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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 000847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: APRIL 22, 2009 
 
Summary:  Reports of the "fall of a strategically important district 
Buner to Swat Taliban" were highlighted in all newspapers on 
Wednesday.  In an exclusive story, the English daily, "The News," 
quoted the local people of the area as saying that they were 
"conquered and driven out of their homes and businesses by ruthless 
Afghan Tajiks, not Pakistani Taliban."  PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif's 
statement that the "militants are trying to export their harsh 
version of Sharia to other parts of the country" received front-page 
coverage.  The remarks by Interior Advisor Rehman Malik that "as 
many as 10,000 foreign militants were holed up in the tribal areas" 
were also highlighted.  Several major dailies ran local Taliban 
spokesman's statement that Taliban would "welcome militants bent on 
battling U.S. troops and their Arab allies if they want to settle 
there." 
 
Several newspapers ran editorials on the alarming situation in Swat 
and the controversial remarks of the TNSM chief Sufi Mohammad.  The 
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" observed that 
"striking 'deals' with an enemy that is simply buying time won't 
help either. Talibanisation is not just a threat, it is the reality 
today. Face it."  The center-right national English daily "The 
Nation" editorialized that "it is difficult to ignore whatever Sufi 
Mohammad pronounces, as he heads the TNSM and signed the peace deal 
on Tehrik-i-Taliban's behalf. His utterances on democracy and 
superior courts should ring bells everywhere."  The leading mass 
circulation Urdu daily "Jang," advised Sufi Mohammad and his aides 
to "refrain from issuing controversial statements." End Summary 
 
----------------- 
News Stories 
----------------- 
 
"Buner Falls To Swat Taliban" "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and 
started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district. The 
militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, 
were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five 
days. They have robbed government and NGO offices of vehicles, 
computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and 
nutrition packets." 
 
"Eye Witness Account Of Tajik Taking Over Buner" "The News" (04/22) 
 
"The frightened people of Buner which has now fallen into the hands 
of Taliban have given horrible account of their shocking ordeal as 
they were conquered and driven out of their homes and businesses by 
ruthless Afghan Tajiks, not Pakistani Taliban." 
 
"Nawaz Raises Alarm Over Taliban March" "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed concern over the 
so-called peace deal the PPP government has signed with Taliban 
militants in Swat and decried that they (the militants) are trying 
to export their harsh version of Sharia to other parts of the 
country.  In an interview with the USA Today, Mr Sharif observed: 
"They are now threatening to get out of Swat and take other areas 
into their custody. So we've got to avoid that situation." 
 
"10,000 Foreign Militants Holed Up In Tribal Area" "The Nation" 
(04/22) 
 
"Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Mailk Tuesday said 
that as many as 10,000 foreign militants holed up in tribal areas 
creating problems." 
 
"Swat Taliban To Welcome Osama In Swat: Muslim" "The News" (04/22) 
 
"The spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which controls 
the valley, told The Associated Press he would welcome militants 
bent on battling the US troops and their Arab allies if they want to 
settle there. 'Osama bin Laden can come here. Sure, like a brother 
they can stay anywhere they want,' TTP spokesman Muslim Khan said in 
a two-hour interview on Friday, his first with a foreign journalist 
since the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation was imposed." 
 
"Militants Resume Armed Patrolling" "The News" (04/22) 
 
"The situation in Swat has again become tense as the Taliban have 
resumed armed patrolling besides setting up checkposts and issuing 
warnings to security personnel to hold back." 
 
"Taliban Warn Lawyers Against Appearing In 'Un-Islamic' Courts" 
"Daily Times" (04/22) 
 
"The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned Shangla district 
lawyers on Tuesday of serious consequences if they continued to 
appear in un-Islamic courts (civil and district courts) from today 
(Wednesday).  'Lawyers are warned through this notice not to appear 
before civil and district courts,' a member of Shangla District Bar 
Association (SDBA) quoted the letter as saying." 
"Nizam-e-Adl Regulation Challenged In SC" "Daily Times" (04/22) 
 
"A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the 
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009. The petitioner said the Nizam-e-Adl 
trespassed the apex court's jurisdiction and was in violation of the 
fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution." 
 
