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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 001660 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: JULY 21, 2009 
 
Summary:  Reports on the U.S.-India defense deal figured prominently 
in Pakistani newspapers on Tuesday.  All dailies reported that 
"India, U.S. agreed on nuke plant sites and sale of sophisticated 
U.S. arms to the South Asian nation."  Also highlighted were reports 
that "two major camps for IDPs in Mardan (NWFP) were closed after 
over 60,000 displaced families returned to Swat and Buner."  Pegged 
to it were reports that "17 militants were killed in fierce clashes 
with security forces in Swat."   Reports on the killing of "dozens 
of militants and three soldiers" in Lower Dir also received wide 
coverage.  The English daily, "Dawn," reported that Pakistan 
neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui who is currently standing trial in the 
U.S. "rejected Government of Pakistan's offer to hire a defense 
lawyer." 
 
Most major dailies ran critical editorials on the reported statement 
of Secretary Clinton that "Al Qaeda leaders who planned and carried 
out the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are hiding in Pakistan."  The 
English daily, "The Nation," noted that "Ms. Clinton must keep in 
mind that her government's hideous policy of appeasing India and 
blaming Pakistan would create difficulties for it in making a 
realistic assessment of the situation."  The second largest Urdu 
daily, "Nawa-i-Waqt" observed that "the Clinton stratagem that those 
responsible for 9/11 are present in Pakistan is an attempt to divert 
attention from U.S. failures in Afghanistan; it could also be part 
of a new U.S. strategy against Pakistan...."  Another Urdu daily, 
"Pakistan," wrote: "It needs to be observed whether Secretary 
Clinton made this statement to please the Indian government and 
authorities or whether this signals a future U.S. policy towards 
Pakistan?"  End Summary. 
 
----------------- 
News Stories 
----------------- 
 
"India, U.S. Agree On Nuke Plant Sites, Defence Pact" "The News" 
(07/21) 
 
"The United States and India said on Monday they had agreed on a 
defence pact that would be a major step towards allowing the sale of 
sophisticated U.S. arms to the South Asian nation.  U.S. Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton said Delhi had also approved two sites for 
U.S. companies to build nuclear power plants, offering American 
companies the first fruits of last year's landmark U.S.-India civil 
nuclear cooperation pact." 
 
"9/11 Ringleaders In Pakistan, Claims Clinton" "The News" (07/21) 
 
"U.S. officials 'firmly believe' that Al Qaeda leaders who planned 
and carried out the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are 
hiding in Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday." 
 
"Pakistan Has Will To Fight Terror: Clinton" "The News" (07/21) 
 
"The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday Pakistan 
has 'real will' to fight terrorism, and the U.S. will enlist help of 
everyone including India to fight this menace, said Hillary while 
addressing the professors and students of Delhi University in New 
Delhi on Monday." 
 
"Dialogue Only Way Forward For India, Pakistan: Hillary" "The 
Nation" (07/21) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked both India and 
Pakistan to hold talks, saying dialogue was the only way forward for 
both the countries, said Hillary while addressing the professors and 
students of Delhi University in New Delhi on Monday." 
 
"Two Camps For IDPs In Mardan Closed" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"The NWFP government announced on Monday that Sheikh Shehzad and 
Sheikh Yaseen, two major relief camps in Mardan were closed after 
over 60,000 displaced families had voluntarily returned to Swat and 
Buner, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said at a press 
conference after a meeting of the Provincial Cabinet." 
 
"Seventeen Militants Killed In Swat" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"At least 17 militants were killed in fierce clashes with security 
forces in Swat on Monday.  A soldier lost his life and two others 
suffered injuries, according to military sources.  Army Major Zahid 
lost his life during an exchange of fire." 
 
"'Dozens Of Militants' Killed In Lower Dir" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"Dozens of militants and three soldiers were killed in a clash in 
the Maidan area in Lower Dir on Monday.  Security forces fired 
artillery and used tanks in the attack on militants' positions in 
Shadaz, Safaray and Khanai areas, official sources said." 
 
"Aafia Rejects Government's Offer For Lawyer" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"The government of Pakistan on Monday renewed its offer to Aafia 
Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist who is U.S. prison in 
Brooklyn, to hire a defence lawyer for her, Pakistan Embassy 
officials in Washington said.  The offer was conveyed by Ambassador 
Husain Haqqani who telephoned her on Monday and urged her to 
'cooperate with the government's effort to seek her release.'" 
 
