PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 14, 2010

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000094

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JANUARY 14, 2010

Summary: Coverage of U.S. Special Representative Holbrooke's visit
to Pakistan dominated front pages on Thursday morning. Newspapers
reported a wide variety of statements made by Ambassador Holbrooke.
Nearly all major dailies reported his remarks that new U.S. security
measures (are) not discriminatory towards Pakistan. Media also
highlighted his discussions with Prime Minister Gilani and Foreign
Minister Qureshi regarding delayed Coalition Support Fund
disbursements. Holbrooke's remarks that Indian Army Chief, General
Kapoor's recent statements do not "reflect India's national policy"
also received prominent coverage. Several papers misquoted
Ambassador Holbrooke's statement that Secretary Clinton would soon
host Pakistani officials in Washington for the Strategic Dialogue,
reporting instead that Clinton will "soon visit Pakistan to address
Islamabad's concerns." In the wake of prevailing energy crisis in
Pakistan, Ambassador Holbrooke's announcement of 16 million dollars
in aid to upgrade the Tarbela power plant, and one billion dollars
over the next four years to alleviate electricity blackouts received
extensive coverage both in print and electronic media. "The News"
reported U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's statement
that Pakistan is selective in its action against the Taliban. Media
continued to report reaction from Pakistani parliamentarians to new
U.S. screening measures. "The Nation," quoting "well-placed"
sources, reported that the U.S. is "placing pressure on Pakistan by
offering assistance for alternate energy sources or by arm-twisting
over the terrorism issue" to "abandon the Iran pipeline accord."
News of the devastating earthquake in Haiti was reported on several
front-pages. Several editorials chose to focus on the "trust
deficit" between the U.S. and Pakistan. Headlines included: "Have We
Lost The Courage To Even Raise A Question?" (Urdu daily "Ausaf"),
and "U.S. and the Trust Issue" (English daily "The Business
Recorder"). "The Daily Times" published an editorial titled
"Engaging with the U.S.," advocating that Pakistan should find a
"more practical way," between extremes of "defiance and shameful
diffidence" to "deal with a country that is as much part of our
national problems as it can be of solutions." End Summary.

TOP STORIES

Drone Attacks, Ground Operations Will Hurt Ties: Qureshi: US Won't
Leave Pakistan Alone, Says Holbrooke - "Daily Times" (01/14)

"Any campaign to intensify drone attacks or launch ground operations
inside Pakistan will harm bilateral relations with the U.S., Foreign
Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi warned on Wednesday as U.S. special
envoy Richard Holbrooke said his country will 'not leave Pakistan
alone' and help it steer through the prevailing security situation.
Addressing a press conference along with Holbrooke after a meeting,
Qureshi said he had told Holbrooke that there were some very clear
'red lines,' and Pakistan hoped the U.S. would never cross them.
Holbrooke - without a reference to drone attacks - acknowledged
Pakistan's concerns, and tried to play down differences between the
two key partners in the war on terror. He promised long-term ties,
and said while the two countries differed on certain issues,
'friends can disagree.'"

Sorry, But Screening Will Continue: Holbrooke - "The News" (01/14)

"The United States says it is sorry that the Homeland Security's
enhanced security screening at the U.S. airports has caused concerns
to Pakistanis but the screening will continue. 'I am sorry for this.
I am sorry that this is causing concerns, but these (enhanced
security screenings) are not discriminated against Pakistanis.
Pakistan is not being singled out. Even I am subjected to screening
when I travel in my personal capacity,' U.S. Special Envoy for
Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said while speaking at a
joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at
the Foreign Office."

Holbrooke Hints Gen. Kapoor's Statements 'Personal Opinion' - Daily
Times" (01/14)

"Recent statements by the Indian Army chief do not reflect New
Delhi's national policy, said U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke
on Wednesday - suggesting that it was the Indian Army Chief's
personal opinion. Talking to a group of editors and columnists, the
U.S. Special Representative said his country would not broker
relations between Pakistan and India."

U.S. To Provide $1 Billion To Bail Out Energy Sector - "The News"
(01/14)
"Richard Holbrooke has said Washington will extend one billion
dollars in the next four years in the energy sector to bailout the
power-deficient Pakistan. He said this here on Wednesday on the
occasion of the signing ceremony of $16 million Tarbela Dam Repair
and Maintenance project inked between Pakistan and the U.S. The
project would be undertaken through the USAID."

