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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000948 
 
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 REPORT: INDIAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF U.S.- 
AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN TRILATERAL CONSULTATIONS MAY 6-7 
 
SUMMARY: The U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral 
consultations in Washington May 6-7, featuring Presidents 
Obama, Karzai and Zardari, generated widespread coverage and 
media commentary in India. 
 
Afghanistan President Karzai called for the U.S. military to 
stop the air attacks. Post-summit, Pakistani President 
Zardari said Islamabad has shifted an unspecified number of 
troops from its border with India to fight the Taliban, and 
said India is not a threat to Pakistan. There was near 
consensus in editorials that Zardari's remarks were an 
acknowledgement of President Obama's message that Pakistan's 
real threat was not from India, but from the Taliban. At the 
same time, Zardari's comments were seen as a bid to ward off 
U.S. pressure and ensure American aid. 
 
THE TIMES OF INDIA said if there is one message that emerged 
from the summit, "it is that Washington intends to reverse 
years of benign indifference to Islamabad's equivocation on 
its role in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda." THE 
HINDU said there was no doubt that Pakistan has been goaded 
by the U.S., but the real eye-opener for Pakistan was the 
Taliban's aggressive advance. THE HINDUSTAN TIMES and THE 
ASIAN AGE opined that unless Islamabad can be persuaded to 
cease supporting the Afghan Taliban, the U.S. war in 
Afghanistan could be a never-ending struggle.  THE INDIAN 
EXPRESS editorialized that Zardari's comments on India may be 
in earnest, but "they have no impact on Pakistan's national 
security policy, hijacked long ago by the army."  All in all, 
Washington is seen as sending a "clear and consistent" 
message that the Taliban, and not India, is Pakistan's enemy. 
End summary. 
 
-- INDIA WELCOMES PAKISTANI PRESIDENT'S REMARK ON INDIA- 
PAKISTAN RELATIONS 
 
¶1. The Xinhua news agency reported that India Sunday welcomed 
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's remarks that India is 
not a threat to Islamabad, saying it is a positive step 
towards a peace process between the two neighbors. "It is a 
positive step. It looks to be a positive step towards the 
peace process. Pakistan should now concentrate only on 
Taliban militants who are a threat to world security," an 
Indian foreign ministry official said on condition of 
anonymity. 
 
¶2. For the first time, a top Pakistani leader has said that 
India is not a threat to Pakistan, and that terrorists inside 
the country are the worst threat to Pakistan. "Well, I am 
already on record. I have never considered India a threat," 
the Pakistani president reportedly told an interviewer on the 
PBS news channel's popular "News hour With Jim Lehrer" in 
Washington Saturday. 
 
¶3. "I have always considered India a neighbor, which we want 
to improve our relationship with. We have had some cold times 
and we have had some hard times with them. We have gone to 
war thrice, but democracies are always trying to improve 
relationships," he said. 
 
"THE RIGHT MESSAGE" - THE TIMES OF INDIA 
 
NEW DELHI 00000948  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶3. The trilateral consultations and President Zardari's 
subsequent statements in Washington generated editorial 
comment in several important dailies. Following are excerpts 
from an editorial in the May 9 centrist, independent THE 
TIMES OF INDIA English daily: (BEGIN EXCERPTS) "In 
Washington, Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari has faced a 
different kind of heat. If there is one message that has 
emerged with stark clarity from the tri-party talks...it is 
that Washington intends to reverse years of benign 
indifference to Islamabad's equivocation on its role in the 
fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.... There are clear 
signs that the Obama administration does not mean to ease up. 
 
¶4. The most revealing of these are the controls placed on aid 
to Pakistan, routing it through a system of accountability 
that will make it difficult for Islamabad to misuse it.... 
Washington's message has been clear and consistent; it is the 
Taliban, not India, which is the enemy.... It is as much in New 
Delhi's interests as in Washington's to ensure that the 
Pakistani state remains a viable proposition." (END EXCERPTS) 
 
"TALKING TO PAKISTAN, ASAP" - THE HINDU 
 
¶5. Excerpt from an editorial in May 9 South India based, 
leftist influenced THE HINDU English daily: (BEGIN EXCERPT): 
"For the first time the Pakistani Army appears to be 
conceding that India does not pose as much a threat to 
national security as the militant groups it nurtured to fight 
proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir. True, it has been 
goaded into this by the United States. But the Taliban's 
aggressive advance into the North-West Frontier Province was 
an eye-opener for the Pakistani people; domestic public alarm 
played an important role in the decision by the government 
and army to go for all-out action against the Taliban. 
 
