VZCZCXRO4940
PP RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHNEH
DE RUEHNE #0612/01 0901043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 311043Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5951
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 1638
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 4485
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 3700
RUEHNEH/AMCONSUL HYDERABAD 0400
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 2035
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 5917
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 2482
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 9398
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 3527
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 6135
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7780
RHOVVKG/COMSEVENTHFLT
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NEW DELHI 000612 
 
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: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN 
(CONTINUED) 
 
This cable reports on relevant media reaction from 
India's English and large non-English press. 
 
SUMMARY: For a second day the President's March 27 
announcement of the new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and 
Pakistan generated editorial commentary in the 
countrywide Indian press. All media highlighted the March 
30 Taliban terror attack on a Lahore police compound. 
India's strategic affairs guru K. Subrahmanyam strongly 
supported the President's announcement, while India's 
newspaper of record, THE TIMES OF INDIA, cautiously 
welcomed the President's "vision." There was appreciation 
for the Administration's intent to include significant 
international stakeholders (e.g. India) in the Af-Pak 
effort. Some commentators, however, expressed the usual 
concerns that the new Administration is making the same 
mistake as the last one by placing too much trust in 
Pakistan. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶1. "PUSH FORWARD," editorial in March 31 Centrist, 
Independent, nationally circulating THE TIMES OF INDIA 
English daily: "With the suicide bombing of a mosque...and 
the audacious assault on a police training centre... on the 
outskirts of Lahore, the Taliban-terrorist nexus has 
reimposed its warped vision of political discourse in 
emphatic fashion.  That this has come so soon after 
President Barack Obama's unveiling of his new Af-Pak 
policy is, in all likelihood, no coincidence. The 
insurgent forces crippling Pakistan and Afghanistan are 
sending a clear message.  Obama's response must be to 
push through his outlined strategy; its two-pronged 
approach has the potential to finally turn the tide. The 
first of these is an unprecedented internationalist 
approach to the Af-Pak problem. The Contact Group that 
includes India, Russia, China and Iran has the scope to 
achieve far more than a go-it-alone approach by the US.... 
The second facet of the Af-Pak policy is a long-overdue 
course correction in dealing with Pakistan.... Obama has 
shown that he has the vision to deal with the problem. 
Now he must deliver on it." 
 
¶2. "THE OBAMA STRATEGY: PAKISTAN ARMY PUT ON NOTICE," op- 
ed analysis in the Independent, Centrist, North India 
circulating English daily THE TRIBUNE by pundit K. 
Subrahmanyam: "President Obama in his speech of March 27, 
introducing his new strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 
has brought clarity to the issue and declared that the 
war is against Al-Qaeda and its allies.... He is not 
referring to Pakistan as a front-line state and an ally 
in the war against terrorism. Those were myths generated 
by General Musharraf and swallowed lock, stock and barrel 
by Mr Colin Powell, Mr Richard Armitage, Mr Don Rumsfeld 
and others of the Bush Administration. President Obama 
refers to Pakistan as under partial occupation of Al- 
Qaeda and in danger of being overrun by it and its 
allies.... There is an implied warning to Pakistan on the 
kind of military aid it will get as well as its quantum. 
President Obama had made no secret of the fact that past 
military aid received by Pakistan had been misused by it 
to equip itself largely to fight war against India.... By 
 
NEW DELHI 00000612  002 OF 005 
 
 
creating a contact group...US and the NATO are attempting 
to quarantine Pakistan and Afghanistan as terrorism- 
infected countries needing urgent international 
treatment. President Obama has unveiled a new strategy of 
isolating Pakistan and it is not a continuation of the 
Bush strategy." 
 
¶3. "IN AND OUT," editorial in the March 31 Centrist, East 
Indian THE TELEGRAPH: "It is odd that an 'exit strategy' 
should be made up almost entirely of entrenchment. On the 
face of it, that is what Barack Obama's new policy in 
Afghanistan envisages ... Mr Obama is undoubtedly a 
pragmatist ... The success of the policy, however, hinges 
on factors other than Mr Obama's pious intentions. For 
one, conditions within Afghanistan are largely dependent 
on whether Hamid Karzai retains the presidency and 
whether the Americans are able to control him 
effectively. Two, the much celebrated objective of 
talking with the enemies is predicated less on US's 
willingness to talk and more on the former's 
unwillingness to engage in any conversation with infidels 
... Three, the obduracy of Pakistan. Strangely, the new 
strategy seems to give more thought to Afghanistan than 
to dealing with Pakistan and its reluctance to engage in 
the war on terror more earnestly in the absence of the 
Kashmir factor. Four, the expectation that Russia, Iran 
and China will abide by their appointed roles instead of 
playing spoilers in the great game. What is common to all 
these four factors is the shadow of uncertainty. Past 
certainties of American policy have evaporated. Mr 
Obama's realpolitik might become the maximization of the 
uncertain." 
 