"NWFP Warns Sufi Against 'Violations' Of Peace Deal" "Daily Times" 
(04/22) 
"The NWFP government warned Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi 
(TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad on Tuesday against continued 'violations' 
of the peace deal by Taliban in Swat, urging Sufi to play a 'key 
role' in saving the agreement from collapse. 'Whatever is happening 
(in Swat and Buner districts) is an open violation of the peace deal 
and enforcement of sharia,' NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar 
Hussain told Daily Times in an exclusive interview." 
"Malik Warns Of Strict Action If Peace Deal Fails" "Daily Times" 
(04/22) 
 
"Interior Adviser Rehman Malik on Tuesday warned of stern action if 
the TNSM violated the peace agreement it had made with the NWFP 
government. He said that the Nizam-e-Adl was invoked in 1994, under 
which a session judge was named Qazi. 'No one should create the 
ambiguity that any maulvi (cleric) will hold the charge of a judge,' 
he said." 
"US Does Not Want To See Osama In Swat: State Dept" "Daily Times" 
(04/22) 
"A spokesman for the U.S. government has said Osama Bin Laden and 
Mullah Omar should not be welcome in Swat. Asked to comment on a 
statement by the Taliban that the two were welcome there, the State 
Department spokesman said. This is not a place where they should be 
welcome. ... Violent extremists need to be confronted." 
"Qazi To Work Under The Wing Of PHC" "The News" (04/22) 
 
"The NWFP Advocate General, Ziaur Rahman Turangzai, on Tuesday 
emphatically stated that the Peshawar High Court (PHC) would have 
full administrative control over the Qazi courts envisaged in the 
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2009. 'The regulation makes no mention of 
the Taliban's role in the appointment of Qazis rather it is the sole 
prerogative of the high court to appoint a Qazi in the Malakand 
region,' he said." 
 
"Next US Envoy To India May Talk About Kashmir" "Daily Times" 
(04/22) 
 
"US President Barack Obama's ambassadorial pick for New Delhi, Tim 
Roemer, is likely to bring "the Kashmir baggage" with him, a Times 
of India report said on Tuesday." 
 
"Mullen Arrives Today To Discuss Security" "Daily Times" (04/22) 
 
"US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen will arrive 
here today (Wednesday) to discuss vital security issues with the 
Pakistani leadership. Sources said cooperation in the on-going war 
on terror, the Swat peace agreement, issues related to military aid 
to Pakistan, the situation in the Tribal Areas and matters related 
to intelligence-sharing would top the agenda of Mullen's meetings 
with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani and Pakistani 
intelligence officials." 
"UK Frees Nine Pakistanis" "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"British police on Tuesday released nine of the 11 mostly Pakistani 
men arrested earlier this month in a major anti-terror operation 
into the custody of immigration authorities, a spokeswoman said." 
 
"Kasab's Lawyer Seeks Time To Prepare Case" "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"The lawyer for the Pakistani on trial in India over last year's 
Mumbai attacks on Tuesday asked for the case to be adjourned for one 
month to allow him to construct a proper defense." 
 
"Hackers Break Into Pentagon Computers"  "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"Computer spies have broken into Pentagon's $300 billion Joint 
Strike Fighter project - the Defense Department's costliest weapons 
program ever, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing 
current and former government officials familiar with the attacks." 
 
"Kabul Makes Progress In Talks With Taliban" "Dawn" (04/22) 
 
"The Afghan government has asked its foreign allies to remove names 
of some militants from lists of wanted persons after making progress 
in talks with Taliban for ending the conflict in the country." 
 
--------------------- 
Editorials/Op-eds 
--------------------- 
 
"Sufi's World," an editorial in the Karachi-based center-left 
independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
". . . Striking 'deals' with an enemy that is simply buying time 
won't help either. Talibanisation is not just a threat, it is the 
reality today. Face it. Sufi Mohammad's organization, which is 
sympathetic to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, is interested less in 
matters of faith and more so in power in Pakistan. It is now clear 
that the Taliban will not stop until they have their way. And this 
is their prescription for Pakistan: a nation, armed with nuclear 
weapons, jerked back to a mediaeval age. A country where men without 
beards are flogged, and women killed if they choose to express 
themselves. That is where we are headed." 
"Nation's Worries," an editorial in the center-right national 
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (04/22) 
 
"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's remarks that US special envoy 
Richard Holbrooke did not need to worry about the Swat peace accord, 
and that this was our country, would be welcome as far as they 
convey the sense that Pakistan was a sovereign state with the right 
to take its own decisions whether any outside power liked it or not. 
But since Mr. Gilani also believed that the situation in the valley 
was returning to normal and that he was not concerned about Maulana 
Sufi Muhammad's statements, it is pertinent to record one's strong 
reservations. It is difficult to ignore whatever Sufi Muhammad 
pronounces, as he heads the TNSM and signed the peace deal on 
Tehrik-i-Taliban's behalf. His utterances on democracy and superior 
courts should ring alarm bells everywhere. . ." 
 