"Security Man, Volunteers Killed In Bannu, Mohmand Attacks" "Dawn" 
(07/21) 
 
"A security man was killed and three others, including the 
commanding officer of Frontier Constabulary, were injured when a 
remote controlled bomb hit their vehicle in Bannu while two 
volunteers of a tribal lashkar were shot dead by militants in 
Mohmand tribal region on Monday, sources said." 
 
"17 'Militants' Held In Darra Operation" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"Security forces claimed to have arrested 17 militants involved in 
attacking convoys from various parts of Darra Adamkhel on Monday. In 
another operation in Sheraki, situated close to Kohat tunnel, 14 
suspected militants were held and shifted to combined investigation 
cell in Kohat for interrogation." 
 
"Five Militants Held In Bajaur" "The News" (07/21) 
 
"The security forces pounded suspected hideouts of militants with 
artillery in Charmang area of Nawagai tehsil, besides arresting five 
insurgents during search operation in Khar subdivision in Bajaur 
Agency on Monday." 
 
"Four Police Personnel Killed In Peshawar" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"Armed men suspected to be militants of the Mangal Bagh group 
ambushed on the out-skirts of the city on Monday.  Four police 
personnel were killed in the attack." 
 
"Government Edges Towards Waziristan Offensive" "The Nation" 
(07/21) 
 
"More than a month has elapsed since Pakistan announced plans for an 
offensive on the Taliban stronghold in Waziristan, but security 
analysts doubt whether an all-out assault is as imminent as many 
people think.  Code-named Rah-e-Nejat, or 'Path to Salvation,' 
optimists hope the operation will demonstrate Pakistan's 
determination to push back the spread of militancy across the 
northwest and beyond by eliminating Pakistan's Public Enemy Number 
One: Baitullah Mehsud.  The head of the Pakistani Taliban and 
Al-Qaeda ally is holed up in his tribal lands in South Waziristan 
with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 fighters." 
 
"Holbrooke Due Today" "The Post" (07/21) 
 
"U.S. Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke 
is leaving Washington for Pakistan today, reports a private news 
channel.  According to the channel, the U.S. State Department told 
journalists that Richard Holbrooke is leaving from Adrew Airbase for 
Pakistan." 
 
"Drones Kill 10 Civilians For One Militant: U.S. Report" "Dawn" 
(07/21) 
 
"For every militant killed in drone attacks, at least 10 civilians 
also die, says a report released on Monday by the Brookings 
Institution.  The Washington-based U.S. think-tank acknowledges that 
it is difficult to confirm sourcing on civilian deaths in drone 
attacks, 'but more than 600 civilians are likely to have died from 
the attacks. That number suggests that for every militant killed, 10 
or so civilians also died." 
 
"No Let-Up In U.S. Drone Attacks On Pakistan" "The Nation" (07/21) 
 
"The expanding U.S. drone war against Al-Qaeda may be disrupting the 
terror network's operations but the lethal bombing raids carry risks 
for Washington and its ally Pakistan.  The head of the CIA has 
defended the attacks in Pakistan by unmanned aircraft as 'the only 
game in town' when it comes to targeting Al-Qaeda and its allies. 
U.S. officials credit the bombing raids with knocking off key 
figures in the terror network.  Yet an unknown number of civilians 
in have died in the bombing war, possibly as many as 700, according 
to the Pakistani Press.  The strikes are deeply unpopular in 
Pakistan, with skeptics warning the tactic could backfire by sowing 
public anger while failing to defeat resilient extremist networks. 
'The more there are unilateral targeted strikes in Pakistan, the 
higher political costs for the U.S., and for Pakistan for allowing 
them to happen,' Seth Jones, an analyst at the RAND Corporation, 
told AFP." 
 
"Pakistan Calls For EU Arms, Troop Training" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has called upon the European 
Union to render immediate assistance to Pakistan in capacity 
building for its law-enforcement agencies through imparting training 
and supply of much needed sophisticated weapon systems to enable 
Pakistan to eliminate militancy and terrorism from its soil, said a 
statement issued by the Prime Minister's office after his meeting 
with EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana." 
 