$16 Million U.S. Aid To Upgrade Tarbela Power Plant - "Dawn"
(01/14)

"The United States will provide $16 million for improving the
operational capacity of the Tarbela dam hydroelectric plant. It will
help generate additional electricity of 375MW. An agreement to the
effect was signed by Economic Affairs Secretary Sibtain Fazal Halim
and U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson in Islamabad on Wednesday in
the presence of U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and
Pakistan Richard Holbrooke."

PM Seeks Quick Payment Of U.S. Support Fund - "The News" (01/14)

"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated the need for
expeditious disbursement of long withheld Coalition Support Fund
payments to Pakistan as delay in payments by the U.S. is eroding the
capacity and capabilities of Pakistan security forces in the war
against terror. In a meeting with U.S. Special Representative for
Pakistan and Afghanistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who called
on him at the Prime Minister's House on Wednesday, it was agreed
that both sides would work out the modalities for immediate release
of U.S.$200 million to Pakistan."

U.S. Pledges Release Of $200 Million Under CSF - "The Nation"
(01/14)

"Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has sought American
assistance for reconstruction of Swat and Malakand, while visiting
U.S. Envoy has promised immediate release of $200 million under the
Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The Prime Minister urged the U.S. to
provide assistance through established channels of Government of
Pakistan on immediate basis to effectively implement the Malakand
reconstruction strategy."

U.S. Screening Plan 'Genocide' Of Cultural Values: Rabbani - "The
News" (01/14)

"Senators have demanded that the President and the Prime Minister
should not undertake visits to the United States till the U.S.
government withdraws new screening guidelines for body search of
Pakistani citizens.... Leader of the Opposition Senator Wasim Sajjad
demanded that the U.S. should officially be conveyed that such a
treatment of Pakistani passengers was not acceptable.... Earlier,
initiating the debate, Mian Raza Rabbani, who was one of the two
co-movers, said these screening guidelines are sheer violation of
the International Human Rights Charter and the government should
raise the issue at global forums."

Massive Quake Flattens Haiti Capital: Over 100,000 Feared Dead, Says
Premier - "Dawn" (01/14)

"More than 100,000 people were feared dead in Haiti on Wednesday
after a calamitous earthquake razed homes, hotels and hospitals,
leaving the capital in ruins and bodies strewn in the streets.
Schools collapsed, trapping the dead inside, and cries of desperate
victims escaped from flattened buildings in the centre of the
capital Port-au-Prince, which an AFP correspondent said was 'mostly
destroyed.'"

TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES

McCrystal Flies in Regularly, Goes to GHQ, Flies Back to Kabul:
Holbrooke - "The News" (01/14)

"U.S. President's Special Envoy for Afghanistan & Pakistan,
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke revealed that the U.S. and Pakistan
army were working in an exceptionally close relationship which
according to him was not limited to high level contacts between top
military guns like Admiral Mullen and COAS Kayani but also existed
at the tactical operational level. He was talking to a group of
newspaper editors in Islamabad on Wednesday in a candid sometimes on
and sometimes off the record, exchange of views. Ambassador
Holbrooke, dispelled the impression of the presence of significant
differences between the U.S. and Pakistani military establishments.
To augment his assertion he said that, 'General McCrystal, Commander
of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan - flies into Islamabad very
regularly, he goes straight to the GHQA, and then flies back to
Kabul' adding that the degree of such consultations was extremely
close and intense."

Pakistan Selective in Action Against Taliban: U.S. Congressmen -
"The News" (01/14)

"Pakistan is being selective in its action against Taliban while
cracking down on elements, which it feels are causing trouble inside
the country, but avoiding a campaign against other factions,
according to the U.S. Congressmen. Fresh from their visit to
Islamabad and an in-depth interaction with the leadership of the
country, a group of U.S. Congressmen said on Wednesday that Pakistan
is not yet convinced that they need to take action against all
groups of Taliban, as they do not pose a security threat."

Pakistan, Afghanistan Doubt U.S. Commitment - "Dawn" (01/14)

"U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned that leaders
in Pakistan and Afghanistan worry about the American commitment to
the region after the Summer of 2011. The Senate Republican leader
led a delegation of Republican lawmakers on a whirlwind visit to
Afghanistan and Pakistan last week. They had left the United States
last on Wednesday and returned on Monday."

Aafia Not Linked With Al Qaeda: U.S. Judge - "Dawn" (01/14)

"A U.S. federal judge has determined that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, the
Pakistani neuroscientist, would not be linked with the
fundamentalist Al Qaeda outfit during her trial scheduled to begin
on January 19."