"Reflections On Swat 'Peace'," an op-ed by Ijaz Hussain in the 
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 
10,000) (04/22) 
 
"Prime Minister Gilani thinks that the Obama Administration is 
unnecessarily worried. In his opinion, it does not understand the 
ground realities which he claims to do. He is patently wrong and the 
Americans dead right . . . Incidentally, it is not just the 
Americans who are worried about the peace deal but lots of 
Pakistanis also because the Taliban, in violation of the peace deal, 
have refused to surrender their weapons and are reportedly inducting 
new recruits by forcing each family to spare one son for their 
terrorist militias. Their designs are undoubtedly dangerous. This 
represents a very scary scenario because not only would Swat become 
a base for their operations in Afghanistan but it would also be used 
as a launching pad for extending the Taliban's writ to other areas 
of the country." 
 
"Defense of Swat Peace Deal and Nizam-i-Adl," an editorial in the 
leading mass circulation centrist Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) 
(04/22) 
 
"United States and Britain have been urging Pakistan to use military 
force to beat militancy, but they themselves have neither succeeded 
in establishing peace in Afghanistan, nor able to overcome local 
resistance despite their limitless resources and military might. 
But they want to keep Pakistan Army engaged in tribal areas by 
opposing the dialogue and peace process.  A majority of Pakistani 
people has supported the Swat Peace deal, however, Sufi Mohammad and 
his aides must refrain from issuing controversial statements." 
 
"The Senate grows a spine, but. . .," an editorial in the centrist 
national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
 
". . . So, the Senate may have grown a spine and may have noticed 
that this is certainly not the kind of Sharia that the people of 
Pakistan would want to see imposed on them... They have voted for 
the PPP, the PML-N, the ANP, the MQM and the PML-Q, and of course 
the BNP and the JWP and they are looking to the leadership of these 
parties to provide them with a coherent strategy to deal with this 
very clear and present danger to the country and its people. . . For 
the prime minister to say that Richard Holbrooke should not be 
worried about what is happening in Pakistan or that he (the prime 
minister) does not consider the views of Sufi Mohammad on democracy 
and the judiciary worthy of comment is to miss the point entirely. 
Mr Gilani, it is not just Richard Holbrooke is who worried; most 
Pakistanis are greatly worried about this threat. You and your 
government had better do something to assure them that you and your 
government - and the military - are serious in combating it. 
Brushing the threat under the carpet and pretending that it doesn't 
exist, or that it exists in a magnitude which is far less than what 
public perception makes it out to be, will not help." 
 
"Why Shouldn't The World Be Worried," an editorial in the 
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 
10,000) (04/22) 
 
". . . There is no way Pakistan can prevent the world from worrying 
about what happens inside Pakistan; there is also no way the NWFP 
government can prevent the rest of Pakistan from worrying about the 
fallout from Malakand division ... One must also say here that the 
world must worry especially if our politicians continue to issue 
head-buried-in-sand statements like 'it is not our war.' Of course, 
if we disavow this war, then we can't logically disallow the world 
from fighting it. . . Leaving all polemic aside, what if Plan A in 
Swat is not going to work? Only a halfwit will bet that the Taliban 
will not use the new law in Swat to their advantage and the people 
of Swat will go into vassalage simply to be spared execution. Plan B 
is nothing but confronting the terrorists, not alone, but with the 
help of the world and the help of our own people and media." 
"Time Has Come To Act," an op-ed by Nasim Zehra in the centrist 
national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
 "...Pakistan's state, politics and society are in grave danger. The 
very basis of running this country, which is the Constitution of 
Pakistan, and the Supreme Court, have been trashed by the main 
interlocutors of the Adl Regulation. What should the government now 
do is the million-dollar question. Conceding power, legality, 
authority and even territory to these groups means more of this must 
follow in other areas of Pakistan. Can we allow it? How does the 
state, the government and the parliament retrieve a terrible 
situation which threatens to destroy the very frame within which 
this country exists? A comprehensive national strategy to deal with 
the threat of the militias is urgently needed. Without it the 
unravelling of the structures of state will ensue rapidly." 
"Ignorance And Intolerance Confusing The Issues," an op-ed by 
Shireen M. Mazari in the centrist national English daily "The News" 
(cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
". . . Unfortunately, the manner in which the state dithered over 
the regulation provided time for the TTP to gather strength and fill 
a political and legal void that prevailed in Swat in the interim 
period; and the provincial government's delay in implementing the 
regulation after its signing seemed to show a lack of political 
determination to be assertive once again. The "devil" so to speak 
lies in the perceived lack of a will on the part of the government, 
not the regulation itself. So it is ignorance on the part of the 
critics to decry the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation as it confuses different 
issues and only serves the cause not only of the Taliban but also of 
the other major threat confronting us - that is, the US, whose 
policies have now become part of our terrorism problem, rather than 
its solution. . . There are many fronts on which the state has to 
act and with determination but it can only do so with the support of 
its people - not merely US dollars. In fact the latter are a 
hindrance as they distort national agendas and priorities." 
 
