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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000829 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: April 21, 2009 
 
Summary:  Prime Minister Gilani's statement that "Ambassador 
Holbrooke does not need to worry much about Swat" as "we know the 
ground realities better than him" dominated headlines in almost all 
major newspapers on Tuesday.  All newspapers also reported on their 
front pages that the "government failed to move a resolution in the 
Senate on the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation," following agitation from both 
treasury and opposition members.  Likewise, reports of a "row in 
National Assembly over Sufi Mohammad's affront to superior courts" 
received prominent display.  Reports of abduction of six security 
personnel in Swat were highlighted in several major dailies. 
Security forces' operation in Orakzai Agency continued to garner 
media coverage.  Newspapers reported that "helicopters gunships and 
jets pounded Taliban positions in Orakzai killing at least 11 
militants."  The daily, "Dawn," reported State Department 
spokesman's remarks that the "violent extremism needs to be 
confronted not just by Pakistan but the entire international 
community." 
 
Newspapers ran editorials on a host of subjects concerning security 
situation and other issues.  In its editorial on the fallout of the 
Swat Peace Deal, the prestigious English daily, "Dawn," noted that 
"the demands of Sufi Mohammad illustrates how he has used his 
position as peace-broker to maneuver greater power and relevance 
towards the extreme rightwing agenda."  Commenting on the suicide 
attack at a check-post in Hangu, another English language daily, 
"The News," observed that "till the state shows a greater 
determination to seize back full control of the country and the 
welfare of people within it, there will be more such attacks and an 
expansion in the sense of hatred that under-pin them." The liberal 
Urdu daily "Express," advised the government to "ensure a permanent 
solution to this problem as impromptu approach has only led to the 
present uncertainty where the government's writ is challenged 
repeatedly."  End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
News Stories 
----------------- 
 
"Holbrooke Needn't Worry About Swat, Says PM" "The News" (04/21) 
 
"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said that the 
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation was bracketed with peace in Swat and the 
government would protect it if peace prevailed in the area. . .  To 
a question regarding the concerns voiced by US Special Envoy on 
Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke over the Nizam-e-Adl 
Regulation, Gilani said, 'He [Holbrooke] does not need to worry much 
about it. This is our country. We know the ground realities better 
than him.'" 
 
"Move To Table Adl Resolution In Senate Thwarted" "Dawn" (04/21) 
 
"The government came under pressure in the Senate on Monday when the 
MQM staged a token walkout in protest against the chairman's failure 
to give a ruling on the status of parliament and its members in view 
of remarks of the banned TNSM's chief Sufi Mohammad against 
parliament, parliamentarians, high courts and the Supreme Court. 
Lawmakers from both the treasury and the opposition opposed tabling 
of the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation in the house." 
 
"Row In NA Over Sufi's Affront To Superior Courts" "Dawn" (04/21) 
 
"The government told the National Assembly on Monday it had taken 
notice of the reported affront to superior courts by Swat valley 
militant leader-turned-peacemaker Sufi Mohammad and asked for a 
report from the NWFP administration about his Sunday speech that 
sparked protests from some lawmakers." 
 
"Govt Has Sought Explanation On Sufi's Statement, NA Told" "Daily 
Times" (04/21) 
 
"The government on Monday assured the National Assembly (NA) that it 
had asked the NWFP government to provide an explanation for TNSM 
chief Sufi Muhammad's statement declaring the court system, 
democracy and parliament un-Islamic." 
 
"Govt Will Adhere To Swat Deal If Peace Restored: Malik" "Dawn" 
(04/21) 
 
"The government would adhere to the Swat deal if militants restored 
complete peace in the area and surrender their arms, Adviser to 
Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on Monday." 
 
"Six Security Personnel Among 10 Kidnapped In Swat" "The News" 
(04/21) 
 
"Suspected militants on Monday kidnapped nine people, including six 
security personnel, from different areas of the Swat valley, 
prompting security forces to set up four checkpoints." 
 