POLITICAL ISSUES

Pakistan Warns India Against Hegemonistic Mindset - "Dawn" (01/14)

"Pakistan warned India on Wednesday against its relentless pursuit
of military preponderance and said it would have severe consequences
for peace and security in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
The National Command Authority, which met in Islamabad under Prime
Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, took serious note of recent Indian
statements about conducting conventional military strikes under a
nuclear umbrella and said such irresponsible statements reflected a
hegemonic mindset, oblivious of dangerous implications of
adventurism in a nuclearized context."

India Interfering In Balochistan: Malik - "The News"
"Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday categorically said that
India was interfering in Balochistan while missing Baloch were
forcibly taken to training camps in Afghanistan. He was making a
statement in the Senate in response to points of order raised by
some members from Balochistan about missing persons."

Zardari Says Nobody Will Be Allowed To Undermine Military - "Dawn"
(01/14)

"Praising the sacrifices rendered by troops in the fight against
militancy, President Asif Ali Zardari declared on Wednesday that no
one would be allowed to undermine the institution of armed forces
for advancing his political agenda, President Zardari said while
talking to a delegation of ANP, Sindh chapter, at Bilawal House."

Post-NRO Govt. On Path Of Showdown With Judiciary - "The News"
(01/14)

"The Presidency-led federal government seems to be heading for a
showdown with the superior judiciary as not only the appointment of
judges in the Supreme Court has been blocked but even high court
judges are not being appointed where the need is urgent. This
unusual behavior of the federal government and the Punjab governor
reflects the post-NRO non-cooperative attitude of the PPP towards
the superior judiciary."

ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

Rebuilding Of Secured Areas Key To Success, U.S. Told - "Dawn"
(01/14)

"Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that reconstruction
and development of areas cleared in military operation is imperative
to win the hearts and minds of people and for the success of
campaign against militancy and terrorism. Talking to U.S. Special
Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke here on
Wednesday, the prime minister said that the U.S. should speed up the
process of providing assistance through government channels for
effective implementation of the Malakand reconstruction strategy....
Mr. Holbrooke said Pakistan-U.S. ties had been expanded beyond the
security cooperation. He said the foreign assistance program for
Pakistan had been restructured and changes in this program had been
made in coordination with the Pakistani government."

Pakistan Seeks U.S. Investment In LNG - "Dawn" (01/14)

"Pakistan is seeking U.S. investment to establish a liquefied
natural gas project to meet the short-term energy requirements of
the country. This was stated by the Petroleum Minister, Syed Naveed
Qamar, during a meeting with U.S. Special Representative Richard
Holbrooke. The Minister, who discussed bilateral energy cooperation
and investment opportunities in the country, gave an overview of
fuel demand-supply gap, and said significant progress had been made
to meet oil and gas demand, particularly in the short and medium
term, especially through LNG imports.... Mr. Holbrooke said Pakistan
is an important country and meeting Pakistan's requirements is top
U.S. priority. He said that the U.S. government is keen to address
the country's need by extending support in areas of oil and gas and
water."

Abandon Iran Pipeline Accord: U.S. - "The Nation" (01/14)

"The U.S. has once again put Pakistan in a fix asking to abandon the
Iranian gas pipeline project to qualify for extensive American
energy assistance especially for importing LNG (Liquefied Natural
Gas) and electricity. Well-placed sources told 'The Nation' on
Wednesday that U.S. Special envoy Richard Holbrooke made this
conditional offer to Petroleum Minister Syed Naveed Qamar during a
meeting that also discussed bilateral energy cooperation and
investment opportunities in the country."

U.S. Presses Pakistan To Open Afghan-India Trade Route - "Dawn"
(01/14)

"The United States is pushing Pakistan to allow Afghan agricultural
products to pass through its territory to India, says US Agriculture
Sectary Tom Vilsack. 'We hope to be able to conclude that agreement
in the very near future,' Mr. Vilsack told journalists in Washington
during a teleconference from Kabul."

MISCELLANEOUS

U.S. Media 'Failed To Form Civic Citizenry' Our Correspondent - "The
News" (01/14)

"A powerful critique of the failure of American intellectuals and
journalists to promote a civic and informed citizenry in their
country was presented here on Wednesday by Dr. Safeer Awan who spoke
at length about post-9/11 media images. Dr. Muhammad Safeer Awan,
assistant professor at the Department of English (FLL) of
International Islamic University (IIU),was delivering a lecture on
'War of Words: American Media & Popular Narratives Since September
11, 2001' at the Area Study Centre for Africa, North & South
America, Quaid-i-Azam University."