"Pakistan, France Plan Anti-Terror Task Force" "Dawn" (07/21) 
 
"Pakistan and France will set up a joint task force for sharing 
information about terrorists across the world.  An accord to this 
effect was signed by Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his French 
counterpart Brice Hortefeux in Paris, said a message on Monday. 
Praising Pakistan's efforts against terrorism, Mr. Hortefeux said 
France would provide technical assistance in countering terrorism." 
 
 
"Pakistan Navy Assumes Command Of CTF-150" "The News" (07/21) 
 
"Pakistan Navy on Monday took over the command of Combined Task 
Force (CTF) 150 from French Navy in Bahrain.  It is for the third 
time that Pakistan Navy has taken over the command." 
 
--------------------- 
Editorials/Op-eds 
--------------------- 
 
"The Same Old Blame Game," an editorial in the center-right national 
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (07/21) 
 
"Though she (U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) argued that 
Islamabad was genuinely committed to the effort, her comment that 
the fight against terrorism was not only the responsibility of 
India, the United States or Europe, indicates that despite its 
active involvement in the War on Terror, doubts persist about 
Pakistan's sincerity....  Ms. Clinton must keep in mind that her 
government's hideous policy of appeasing India and blaming Pakistan 
would create difficulties for it in making a realistic assessment of 
the situation." 
 
"Hillary Clinton's New Tactic: Merely Pleasing India, Or An 
Anti-Pakistan Strategy?," an editorial in the second-largest, 
center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) 
(07/21) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton claimed in India that those 
responsible for 9/11 are in Pakistan.  The Clinton stratagem that 
those responsible for 9/11 are present in Pakistan is an attempt to 
divert attention from U.S. failure in Afghanistan; it could also be 
part of a new U.S. strategy against Pakistan....  Hillary Clinton 
also talked about likes of Jaish-i-Muhammad, Jamaatud Dawa and Hafiz 
Saeed, who have nothing to do with 9/11 or Taliban.  Both the 
parties have been associated with jihad in Kashmir....  There is 
need for a befitting response to Clinton's unfounded accusation and 
it should come from the President, the Prime Minister or at least 
from the Foreign Minister.  A formal protest should be lodged with 
America by declaring Clinton's statement antagonistic." 
 
"American Secretary Of State's Careless Statement," an editorial in 
the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (07/21) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that those responsible 
for 9/11 are in FATA, Pakistan....  She also said that this is in 
Pakistan's interest to take action against Hafiz Saeed....  Hillary 
Clinton has expressed the American point of view in a way which 
could appease India.  Our foreign office has contradicted the 
accusation in a realistic manner. Clinton statement could best be 
described as a stratagem to buy time." 
 
"Accusations Leveled By U.S. Secretary Of State - A Matter Of 
Concern," an editorial in the leading mass circulation populist, 
often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (07/21) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has once again reiterated 
that the perpetrators of 9/11 incident are present in Pakistan.  The 
statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of State on the Indian soil 
is reflective of the established American hostility against 
Pakistan.  Secretary Clinton's statement also negates diplomatic 
norms.  Pakistan declared the war against terrorism as its topmost 
priority by putting aside all other issues confronting its public 
but responsible American segments are laying accusations at the 
doorsteps of its biggest ally which is a policy to destabilize the 
region.  Such type of allegations against Pakistan from the U.S. are 
not only unacceptable to the people of Pakistan but also to the 
international community as well.  If the perpetrators of 9/11 are 
present in Pakistan then adequate evidence should be provided so 
that there could be justification for action against these elements. 
 Such statements emanating from the Indian soil cannot be 
appreciated." 
 
"Highly Irresponsible Statement By U.S. Secretary Of State," an 
editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 
10,000) (07/21) 
 
"There is no denying the fact that Pakistan has apprehended several 
people who were considered by the Americans to be somehow involved 
in the 9/11 incident.  However, despite best efforts no intelligence 
agency of the world has been able to locate Usama Bin Laden and 
Aiman Al-Zawahiri.  Despite this the assertion by the most 
responsible American official that they are hiding in Pakistan 
points towards the fact that the U.S. is considering to launch its 
forces in Pakistan on the pretext of searching for these people. Is 
the U.S. administration still not satisfied with the operation by 
Pakistan military or just wanted to keep it moving in FATA by 
exerting continuous pressure." 
 
