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SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 03, 2009 
 
Summary:  Reports and photographs of President Obama's announcement 
of new Afghan strategy dominated all front pages on Thursday.  His 
vow to seize the initiative to end the war and start a pullout in 
July 2011 received extensive coverage.  Most major Urdu newspapers 
highlighted his remarks that the U.S. will go after Al Qaeda 
everywhere (implying Pakistan).  Ambassador Patterson and DCM 
Feierstein's media roundtable with senior editors and marathon 
end-to-end interviews with six mainstream TV networks to elucidate 
salient features of the new Afghan strategy also garnered extensive 
media attention.  Ambassador Patterson's statement that "Pakistan 
was taken on board over Afghan strategy" received prominent display. 
 Pakistan Foreign Office's comments urging U.S. to ensure that 
"there is no adverse fallout on Pakistan" also received prominent 
display.  Some dailies reported a statement by Afghan Taliban 
maintaining that "more U.S. troops will strengthen their resolve." 
Commenting on the President Obama's speech, "Dawn," described it 
"Janus-like and potentially creating more uncertainty in an already 
difficult region."  End Summary. 
 
TOP STORIES 
 
News Story: Obama Links Afghan Success To Pakistan; Obama Targets 
Pakistan But Confuses The World "The News" (12/03) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday night sent focused messages 
to Islamabad as he announced the expected surge of 30,000 U.S. 
troops into Afghanistan but also set a deadline of July 2011 for 
beginning a pullout, leaving Americans and the world more confused 
than ever before about U.S. Af-Pak policy and goals. Caught between 
a divided Democratic Party not ready to support more troops and a 
Republican majority not ready for a pullout strategy, Obama in his 
West Point, New York, speech tried to please everyone but sent clear 
messages for Pakistan and Afghanistan that the days of "blank 
cheques" were over and U.S. would multiply its covert presence and 
operations inside Pakistan, despite the Pakistani backlash and 
resentment. 
 
News Story: Obama Gets Strong Support For New Afghan Strategy "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"US President Barack Obama on Wednesday received strong support for 
his Afghan war strategy from both friends and foes although some 
refused to back the decision to set a timeframe for withdrawing 
troops from Afghanistan." (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Pakistan Taken On Board Over Afghan Strategy: Patterson 
"Daily Times," "The News" (12/03) 
 
"The U.S. believes that its decision to send an additional 30,000 
troops to Afghanistan would not create any problem for Pakistan and 
its armed forces fighting terrorists in the Tribal Areas, as 
Washington does not anticipate that Taliban may flee from 
Afghanistan and enter into Pakistan, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan 
Anne Patterson has said. 'We don't see any spillover effect of 
sending more troops to Afghanistan,' Patterson told a small group of 
editors over breakfast on Wednesday after President Barack Obama 
announced his Afghan policy." 
 
News Story: Some leadership of al-Qaeda is hiding in Pakistan, wants 
access to nuclear assets to make dirty bomb: American Ambassador 
"Pakistan" (12/03) 
 
"American Ambassador Anne W. Patterson has said that our 
intelligence sources tell that a sizeable chunk of al-Qaeda 
leadership, not all of it, are hiding in Pakistan and wants to have 
access to nuclear assets to make dirty bomb....  Although America 
believes that Pakistan's nuclear assets are in safe hands, but 
existence of al-Qaeda and its leadership in a nuclear capable 
country is a matter of concern....  She said that elimination of 
al-Qaeda from Pakistan is in its interest so that the possibility of 
their access to its nuclear assets ends.  That is why President 
Obama talked of Pakistan nuclear capability.  She made it clear that 
Pakistan's command and control is its own business.  Pakistan has 
taken all the steps to secure these nuclear assets, but there is no 
foolproof system around the world including America....  Avoiding 
terming President Obama's address as exit strategy, she said that 
the President did not give a clear timetable for the troops' 
withdrawal; he rather talked of a transitional period that starts 
after 18 months....  " 
 
News Story: Intelligence Report On Al-Qaeda's Presence In Pakistan 
exists: American Ambassador "Nawa-i-Waqt" (12/03) 
 
"U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson has said that we have 
intelligence report that shows al-Qaeda's top ranking leadership's 
presence in Pakistan.  She said that a group of al-Qaeda is seeking 
access to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and they can lay 
their hands on Pakistan's nuclear assets, but America is sure of the 
security of Pakistan's nuclear program.  When her attention was 
drawn to the complaints of the President, the Prime Minister and the 
Foreign Minister that Pakistan was not fully taken into confidence 
on the new Afghan policy, she said no one was taken into confidence 
like Pakistan's civil and military leaderships....  She dismissed 
the possibility of the Taliban's hot pursuit in Pakistani areas. 
When asked about Pakistan's concern over the bigger role America 
wants to give to India in Afghanistan, she said we are aware of 
Pakistan's concern, but our effort are aimed at resolving the 
disputes between the two countries through dialogue." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Wary Of New U.S. Policy's Fallout  "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"Pakistan said on Wednesday it would closely engage with the United 
States to ensure that there was no adverse fallout on Pakistan of 
its new Afghan strategy. 'There is certainly a need for clarity and 
coordination on all aspects of the implementation of this strategy,' 
the Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday." 
(Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Pakistan Must 'Do More' Against All Militants: Hillary 
"Dawn" (12/03) 
 