NA Condemns Blasphemous Sketches - "The News" (01/14)

"The National Assembly on Wednesday unanimously condemned publishing
of blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
by a Danish newspaper and demanded an international law to penalize
those involved in this heinous act."

EDITORIALS/OPINIONS

Opinion: Engaging With The U.S., an op-ed by Syed Talat Hussain in
the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir.
10,000) (01/14)

"It is either capitulation or confrontation. And in between the two
pendulum swing-points exists a vast territory ruled by ambiguity,
confusion, and contradiction. This about sums up Pakistan's
present-day outlook - policy is too sophisticated a word to be used
here - towards the U.S. As a result, one of the fundamental pillars
of our diplomacy - i.e. engagement with Washington - is hobbled by
deepening controversies. We are far from achieving our national
objective of stabilizing the bilateral equation with the U.S. We are
in no way near the point where we can realistically use regional
changes to our long-term advantage. Pressures on our borders are
mounting. Worse, growing drone attacks are complicating the domestic
challenge of combating local militants. The allegation from the U.S.
Embassy that its diplomats are being harassed is symptomatic of the
aggravating bilateral trouble. It is rare to find such expressions
of discontent being dramatized as public protest and penned down in
the shape of a press release. And that too between countries which
continue to profess to be 'together' in the fight against
terrorists. There is nothing friendly about the charge from the U.S.
and the cool response from Pakistan."

Opinion: U.S. And The Trust Issue, an op-ed by Saida Fazal in the
country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir.
25,000) (01/14)

"When a U.S. Senate delegation, headed by Chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee, Senator Carl Levin, called on Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last Monday, he stressed the need to
bridge the existing trust deficit between Pakistan and the U.S....
The problem though is that the relationship of trust that our
government has been trying to build is not based on the principle of
reciprocity.... Our rulers, in fact, trust the Americans more than
they do their own people.... Despite local resentment, armed
Americans, of unspecified status, have gone on to cock a snook at
the people of this country. Which other government would let another
country to do this? So far, there is no other example except of
occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. Our government has placed its
unconditional trust in America, which is why, the latter is taking
advantage of it, and the entire nation. In order to bridge the trust
deficit, the Prime Minister talked about this government needs to
change the terms of engagement, with the U.S., from give-and-give to
give-and-take, as well as respect for our national dignity."

Opinion: But The Mountains Are The Same, an op-ed by I.M. Mohsin in
the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000)
(01/14)

"U.S. President Barack Obama, who inherited the mess, has been
haunted by the worsening situation which dates back to 2005. While
Obama is fighting to make the U.S. 'secure,' he is being viciously
attacked by the rightwing Republicans for an alleged softening of
stance.... The U.S. is currently plagued by the killing of seven CIA
operatives in Khost along with two from the Xe Worldwide
(Blackwater) by, reportedly, a 'double/triple agent' developed by
the U.S. agencies. Many accounts have appeared in the media to
decipher as to why should Dr. Al-Balawi, the son of a Palestinian
family forced to live in Jordan, have gone so desperate. A simple
explanation appears to be that the U.S. is paying for the sins of
its ally, Israel, and due to domestic pressures the United States'
interest cannot prevail in defining the policy of the beleaguered
superpower. It appears that the American good guys, generally, are
made to look the other way to absorb the costs debited to the U.S. a
la ally's atrocities."

Editorial: State Bank Report, an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(01/14)

"Pakistan's economy has come a long way in the last one year....
Fiscal and external account deficits have narrowed, foreign exchange
reserves have improved and inflation has declined significantly. The
country's sovereign ratings have also improved. The State Bank of
Pakistan's report discusses all these positive trends in detail....
The external side, nevertheless, is expected to improve over the
last financial year due to generous funding from the IMF and the
U.S. under the Kerry-Lugar act. Therefore, it is difficult to expect
a major pick-up in growth, at least in the foreseeable future.
Unless obstacles to growth are removed, it will be futile to expect
sustainable growth even over the long term."

Editorial: Don't Repeat The Blunder, an editorial in the country's
premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000)
(01/14)

"What CENTCOM Chief General David Petraeus said regarding America's
contingency plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites is highly
worrisome.... The attack could turn out to be a precursor to an
all-out war; similar to the one the U.S. fought in Iraq, with
unpredictable consequences.... On Thursday, Moscow clearly stated
that it had no evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb.
Any military adventure against Iran by Washington would further
damage the US image in the Muslim community all over the world.... A
peaceful solution based on pragmatism is the best way out."