"Orakzai Air Raids Kill 11 Militants" "Dawn" (04/21) 
 
"Helicopter gunships and jets pounded Taliban positions in upper 
Orakzai Agency on Monday, killing at least 11 militants and injuring 
five." 
 
"Clash In Wana Leaves Two Civilians Dead" "Dawn" (04/21) 
 
"Two civilians were killed and seven people, four soldiers among 
them, were injured in clashes between security forces and militants 
in two areas of South Waziristan on Sunday night." 
 
"US Urges Other Nations To Fight Extremists In Pakistan" "Dawn" 
(04/21) 
 
"The United States said on Monday that the entire international 
community should join Pakistan in confronting violent extremists 
like those who now run the Swat valley. 'Violent extremism needs to 
be confronted not just by Pakistan but the entire international 
community,' said State Department spokesman Robert Wood when asked 
to comment on the situation in Swat." 
 
"US Determined To Erase Trust Deficit: State Dept" "Daily Times" 
(04/21) 
 
"The United States on Monday renewed its commitment to support 
Pakistan's efforts to root out extremism, and pledged sustained 
economic assistance to demonstrate America's solidarity with the 
Pakistani people.  The State Department also reaffirmed Washington's 
resolve to erase the trust deficit through continued bilateral 
cooperation in a range of issues." 
 
"NATO Also Needs To Do More Against Terror: ISPR" "Daily Times" 
(04/21) 
 
"Inter Services Public Relations spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas has 
said the Pakistan Army is 'doing enough' in the war on terror, and 
instead called on the NATO to 'do more' in Afghanistan - 'as most of 
the terror centers, in our opinion, are there,' a private TV channel 
reported on Monday." 
 
"Zardari To Visit U.S. Early Next Month" "The Nation" (04/21) 
 
"President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to leave for Washington 
early next month to hold talks with his U.S counterpart Barrack 
Obama on important bilateral regional and global issues with focus 
on security situation in Afghanistan and tribal areas." 
 
"Swat Taliban Vow To Extend Sharia Law To Other Areas" "Daily Times" 
(04/21) 
 
"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Muslim Khan has said 
sharia law would not be restricted to Malakand division and that the 
Taliban will not lay down weapons unconditionally, a private TV 
channel reported on Monday." 
 
"TTP, TNSM Ban Political Parties In Bajaur" "Daily Times" (04/21) 
 
"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and 
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) announced to ban 
political parties and politics in the agency after talks on Monday, 
sources said. Both the organizations also banned the assembly of 
more than three people at a place." 
 
"Fazl Assails Manner Of Swat Sharia Enforcement" "Dawn" (04/21) 
 
"Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has criticized the 
manner in which Sharia is being implemented in Swat. 'The process of 
enforcing Sharia in Swat is incorrect. It must be implemented on the 
basis of recommendations of the Council of Islamic Ideology.'" 
"Two Terrorists Held In Capital: SSP" "The News" (04/21) 
 
"The Islamabad Police late on Monday announced the arrest of two 
hard-core terrorists from the federal capital who were acting as 
planners and facilitators for carrying out acts of terror in the 
city.  Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad Tahir Alam 
Khan said Khairullah Mahsud, a resident of South Waziristan was 
arrested by the law enforcing agencies from a local Park." 
 
"JI Deplores Govt's Silence On Drone Attacks" "The News" (04/21) 
 
"The Jamaat-e-Islami, NWFP chapter, has asked the government to 
review its 'pro-US policies' and take effective steps for stopping 
the US drone attacks." 
 
--------------------- 
Editorials/Op-eds 
--------------------- 
 
"Fallout Of The Deal," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left 
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . Sufi Mohammad has claimed that criminals accused of murder, 
extortion and terrorism cannot be brought to book. Furthermore, the 
demand illustrates how Sufi Mohammad has used his position as 
peace-broker to maneuver greater power and relevance towards the 
extreme rightwing agenda. It underscores the danger inherent in 
depending for peace on the man who heads the TNSM, an organization 
banned for its militant and subversive activities, and whose 
credentials in terms of respecting the jurisdiction of the lawful 
government are extremely suspect." 
 