"Baseless American Allegations - what's The Intention," an editorial 
in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 
15,000) (07/21) 
 
"It seems that once again the United States wants to get some of its 
clandestine demands met by the Government of Pakistan which is why 
it has leveled allegations against Pakistan.  For the last many 
weeks, senior U.S. officials have been admitting time and time again 
that the Government of Pakistan is taking very effective action 
against the extremists for the last six months but this serious 
accusation from Secretary Clinton shows that the United States is 
once again about to repeat its 'do more' demand." 
 
Pakistan's Reaction To U.S. Secretary Of State's Remarks," an 
editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (07/21) 
 
"The allegation by the U.S. Secretary of State [on the presence of 
9/11 perpetrators in Pakistan] is nothing new, nor has this happened 
for the first time. Even in the past, some countries, especially the 
U.S., have tried to blame Pakistan for their failures in 
Afghanistan. However, it needs to be asked what the purpose and 
justification of this statement is, keeping in view  Pakistan's 
wholehearted operation against terrorism and its visible successes 
in that operation....  It needs to be observed whether Secretary 
Clinton made this statement to please the Indian government and 
authorities or whether this signals a future U.S. policy towards 
Pakistan?" 
 
"U.S. Secretary Of State's Remark Is Meaningful," an editorial in 
the Lahore-based populist center-right Urdu daily "Khabrain" (cir. 
50,000) (07/21) 
 
"Before giving this statement, Madam Clinton should have remembered 
that all facts are still clear in the public mind.  The whole world 
knows that the U.S. is the creator of terrorism as it is the U.S. 
that trained the Afghans in terrorism during the Soviet-Afghan war. 
Now that those same terrorists are haunting the U.S., it [the U.S.] 
has started blaming Pakistan...  Blaming Pakistan is very 
meaningful. We must enhance the security of our nuclear assets so as 
to protect them from the enemies.  At the same time, Secretary 
Clinton should ask India to stop sending miscreants to FATA and 
Balochistan.  If Madam Clinton cannot stop India from its activities 
[in Balochistan], nothing positive can be expected of her in the 
case of Taliban terrorists." 
 
"Give A Befitting Response To Hillary Clinton's Statement," an 
editorial in Lahore-based populist Urdu daily "Waqt" (cir. 10,000) 
(07/21) 
 
"The need is for the  Pakistan Foreign Ministry to give a befitting 
response to the U.S. Secretary of State's baseless remark so that no 
country in the future can ever make such a  statement again." 
 
"Hillary Clinton's Remarks In India," an editorial in the 
Lahore-based independent Urdu daily "Din" (cir. 10,000) (07/21) 
 
"The veracity of reports alleging the presence of Al Qaeda leaders 
in Pakistan becomes dubious when we keep in mind that the U.S. 
justification for attack on Iraq turned out to be false later on; 
also, despite spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan and using 
the latest weapons, the U.S. and its allies have failed. Given this 
background, what is the guarantee that the U.S. statement on the 
presence of Al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan is true?" 
 
"Preposterous Allegations Of Clinton," an editorial in the 
Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 
5,000) (07/21) 
 
"Americans are known for churning out statements and leaking out 
so-called information with a view to pressing Pakistan further into 
their service....  In an apparent bid to please her Indian hosts, 
she (Hillary Clinton) claimed that those involved in terrorist 
incidents of 9/11 in the United States and 26/11 in India were in 
Pakistan....  Pakistan is going out of the way in a bid to secure 
not only its own future but for peace in the region and the world 
but in return it is receiving this kind of treatment from the United 
States.  Clinton's statement is all the more reprehensible as it was 
made on the Indian soil which amounts to rubbing salt into wound." 
 