"Washington will press Islamabad to 'do more' against all the 
militant groups threatening Pakistan, its neighbors and the United 
States, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday. 
Testifying about President Barack Obama's new strategy for the 
region, Mrs. Clinton told lawmakers that the Pakistanis had shown 
over the last year their 'willingness to take on the Pakistani 
Talibans which directly threaten them.'" (Story also covered in all 
newspapers) 
 
News Story: U.S. Wants Democracy To Flourish In Pakistan "Daily 
Times" (12/03) 
 
"The United States wants to see democracy flourish in Pakistan, U.S. 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday. 'It is 
democracy that strengthens the institutions and to my reckoning, 
Pakistan is quite resolved for the democracy. However, the country 
itself will have to tackle its internal issues,' APP quoted Clinton 
as saying." 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: Support To Continue After Guns Fall Silent, Says Obama 
"Dawn" (12/03) 
 
"The Pakistani people must know: America will remain a strong 
supporter of Pakistan's security and prosperity long after the guns 
have fallen silent, so that the great potential of its people can be 
unleashed," declared U.S. President Barack Obama in a policy speech 
on Tuesday night."  (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Defeating Taliban Key To Beating Qaeda: Gates "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"Defeating Al Qaeda requires turning the tide against insurgents in 
Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday, 
arguing for a surge of US forces to take on the Taliban. 'Rolling 
back the Taliban is now necessary, even if not sufficient, to the 
ultimate defeat of Al Qaeda,' Gates told a Senate hearing a day 
after President Barack Obama unveiled plans to send 30,000 
additional troops to Afghanistan." 
 
News Story: Fresh Troops To Reach Afghanistan In Weeks: Gates "The 
News" (12/03) 
 
"The first new U.S. troops should reach Afghanistan in two to three 
weeks, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Washington on 
Wednesday as a leading senator questioned President Barack Obama's 
plan for a speedy but limited surge to turn the tide against the 
Taliban." 
News Story: Offer Taliban A Chance To End Fight: McChrystal "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"The Afghan government and its international partners should use the 
coming 18 months to convince the Taliban they cannot win and offer 
the group a way to quit the insurgency 'with dignity,' the top U.S. 
commander in Afghanistan - Gen. Stanley McChrystal - said on 
Wednesday." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Braces For Post-U.S. Policy Situation "The 
News" (12/03) 
 
"The government is evolving a strategy on emergency basis to deal 
with the situation in the wake of the Afghanistan policy announced 
by U.S. President Barrack Obama. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza 
Gilani has spoken to Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez 
Kayani immediately after receiving a call from the U.S. National 
Security Advisor General James Johns and had lengthy consultations 
with him on the related developments." 
 
News Story: More Troops Not To Save U.S. From 'Historic' Defeat: 
Haqqani "The News" (12/03) 
 
"Reacting to the announcement by the US to send additional 30,000 
troops to the war-ravaged Afghanistan, top Afghan Taliban commander 
Sirajuddin Haqqani said Wednesday that numerical strength would not 
save Americans from "historic" defeat in Afghanistan." 
 
News Story: Taliban Vow To Step Up Resistance In Afghanistan "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"The Taliban vowed on Wednesday to step up resistance and fight 
against the extra 30,000 American troops U.S. President Barack Obama 
has ordered to Afghanistan, a spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told from an 
unknown location." 
 
News Story: Obama Sincere In Forging Partnership With Pakistan: 
Analysts "Daily Times" (12/03) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama made headway on Tuesday in forging a 
strategic partnership with Pakistan as a key to achieving success in 
Afghanistan, but it will take time to dispel mistrust, analysts 
said." 
 
News Story: New U.S. Policy To Put Pressure On Pakistan: Gul "The 
Nation" (12/03) 
 
"United States new Afghan policy has been framed to put more 
pressure on Pakistan as the U.S. wants to achieve some goals through 
its new policy that are more related to Pakistan than Afghanistan, 
observed Lt. Gen. (Retd) Hameed Gul.  Lt. Gen. (Retd) Hameed Gul, 
former Director General, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was 
talking to 'The Nation' on Wednesday." 
 
News Story: Forces Strengthen Positions In SWA "The Nation" (12/03) 
 
 
"Security forces have cleared compounds at Ziarat and Dunai Killi 
and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition in Jandola sector in 
the ongoing military operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan 
Agency, says an ISPR press release issued in Islamabad on 
Wednesday." 
 
News Story: Attack On Naval HQ Foiled; Two Killed "Dawn" (12/03) 
 
"Two naval personnel were killed and 10 other people injured in an 
abortive suicide attack on the Pakistan Naval Complex on Wednesday 
afternoon. The teenaged suicide bomber blew himself up when he was 
intercepted by a naval intelligence official, an official said." 
(Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: 21 Militants Killed "Dawn" (12/03) 
 
"At least 21 militants were killed as troops continued operations in 
Malakand, Hangu and Bajaur on Wednesday. According to the ISPR, six 
militants were arrested in Peer Pati and Qambar." 
 