"Games Of Hatred," an editorial in the centrist national English 
daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . The militants who have enforced their own laws in Swat and 
those who wage war elsewhere in the northern areas are closely 
inter-connected. They cannot be regarded as separate entities but 
must be dealt with through one, cohesive strategy.  So far this 
strategy has been lacking. So too has the will and commitment that 
should back it. This is the reason why militants remain free to 
create havoc in our country and prove that the writ of the state no 
longer exists across a large portion. Till the state shows a greater 
determination to seize back full control of the country and the 
welfare of people within it, there will be more such attacks and an 
expansion in the sense of hatred that under-pin them." 
 
"Sufi Muhammad's Address And Government's Writ," an editorial in 
liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 100,000) (04/21) 
 
"Reacting to Sufi Muhammad's remarks the Federal Information 
Minister has said that no one will be allowed to establish a state 
within a state, and that the media should help inform the nation 
about who Sufi Muhammad is and what his agenda is. The question is: 
did the government not think about these issues while signing the 
peace deal with an outfit - and that too a banned one? Did the 
government not have any other solution to help stop the violent 
activities in Swat? The government must ensure a permanent solution 
to this problem because ad hoc decisions have only led to the 
present uncertainty where the government's writ is challenged 
repeatedly." 
 
"Sufi Muhammad Shows True Colors," an editorial in the Lahore-based 
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (04/21) 
 
"The text of the Nizam-e-Adl law was quite harmless. It thought that 
the provincial judiciary will get to appoint the qazis and will then 
exercise some supervisory role in the setting up of Darul Qaza 
appellate courts. Its claim that the law will fulfill the 
long-standing desire of the Swat people to reintroduce the sharia of 
the Wali of Swat will be falsified soon after the courts start 
handing down punishments that the Wali's judicial system never did. 
The Wali's system was cheap and quick but it was not based on sharia 
as there were no hudood punishments under it.  An Al Qaeda website 
in February this year lauded a Somali court run by an armed militia 
called Shabab for sentencing to death a 55-year-old politician for 
being guilty of 'showing sympathy for Christianity.'  After being 
riddled with bullets, his corpse was thrown into the infidels' 
cemetery. And Somalia today is counted as a 'failed state.'" 
"No Room," an editorial in the centrist national English daily "The 
News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . The state, in the form of its most powerful tools, has backed 
the Maulana, backed him to the point at which he was able to 
confidently turn the screw a little tighter and demand that all 
judges in Malakand be abolished giving April 23 as a deadline for 
the establishment of Darul Qaza. There is every likelihood that the 
government will comply, if not to the day then very close to it, 
with his deadlines. Power and initiative have shifted in the last 
fortnight, and the game has moved into a different phase. The 
fractures that run up and down formal politics make governance of 
national unity - briefly visited post election - impossibility. The 
much-discussed but never seen 'moderate majority' are looking 
increasingly like wishful thinking, a mirage." 
 
"Maulana Sufi Muhammad's Remarks And Reaction," an editorial in the 
center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (04/21) 
 
"Sufi Muhammad's desire for the implementation of Shariah may be 
justified but he should think a hundred times before calling ulema 
who disagree with his thought as traitors of Islam... At the same 
time, we request people reacting to Maulana Sufi Muhammad's 
statement to realize the gravity of the situation and keep in mind 
the mindset of people living through a tribal era." 
 
"Sufi Muhammad's Address; Implications And Writ Of The State," an 
editorial in the Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 5000) (04/21) 
 
"An important part of the Prophet's teachings is to spread the light 
of education.  Sufi Muhammad should look into those tribal areas 
where around 2000 schools have been destroyed, depriving thousands 
of girl and boy students of education.  Are such steps [as 
destroying schools] not a negation of the Prophet's teachings? The 
need is for the leader of the TNSM to focus on the Swat peace deal 
and try to bring peace in his limited area so that the U.S. and 
allies can be convinced of the efficacy of peace deals as they are 
terming such agreements as dangerous for Islamabad." 
 