Editorial: The Afghan Factor, an editorial in the Lahore-based
liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (01/14)

"As the DG ISI pointed out in his briefing, the increase in
militancy in Pakistan has coincided with the rise of the Indian
influence and presence in Afghanistan. It is now clear that the
confluence of anti-state elements in Afghanistan has been a big
factor in the ongoing campaign to destabilize Pakistan. Pakistan has
also rightly expressed its concern over the new U.S. Afghan policy
whose lynchpin is a military surge and a new offensive against the
Taliban.... U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan has
assured that as a result of the military surge in Afghanistan there
will be no infiltration into Pakistan. Only time will tell how the
situation will actually work but our previous experience in this
regard has not been very encouraging."

Editorial: DG ISI's Briefing And Threats To Country's Security:
Answer The Enemy In Its Own Language, an editorial in the
second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000)
(01/14)

"ISI Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha briefed
parliamentary committee on national security issues wherein he said
that situation in Pakistan is getting worse via Afghanistan from
where interference in Pakistan is being made.... DG ISI report
presented to the parliamentary committee is a moment of reflection
for our government and military leaderships.... Our government and
military leaderships should not sit silently after this briefing and
should take practical steps to end the root cause of the problem."

Editorial: Terrorism In Pakistan Through Afghanistan, an editorial
in the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (11/14)

"ISI Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha has said that
Afghan soil is being used for terrorist activities inside
Pakistan.... Pakistan's top leadership should think over changing
its strategy as to overcome the situation. President Obama's new
strategy will impact negatively on Pakistan and there should be a
strategy to evade the impact. Military action is not the only
solution to the problem and the issues should be resolved in a
social way. The local population of the tribal areas should be
taken into confidence and their help should be sought for having a
strategy to combat miscreants coming from Afghanistan."

Editorial: Have We Lost The Courage To Even Raise A Question?, an
editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir.
10,000) (01/14)

"It was being ceaselessly said for the last few years that the
Afghan territory is being used against Pakistan. Now, in his
briefing to the Parliament's Special Committee on National Security,
ISI Chief has confirmed such reports. It has become a routine for us
to raise hullaballoo over the growing influence of Delhi in Kabul
but we do not utter even a single word against Afghanistan which is
working as India's accomplice in its designs against Pakistan. Nor
we have ever talked to the U.S. to rein in these countries. Have we
lost the courage even to raise a question?"

Editorial: DG ISI's Briefing To The National Security Committee, an
editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (circ 25, 000) (1/14)

"Briefing the National Security Committee of the National Assembly,
DG ISI Lt. General Ahmad Shuja Pasha has said that Afghan soil is
being used for terrorism in Pakistan and creating unrest here. He
also said that peace in Pakistan will not be possible until
cross-border infiltration is stopped.... It is now the National
Security Committee's duty to give effective and workable
recommendations to the government to deal with this situation. On
the other hand, the U.S. should take steps to decrease and
eventually eradicate drug production in Afghanistan so that the
money being earned from this business is not used to foment trouble
in Pakistan. The U.S. needs to take these steps if it wants peace in
Pakistan."

Editorial: Afghanistan Origin Terrorism In Pakistan, an editorial in
the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir.
5,000) (01/14)

"Though it is an open secret that the Afghan soil is being used for
terrorist activities in Pakistan yet the statement of General Pasha
carries more substance and weight as it comes from a person who has
the authority and necessary knowledge to speak on the subject.
Ground realities also substantiate his assertions because the way
the militants are resisting the full might of the Pakistan armed
forces for about a year makes it abundantly clear that they have
full foreign backing. Otherwise, it was next to impossible for a
handful of elements to put up organized resistance without financial
support, training and supply of arms and ammunition."

Editorial: A Timely Realization, an editorial in the center-right
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (01/14)

"Yet the government continues to maintain a strange silence on the
U.S. problem in Pakistan - from drones to their support for India
militarily in the region especially in Afghanistan, and in the
nuclear field. In fact, the Interior Minister continues to be in a
strange form of denial regarding the mercenary security operatives
employed by the U.S. in Pakistan, despite ample proof to the
contrary. It is time for the government to seriously get down to
formulating a cohesive national security policy that delinks itself
from that of the U.S. in the region, so that our indigenous roots of
terrorism can be dealt with more effectively; while at the same time
taking a cold hard line on the U.S. role in Afghanistan where
certain forces are fomenting terrorism within Pakistan."