"More Talks About Talks?," an op-ed by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi in the 
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 
55,000) (07/21) 
 
"The Sharm el-Sheikh meeting between the Prime Ministers of Pakistan 
and India marked a new thaw in relations and promised an improvement 
in the political climate between the estranged neighbors....  Prime 
Ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani and Manmohan Singh concurred that 
dialogue was the only way forward....  The timing of the 
announcement at Sharm el-Sheikh, hours before the arrival in India 
of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also raised a set of 
other questions.  Is Delhi's renewal of the dialogue more an effort 
to respond to international urgings, in the light of Washington's 
sustained encouragement of talks, while continuing a strategy of 
what Indian commentators call 'flexible containment' of Pakistan? 
Is Delhi's stance on the dialogue tactical or strategic?  Can the 
dialogue transition into the composite process?  Will the diplomatic 
space that has opened up be used to enlarge the peace process?  Or 
will the talks regress under the pressure of domestic Indian 
politics and the terrorism issue?...  Looking forward, what will 
determine stable relations is whether a habit of dialogue to solve 
problems can be fostered.  If the diplomatic efforts ahead are to be 
a new beginning and not a false start, this habit has to be able to 
trump and transcend the mutual hostility and suspicion that are 
immediately revived by the eruption of any incident or problem." 
 
"The Three Communiqus," an op-ed by Mir Jamilur Rahman in the 
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 
55,000) (07/21) 
 
"The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan have agreed to resume the 
composite dialogue process and it should not be bracketed with 
action on terrorism.  Pakistan was jubilant at the prospects of 
resumption of the composite dialogue!  Diplomatic analysts opined 
that it has been a major policy gain for Pakistan.  It is a 
knee-jerk reaction. India has conceded nothing; not even the 
timeframe for the composite dialogue.  It could start tomorrow, next 
week, next month or next year.  It has been always India's ploy to 
break the talks on one pretext or the other and resume them with 
grand fanfare when it needed them." 
 
"Pakistan's India Policy Revisited," an op-ed by Javid Husain in the 
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(07/21) 
 
"The need of the hour for our policy makers is to clarify the 
assumptions on which our India policy is based, the goals that it 
aims at and the strategy through which it strives to realize them. 
In the absence of the required clarity, our India policy will remain 
mired in confusion and short-term maneuvers in response to 
day-to-day events, lacking sense of long-term direction and 
steadiness of purpose as is the case at present." 
 
"American Defense Secretary's Admission," an editorial in the 
second-largest, center-right nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" 
(cir. 150,000) (07/21) 
 
"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that American military and 
the nation are tired of Iraq war and that we cannot afford to fight 
a long war in Afghanistan....  When America understands the ground 
realities, also admitted by the Defense Secretary, then is not it 
better for America to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and 
return the peace to the region.  America should also stop drone 
attacks inside Pakistan, which are causing loss of innocent lives." 
 
"After U.S. Exit From Afghanistan," an editorial in the Lahore-based 
liberal English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (07/21) 
 
"Somewhere in Washington someone is planning how to get the U.S. 
forces out of Afghanistan in short order.  The NATO countries would 
want to get out now if given a choice.  Wars have hurt the U.S. in 
these past years because Washington fought them all wrong.  The Iraq 
war was not on at all.  And the internationally favored war in 
Afghanistan was badly and belatedly fought and allowed to go in 
favor of the Taliban....  Under no circumstances should Pakistan 
revert to the policy of 'strategic depth' dependent on the Taliban. 
In fact, it should overpower the Taliban on its soil to be secure 
against the next crisis caused by the Afghan meltdown after the 
American exit." 
 
"'Maulana Radio' On Air," an editorial in the center-right national 
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (07/21) 
 
"There have been rumors that Maulana Fazlullah has been heard 
delivering sermons spewing venom against the Army on FM radio in 
Swat....   A week ago, the military spokesman had informed the media 
that Maulana Fazlullah was critically hurt during a search 
operation....  Thus it appears as if the government is randomly 
disseminating information without bothering to check whether it is 
true or not.  This would have a very demoralizing effect on those 
who are helping the government in its fight against militancy." 
 
"Intercepting The Taliban," an op-ed by Rahimullah Yusufzai in the 
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 
55,000) (07/21) 
 
"Now that the militants are making selective and clever use of the 
modern means of communication, it will become increasingly difficult 
for the armies and their intelligence agencies in Pakistan, 
Afghanistan and other theaters of war to track them down. 
Intercepts too could become few and far between or there would be 
greater recourse to deception to mislead the enemy....  Modern 
technology and its clever use combined with human intelligence could 
achieve far better results than those presently being obtained 
through one source alone.  Then one will not have to wait for 
Baitullah Mehsud or the likes to come back on the line and start 
using satellite phone again to become traceable." 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson