil to
destabilize Pakistan. The U.S. needs to realize the difficulties of
Pakistan rather than putting more pressure on Islamabad in order to
get better results."

Editorial: Gen. Kayani's Suggestion To The NATO Countries, an
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (01/29)

"Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has stressed upon NATO
countries to enhance Pakistan's role in order to resolve Afghanistan
issue on permanent basis.... General Kayani also said that the
peace in Pakistan is linked with peace in Afghanistan.... General
Kayani has given the right kind of advice when he said that those
people should be trusted who know the realities of the region and no
one knows them better than Pakistan. Pakistan-Afghanistan
leaderships should be given a chance to play a role for peace in the
region."

Editorial: The Issue Of Pakistan's Inclusion In Talks With Afghan
Taliban, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir.
25,000) (01/29)
"Addressing the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, COAS Gen.
Kayani has said that NATO should increase cooperation with Pakistan
and should try to understand its strategy. He said that there is a
need to increase intelligence sharing, and enhance Pakistan's role
in resolving the Afghan issue... It can be said with certainty that
any policy on Afghanistan cannot succeed until Pakistan is involved
in it. Gen. Kayani is a hundred percent right. America and the whole
world are paying for the mistake of not including Pakistan in these
matters after Soviet Union's expulsion from Afghanistan. Hence this
mistake should not be repeated, and Pakistan should be included in
all decisions on Afghanistan."

Editorial: Broader Indian Role In Afghanistan Will Be Dangerous For
Pakistan," an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily
"Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (01/29)

"It has now become crystal clear that the U.S. wants to leave
Afghanistan as soon as possible. But question is that what kind of
Afghanistan, it is leaving behind? Washington had deliberately
assigned an effective role to India in Afghanistan. We urge the
government and the armed forces of Pakistan to vehemently oppose any
Indian role in Afghanistan and avoid any compromise on this issue.
The U.S. and its allies must put an end to India's activities in
Afghanistan and undertake sincere efforts to resolve all the
issues."

Editorial: Afghanistan Issue: Withdrawal of Foreign Troops Is The
Only Solution, an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi
Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (01/29)

"The efforts being undertaken by the U.S. and its western allies to
reach out to the Taliban is being seen as the admission of defeat by
these powers. Hence, it can be safely predicted that Americans will
soon quit Afghanistan. The only thing they are desperately seeking
now is the safe exit. At a time when Afghan freedom movement has
reached its critical juncture, Pakistan also needs to objectively
evaluate its standing keeping in view the fast-changing
geo-political situation of the region."

Opinion: The Afghanistan Problem, an op-ed by Ayesha Siddiqa in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (01/29)

"Nothing could be clearer than the fact that there is an
ever-widening divide in the perception, interests and understanding
of the situation amongst the various stakeholders in Afghanistan.
The regional states have their eyes on maximizing benefits as the
U.S. reviews cutting its losses and bailing out of Kabul.... It is
most unfortunate that the regional states, which will suffer the
most when they are left to confront each other's interests in
Afghanistan after a U.S. withdrawal, do not think of a joint
strategy."

Opinion: The Afghan Conundrum, an op-ed by Zafar Hilaly in the
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (01/29)

"Branded by the U.S. and India as an 'epicenter' of terror, Pakistan
is threatened with invasion, intervention and disintegration. Its
territories have on occasions been traversed by friends and foes
alike; its laws trampled upon and its people abused, kidnapped and
rendered as much by their own rulers as those who pose as their
mentors. Its citizens are on every watch list. Stripped, questioned,
harassed and insulted, they are paraded, stared at and shunned at
airport queues. The financial assistance it receives from the U.S.
or other 'friends' is a morsel compared to what is required.
Moreover, it is policed, supervised, audited, counted and recounted,
withheld and then doled out sometimes with a sneer that conveys,
more than words ever can, the condescension with which Pakistan is
viewed. The fact is that today while foes view us with contempt,
friends view us with a pity that alas seems all too closely allied
with contempt. Ours is a sad predicament but we should not lose
heart."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)
Patterson