"New Apprehensions Regarding Sufi Muhammad," an editorial in the 
independent Urdu daily "Din" (cir. 5000) (04/21) 
 
"Following the implementation of Nizam-i-Adl Regulation, Maulana 
Sufi Muhammad has adopted an incomprehensible stance as a show of 
power... His views are confirming all the apprehensions expressed by 
the civil society, NGOs, political parties and analysts - i.e., that 
he will expand his agenda rather than containing himself to the 
implementation of Nizam-i-Adl.  Soofi Muhammad's remarks objecting 
to turbans of other colors except black; calling democracy, the 
constitution and judiciary un-Islamic is tantamount to shaking the 
very foundations of Pakistani society.... It seems like testing 
times have arrived for our ulema, mashaikh, public representatives 
and intellectuals - in addition to protecting the country from India 
and the U.S., they now have to deal with elements raised for years 
as pressure groups." 
 
"Nizam-e-Adl Unconstitutional," an op-ed by Dr Khalil Ahmad in the 
centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . Until and unless the government sets upon this course of 
action and by taking people in confidence and announcing an all-out 
war against the terrorists, it has no moral justification to remain 
in power. If it keeps ceding this or that town or district to the 
perpetrators of terror under this or that pretext such as dialogue 
and peace, it is betraying the people who voted for it." 
 
"The Taliban Will Be Defeated," an op-ed by Mosharraf Zaidi in the 
centrist national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . The love affair of the Pakistani people with their country is 
a firewall that will hold. Violent extremists can flog the odd 
alleged straying couple, but they cannot flog 172 million people. 
They cannot win this war, and that is why they're so angry all the 
time." 
 
"What Breeds Extremism," an op-ed by Rasul Bakhsh Rais in the 
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 
10,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . Religion is embedded in our society, its culture and values 
system, and is equally a very strong force that shapes social 
institutions and the general attitudes of people. Religion is not at 
risk, and does not need to be rescued through the agency of the 
state; it is the liberties of the citizens and the idea of a free 
society that are at risk if the hegemonic view of religion replaces 
pluralism of faith." 
 
"Do We Know Our Identity?" an op-ed by Aqab Malik in the 
Karachi-based centre-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (04/21) 
 
"Pakistan is without a doubt a feudal society that has had a 
succession of sprouting buds, in the form of institution building, 
quashed in their embryonic stage as soon as the emancipation of the 
country's masses challenged the status quo.  However, this is not to 
imply that the Taliban are the solution. Far from it, the Taliban 
represent the most uncivilized form of governance that has emerged 
from the limited imaginations of the feudal and industrial elite. 
Their form of justice may well be quick but it is also brutal and 
not representative of the general Pakistani mindset. . ." 
 
"Pakistan's Current Crisis," an editorial in the second-largest, 
center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 125,000) 
(04/21) 
 
"To top it all, our civil and military rulers are relying on 
outsiders, especially the U.S, which has created anger and unrest in 
the nation - with the result that on the one hand we are facing a 
rebellion-like situation in NWFP and Balochistan and on the other 
hand, people are terming democracy and judiciary of Quaid and 
Iqbal's Pakistan as un-Islamic.  This has prompted CM Shahbaz Sharif 
to say that no one will be able to stop the Taliban from spreading 
their influence to other parts of the country if Pakistan does not 
make any progress towards good governance, the state of unrest 
persists and people are deprived of economic and social justice." 
 
"How Disappointing," an editorial in the center-right national 
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (04/21) 
 
". . . US participation in the conference and speaking out the truth 
without any fear of the Zionist entity (Israel) would have 
significantly improved its image in the Muslim world. Its contention 
that Israel should not be condemned in the conference, as it has 
done nothing wrong to the Palestinians, to all intents and purposes 
amounts to rubbing salt on the wounds of the Palestinian nation." 
 
Feierstein