¶6. India's national security establishment continues to 
nurture some nostalgia for the Pervez Musharraf years. The 
former military ruler is still regarded in some Indian 
circles as the Pakistani leader with whom New Delhi was able 
to deal best. No doubt, big leaps were made in relations 
between the two countries during his time, but as President 
Zardari has correctly pointed out, no democratic government 
in Pakistan has ever gone to war with India. The ruling 
Pakistan People's Party has a relatively progressive vision 
for relations with India, and New Delhi must get down to work 
on this after the elections." (END EXCERPT) 
 
"HEAR THE SOUND EFFECTS OF THE AF-PAK DRAMA" - HINDUSTAN 
TIMES 
 
¶7. Excerpt from an editorial in May 9 nationally circulating 
centrist THE HINDUSTAN TIMES English daily: (BEGIN EXCERPT) 
Barack Obama may be the latest US President to host the 
rulers of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the ghost at the 
banquet is surely India. The reason is simple: Pakistan is 
unwilling to cease supporting the Afghan Taliban, so long as 
it believes any other regime in Kabul will be too friendly to 
India. And unless Islamabad can be persuaded otherwise, the 
US war in Afghanistan could be a never-ending struggle. 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00000948  003 OF 004 
 
 
¶8. At the present time, however, the Af-Pak drama is 
unfolding in a manner favorable to New Delhi. The most 
important development is that Pakistan is showing signs of 
recognizing that its own creation, the Taliban, and not India 
is its true threat. A meatier sign is the Pakistani 
military's belated offensive in Swat valley and the 
government's declaration that it is no longer in the 
ceasefire business. But India needs to remain guarded in its 
response. Pakistan showed reluctance to take on the Taliban 
until prodded by the US. The Taliban continue to command much 
support and admiration within the Pakistani military. It will 
take many more offensives, before it can be said the generals 
in Rawalpindi have turned a corner. 
 
¶9. As the U.S. tightens the thumbscrews on Pakistan, 
Washington will be tempted to extract a squawk or two out of 
India just to keep Islamabad happy. The odd line about 
Kashmir or troop withdrawals can be ignored. What the US will 
need to understand is that, first, it is unclear who in 
Islamabad will be a credible interlocutor for India. Second, 
in the present circumstance, overt US pressure will undermine 
the legitimacy of any Pakistani negotiator even more than it 
will an Indian one. (END EXCERPT) 
 
"AFPAK: CAN U.S. SHIFT MINDSETS?" - ASIAN AGE 
 
¶10. Excerpts from an editorial in May 9 nationally 
circulating, centrist THE ASIAN AGE English daily: (BEGIN 
EXCERPTS) Earnestness was at a premium in US President Barack 
Obama's trilateral meeting in Washington earlier this 
week...but it is doubtful if this automatically translates to 
hope. This is chiefly on account of the record. The President 
of the United States has now twice held trilateral meetings 
with the Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan in a bid to 
solve the problem of extremism and to deal a body blow to Al 
Qaeda and its local associates, especially the Taliban.... 
 
¶11. We should, then, keep in mind that one of the most 
difficult security issues of our times is being sought to be 
addressed by leaders who may not be on the best wavelength 
with one another, although they are mindful of the nature and 
the magnitude of the problem they face. This was evident at 
this week's trilateral. 
 
¶12. America has now offered Afghanistan and Pakistan military 
and civilian aid with a view to boosting both counter- 
terrorism and counter-insurgency efforts. The first aims at 
military operations against militants and their bases and 
networks. The second hopes to wean the civilian population 
away from extremism and militancy by offering social and 
economic opportunities. This, in fact, is the way to go. The 
problem is that Pakistan will collect U.S. aid and may even 
fight the insurgents for a time, given how difficult the 
problem has grown in large swathes of the country. 
 
¶13. However, history shows that the Pakistan Army has no 
issue with the extremists attacking Afghanistan from launch 
pads inside Pakistan. This in fact is the fundamental cause 
of discord between Kabul and Islamabad. The U.S. knows this 
too. The success of its policy and of three-way summits will 
critically depend on whether Washington can get Islamabad to 
 
NEW DELHI 00000948  004 OF 004 
 
 
reverse this trend. (END EXCERPTS) 
 
"A NEW ROAD?" - INDIAN EXPRESS 
 
¶14. Excerpts from an editorial in May 9 nationally 
circulating centrist English daily INDIAN EXPRESS: (BEGIN 
EXCERPTS): "In asserting that he never considered India a 
threat, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari may be entirely 
truthful. The problem, however, is not with Zardari. His 
convictions, right or wrong, have no impact on Pakistan's 
national security policy, hijacked long ago by the army. 
Whether it is formally in charge of Pakistan's government or 
not, the army has always had the last word on Islamabad's 
relations with New Delhi and Kabul, owned the nation's 
nuclear arsenal, and controlled its intelligence agencies. 
 
¶15. In demanding that Zardari recognize that the existential 
threat to Pakistan does not come from India but the Taliban, 
the US Congress and the media were preaching to the 
converted. Zardari, whose wife and former Prime Minister 
Benazir Bhutto was killed by extremists last year, did not 
need Americans to remind him of where the mortal threat to 
Pakistan comes from.... Pakistan's entrenched reluctance to 
reconciliation with India and enduring support to the 
militant groups come from the same source - the army.... 
 
¶16. New Delhi must consider the possibility that Pakistan may 
be on a road it has not traveled before. The next government 
in New Delhi, then, must be fully prepared to respond quickly 
and creatively to the new conditions next door. To prevent 
the Pakistan army from wriggling out of the war it does not 
want to wage, New Delhi must not only engage the Obama 
administration but also sustain substantive contacts with 
both Zardari and Sharif." 
BURLEIGH