"Taliban To The Rescue," an op-ed by Dr Manzur Ejaz in the 
Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 
10,000) (04/22) 
 
". . . The foreign powers obsessed with extremism and jihadi 
violence in Pakistan have little insight into Pakistan's real 
issues. They can throw a few billion dollars to prop up the state 
but money will only go so far: Pakistan will remain mired in 
lawlessness unless structural reforms are undertaken.  Pakistan 
needs thorough land reforms and a more equitable system where the 
poor can also have dreams. If these measures are not taken the 
Taliban and the likes of them will always have a huge opening for 
their retrogressive agendas.  If Taliban are the only force that can 
eliminate the traditional oppressive elite, then people will swallow 
their strict edicts to gain economic freedom. Most likely, 
Pakistan's ruling elite will not undertake system reforms even if 
the country is broken into fiefdoms!" 
 
"The Joke That Is 'Do More,'" an op-ed by Mazhar Qayyum Khan in the 
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(04/22) 
 
". . . The Pakistan government finds itself in a vice-like grip, 
being squeezed by the US to "do more" from one side and the growing 
phenomenon of militancy from the other. One should expect the US to 
show patience and understanding of Pakistan's problems and give it 
solid support to fight off the pressure from the militants. . ." 
 
"The Crisis Of Credibility US Faces" an op-ed by Dr. S.M. Rahman in 
the center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(04/22) 
 
". . . In fact, the manufactured phobia made US citizens awfully 
paranoid and panicky, Obama should have made a clean start. But 
unfortunately the way he addressed Pakistanis, it was a shocking 
replay of Bush like statements. "Do more or else." The paltry aid 
will not be a free lunch and that USA would not give a "blank 
cheque," was shockingly disgraceful.  Pakistan, had believed that it 
was the corner stone of US policy. Far from it. We are victims of US 
aggression through drones, supplemented with MOSSAD and RAW secret 
services. 
 
"Torture Tactics," an editorial note in the centrist national 
English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
 
"... The Obama administration has acted wisely; the real question 
though will be whether it can create the goodwill necessary to alter 
the kind of world we live in and build within it the mutual trust 
and respect that is so badly needed. The closure of the Guantanamo 
Bay jail and the ban on torture techniques in use by the CIA marks a 
step in this direction. It is to be seen now if this foundation can 
be extended to create a genuinely better world by taking under 
policy measures which can help eradicate the injustice that is an 
underlying cause of the terrorism that has today created dangers 
that lurk in so many parts of the globe." 
 
"Obama's View On N-Weapons," an op-ed by Haider Nizamani in the 
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (04/22) 
 
"... For South Asia, Obama's policy of taking the CTBT back to the 
Senate for ratification will be of significance.  The Clinton 
administration was not happy with India's decision to remain out of 
the CTBT. The Senate's refusal to ratify the treaty took the sting 
out of Clinton's position. Pakistan readily used India's staying out 
as its grounds for not signing the CTBT. If Obama can secure US 
ratification of the CTBT he can become its crusader in South Asia. 
So far, Washington's practice has run counter to its preaching when 
it has come to the nuclear issue. Obama's Prague pronouncement can 
be read as an oral correction of the US nuclear policy. Instead of 
dismissing it as rhetoric, as sceptics are prone to doing, one can 
see good grounds for supporting a shift in policy and the aim to rid 
the world of nuclear weapons." 
 
Feierstein