Editorial: Tehran Killing, an editorial in the Karachi-based
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000)
(01/14)

"Mystery shrouds Tuesday's bomb attack in Tehran which targeted an
academic described by Iranian officials as a leading nuclear
scientist. Tehran was quick to voice its outrage, claiming that
initial investigations indicate that two foreign powers and their
"mercenaries in Iran" were responsible for the assassination of
physicist Massoud Ali Mohammadi. The U.S., named in the "triangle"
along with 'the Zionist regime,' dismissed the charge as absurd. Mr.
Mohammadi's killing comes on the heels of U.S. CENTCOM head Gen
David Petraeus' statement that Iran's nuclear sites are not
fortified enough to withstand powerful ordnance, an indication that
attacking the facilities has not been ruled out. Tuesday's incident
also comes soon after Tehran missed a year-end U.S. deadline for
accepting a UN-drafted deal under which Iran would swap enriched
uranium for fuel rods used in nuclear power plants. And then there
is fresh talk of a new round of sanctions or other coercive measures
to make Iran toe the western line. Given this backdrop, some see Mr.
Mohammadi's murder as a warning shot."

Editorial: The Government Should Also Do Something For Dr. Aafia
Siddiqi, an editorial in the independent Urdu daily "Din" (cir.
5000) (1/14)

"Yesterday, Dr. Aafia Siddiqi was presented in the federal court of
Judge Richard M. Brehman (sp?). During the hearing, the U.S.
administration's attorney said that he does not intend to bring any
charges against Dr. Aafia of having links with Al Qaeda or any other
terrorist group, except attempting to kill American soldiers....
American government tries to do a million things to improve its
image in Pakistan, but there is no one who can suggest to it that
its image would improve if it releases Dr. Aafia and other women
like her. This is a task for the Pakistani government to do."

Editorial: Confirmation Of Dr. Aafia's Innocence, an editorial note
in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir.
150,000) (0q/14)

"Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was accused of having contact with al-Qaeda and
Taliban and firing on American troops. Now that American
administration's lawyers have confirmed that both the charges have
not been proved then there is no justification left for keeping her
under detention. The government of Pakistan is duty bound to take
immediate steps to secure her release."

Opinion: Without Constitutional Liberalism, an op-ed by Roedad Khan
in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News"
(cir. 55,000) (01/14)

"Contrary to what President Zardari says and believes, today the
greatest threat to Pakistan's democracy, in fact Pakistan itself,
stems not from religious militancy and sectarianism but from (a) the
absence of a genuinely democratic political order, and (b) the
surging American imperialism. The Farewell Address of George
Washington will ever remain an important legacy for small nations
like Pakistan. In that notable testament, the Father of the American
Republic cautioned that 'an attachment of a small or weak towards a
great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of
the latter.' 'It is folly in one nation,' George Washington
observed, 'to look for disinterested favors from another ... it must
pay with a portion of its independence for whatever it may accept
under that character.' No truer words have been spoken on the
subject. Pakistan is paying, and will continue to pay, a very heavy
price for the folly of attaching itself to America. In this country
democracy is only permissible when the results are favorable to
America."

Opinion: India's Unhelpful Attitude, an op-ed by Tariq Fatemi in the
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn"
(cir. 55,000) (01/14)

"What has been particularly galling is the failure of the Obama
administration to act on its seemingly wise policy pronouncements
during the election campaign. Instead of encouraging India to reduce
its presence in Afghanistan and ceasing to stir up trouble in
Balochistan, the U.S. appears to have gone along with Indian
allegations, agreeing to inject into the U.S.-India joint statement
a provision 'to work jointly to deal with terrorism emanating from
India's neighborhood.'... The Indian army chief's latest statement
in which he spoke of his army's capacity to fight a two-front war
has evoked great surprise and disappointment. But while it conveyed
hostility and belligerence, his words are neither realistic nor
achievable as India does not have the capability to successfully
initiate its much-heralded 'cold start' strategy, much less wage two
wars against two neighbors simultaneously. This does not mean,
however, that we can dismiss these statements as mere rhetoric. It
could be more evidence of the increasing inclination of the Indian
forces to have a role in the India-Pakistan equation.... Another
important factor is the newfound confidence acquired from the
special relationship that the U.S. has so eagerly conferred on
India, not only as its strategic partner, but also as a potential
counterweight to China."

(All circulation figures are based on estimation)
Patterson