¶4. "LAHORE AGAIN," editorial in March 31 Independent, 
Centrist, nationally circulating English daily THE INDIAN 
EXPRESS: "Coming just three days after Obama called the 
Pakistan-Afghan border the most dangerous place in the 
world, it [the Lahore attack], cruelly, shows the 
complexity of the task he is trying to pare down to an 
effort 'to disrupt, dismantle and defeat' Al-Qaeda in 
Pakistan.... Obama's reiteration of focus on taking on 
terrorists on Pakistani territory is timely. But as this 
newspaper responded to his announcement, it is the 
modality of carrying through that intent that invites a 
degree of skepticism. Obama made the fight against 
terrorists in what is now called the Af-Pak region a key 
foreign policy component during his campaign. But there 
is concern that while he recognizes the security 
challenges emanating from the region, he has not modified 
his predecessor administration's mode of operation 
enough. After all, he appears still reliant on the 
Pakistan army to deliver, even though his generals are 
reported to have told Pakistan that they believe elements 
in the ISI continue to maintain links with Al-Qaeda and 
the Taliban." 
 
¶5. "FAILING TO AF-PAK A PUNCH," op-ed in March 31 
Independent, Centrist, nationally circulating English 
daily THE INDIAN EXPRESS by Dhruva Jaishankar: "U.S. 
President Barack Obama's strategy for overcoming his most 
 
NEW DELHI 00000612  003 OF 005 
 
 
serious foreign policy challenge to date - terrorism and 
insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan - has finally 
taken on both shape and direction.... From an Indian 
standpoint, there are several reasons to be satisfied 
with the result of the strategy review and Obama's own 
remarks. First, for Obama and his advisors, the region's 
problems are centered squarely on Pakistan, which, while 
but a recognition of reality, mark the first time they 
have been so framed by the American leadership.... This 
marks a fundamental change in official American rhetoric: 
Afghanistan has now become the frontline state for a war 
in Pakistan. It is no longer the other way around. 
Secondly, the administration has proposed establishing a 
so-called "Contact Group" - which would include regional 
powers such as India, Russia and Iran.... This recognition 
that regional actors will need to be brought on board to 
ameliorate the current situation in Afghanistan and 
Pakistan is another welcome but long-overdue 
development.... The white paper correctly recognizes the 
necessity of a long-term American commitment to 
Afghanistan, evoking a more involved and long-term 
counterinsurgency strategy rather than a much more 
limited policy of preventive counterterrorism." 
 
¶6. "JIHADIS VERSUS JIHADIS: PAKISTAN IS FAST GOING 
UNDER," editorial in March 31 Nationalist, pro-BJP, North 
India circulating English daily THE PIONEER: "Given that 
it was only 72 hours ago that US President Barack Obama 
outlined his new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy - the 
thrust of which was rooting out Al Qaeda and the Taliban 
from the region and redoubling efforts towards this goal 
- the Manawan attack can be seen as a sharp response by 
jihadi groups asserting that they have no intentions of 
surrendering or going underground.... The recent spate of 
terrorist attacks in Pakistan comprehensively proves that 
Islamabad is totally incapable of dealing with terror 
groups operating out of its soil. For the sake of 
regional and global security, it is time for donor nation 
to abandon their soft line on Pakistan and force that 
country to act before it is too late. Democracy-building 
is fine, but it must follow the destruction of terrorism. 
If that means freezing funds and giving the green signal 
to an international force to conduct military ground 
operations to destroy terror camps in Pakistan, so be 
it." 
 
¶7. "CAN OBAMA FIND OSAMA?" editorial in March 31 centrist 
Gujarati daily GUJARATMITRA: "The Taliban and Al Qaeda 
are making rapid advances into Pakistan and this poses 
serious security concerns not just for South Asia but 
also for western nations, especially America....  It is but 
natural that America's blood is boiling over this grim 
scenario. Its new Af-Pak strategy aims to dismantle the 
safe havens of terrorists. For this, it has stated in no 
uncertain terms that Pakistan cannot continue to receive 
a blank check from America unless it proves its sincerity 
in the war against terrorism....  This approach clearly 
indicates that America has realized that terrorism is not 
restricted to America or India, but is a global threat." 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00000612  004 OF 005 
 
 
¶8. "AMERICA'S DILEMMA," editorial in March 30 North 
Indian, right-of-center Hindi daily JANSATTA: "President 
Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy can be called old 
wine in a new bottle. It is Bush's old strategy with a 
facelift. What's new in the U.S. conceding that Pakistan 
is a den of terror? Experts have been saying it forever, 
but the U.S. heeds them not. The U.S. has never really 
attempted to factor in the concerns of India, Russia and 
China. Even in this announcement, it is merely said 
others will be consulted; no active participation by 
others is envisaged." 
 
¶9. "MR. OBAMA, DO NOT FEED THE BEAST," op-ed by editor 
Ashwini Kumar in March 31 nationalist, North India 
circulating Hindi daily PUNJAB KESARI: "What's so new in 
Mr. Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy? India has been 
screaming from the rooftops about Pakistan's lack of 
seriousness in the fight against terror. Despite the 
mollycoddling of Pakistan by the U.S., it has turned into 
a snake pit of international terror.... In his Afghanistan- 
Pakistan strategy, Obama chides Pakistan, but also 
rewards it with financial aid. You can give milk to the 
serpent, but it will still bite you!" 
 
¶10. "THE FIRE OF TERRORISM," editorial in March 31 
Centrist nationally circulating Hindi daily NAVBHARAT 
TIMES: "The U.S. sees terrorism in South Asia through the 
prism of its own interest. In his Af-Pak strategy 
announcement President Obama may say there will be no 
blank checks for Pakistan, but in reality he is 
perpetuating the same policies as George Bush's. How else 
does one explain the 1.5 billion dollars in aid that the 
U.S. recently announced for Pakistan?  The U.S. 
Administration has not paid heed to its own agencies who 
have pointed out numerous times that Pakistan's ISI spy 
agency covertly supports terrorists. Is the U.S. 
Administration aware that despite all the financial and 
military help to Pakistan, the Taliban cadres in that 
country have only gained in strength?" 
 
¶11. "OBAMA'S AF-PAK STRATEGY," op-ed in March 31 Centrist 
nationally circulating Hindi daily DAINIK BHASKAR by 
strategic commentator Ved Pratap Vaidik: "President 
Obama's new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy announced March 
27 is timely and practical, unlike that of his 
predecessor George Bush. Mr. Bush spent lavishly in this 
region, but held no one accountable. Therefore, despite 
its sacrifices, the U.S. came out looking bad in both 
these countries. Bush also never cracked the whip on 
Pakistan, never asked what it was doing to contain the Al 
Qaeda or Taliban. The Pakistani spy agency ISI's nexus 
with Taliban and Al Qaeda was never explored by Bush. 
Hopefully Obama will focus on this.  Another departure in 
Obama's policy is that he has not minced words in saying 
US will act directly if Pakistan fails.  Although there 
were occasional instances of direct action even during 
Bush's tenure, Obama is more direct in his strategy. 
Another very significant point in Obama's strategy is 
that he has included the international community in the 
Af-Pak effort as a stakeholder. But despite being 
 
NEW DELHI 00000612  005 OF 005 
 
 
practical, the Af-Pak strategy is not very far-sighted 
and may not contribute to strengthening Afghanistan." 
 
¶12. "THE LAHORE ATTACK," editorial in March 31 Mumbai 
circulating Centrist Marathi daily LOKMAT. "The second 
major attack in Lahore within a month has not just shaken 
Pakistani administration and neighboring India, but it 
sends a signal to the Obama Administration as well.... Now 
it is not the time for rhetoric, it is the time for 
action. It is the time to decide whether Pakistan 
deserves U.S. aid and whether that aid is going into the 
wrong hands...." 
 
¶13. "PAKISTAN IS CONFRONTING WHAT IT CREATED FOR YEARS," 
editorial in the March 31 Centrist Gujarati daily DIVYA 
BHASKAR. "The bloody Lahore siege indicates that the 
monster of terrorism Pakistan has nurtured over the years 
is ready to ingest its creator....  Homegrown 
fundamentalists and radicals in Pakistan who led jihad in 
Afghanistan and Indian part of Kashmir are now causing 
ravage in Pakistan itself....  It is sad that Pakistan has 
dug its own grave by encouraging religious extremism on 
its soil over the years." 
WHITE