News Story: JI Calls For Talks With Militants "Dawn" (12/03) 
 
"Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Chief Syed Munawwar Hassan has urged the 
government to hold dialogue with religious organizations and the 
militants, and said that without talks, terrorism and extremism 
could not be eliminated." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Moves To Drone Independence "The News" (12/03) 
 
 
"State-owned defense enterprise Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) 
in Kamra, east of Islamabad, is engaged in manufacturing Falco 
pilotless planes in collaboration with Selex Galileo of Italy, 
according to a report of Asia Times Online. The growth of Pakistan's 
indigenous UAV industry is of great importance for the country's 
defense, as the nation is on the front line of the 'war on terror.'" 
 
 
Editorial: A Workable Strategy?, an editorial in the Karachi-based 
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) 
(12/03) 
 
"Janus-like and potentially creating more uncertainty in an already 
difficult region is how we would describe U.S. President Obama's 
speech on his new strategy for Afghanistan. The face turned towards 
the militants and the Afghan government tried to send a stern 
message.... On the Pakistan front, though, Mr. Obama sent a more 
encouraging signal. Appreciating the Pakistani public's opposition 
to militancy and the security forces' operations in Swat and South 
Waziristan, the U.S. President pledged: 'America will remain a 
strong supporter of Pakistan's security and prosperity long after 
the guns have fallen silent.' A welcome change from the 'do more' 
line, Mr. Obama's words on Pakistan suggested an understanding of 
common interests rather than a focus on the differences." 
 
Editorial: Obama's Realism, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/03) 
 
"President Obama's much awaited policy on Afghanistan really turned 
out to be a whimper of a statement rather than a new policy 
commencing with a bang. This is appropriate because Obama seems to 
have opted to go with the old Bush policy while giving it a more 
realistic hue. Instead of a grandiose expectation of military 
victory and a new Afghan nation state construct, the U.S. is now 
clearly seeking a respectable exit within eighteen months. Clearly 
this involves pressuring all sides to come to the discussion table 
so that a situation can be created which allows this face-saving 
exit to the U.S.... Ironically, Obama has admitted that without 
Pakistan the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan is a non-starter. The 
despair in the U.S. regarding the Afghan war has been reflected in 
the Obama statement. It is time for Pakistan to renegotiate its 
cooperation and demand better terms for continuing as a front-line 
state for the U.S.... What we do not need is for our Foreign 
Minister to insist the U.S. stay five years more in Afghanistan! 
There has to be a limit on servility to a foreign power." 
 
Editorial: Missing Bricks, an editorial in the populist, often 
sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/03) 
 
 
"After weeks of waiting we finally have The Speech which may 
ultimately define the presidency and legacy of Mr. Barack Obama. The 
president made his pitch before an audience of cadets at West Point, 
America's premier military academy, and it was something less than a 
vintage performance.... America is set to begin its withdrawal from 
Afghanistan by 2011 - but there is no date for final disengagement, 
no commitment in what timeframe the troops will go. All will depend 
on the ground situation. This by implication means nothing, as a 
pullout has just been mentioned but is not actually intended.... 
Mostly, the speech was about the bricks and mortar of warfare. What 
was missing was a description of the bricks and mortar that would go 
into nation-building and here lies the weakness at the heart of the 
Obama strategy.... It is but certain that Washington and Obama will 
have to revisit this strategy a few months down the line. And when 
that happens the costs, both political and financial, may be way 
higher than Obama's liking." 
 
Editorial: Cut And Run, an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal 
English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (12/03) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama's much-awaited announcement of his new 
Afghan strategy has evoked alarm and disappointment in equal 
measure. Obama has committed to sending 30,000 additional U.S. 
troops, but also announced a withdrawal date starting from July 
¶2011. The thrust of his message is that the U.S. cannot fight an 
unending war in Afghanistan and therefore must seek an honorable 
exit. How honorable it may turn out to be, given the ground 
realities, is a moot point. As though the U.S. president's 'cut and 
run' strategy is not alarming enough, his NATO allies are even less 
willing to come forward with additional troops, some even a 
continuing presence. The West as a whole then, led by the U.S., 
seems inclined once again to turn its face away from benighted 
Afghanistan.... The U.S. and the West have proved fickle allies. 
Their public at home has no stomach for foreign wars, especially 
after the shenanigans of Bush and Blair. Imperialism is pass. 
Afghanistan is about to be left to its own devices once again. The 
world may, however, once again live to regret it." 
 
Editorial: Obama's Afghan policy, an editorial in the Lahore-based 
liberal English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (12/03) 
 
"Obama's new policy would have serious repercussions for Pakistan. 
Although, on Monday, he consulted Presidents Zardari and Hamid 
Karzai while finalizing his strategy for dealing with the situation 
in Afghanistan, Mr. Obama must not draw and deliver any plan which 
ignores its impact on Pakistan - the actual stakeholder in the war 
on terror.... Whether Mr. Obama's new policy on Afghanistan would 
yield the desired results or not, he must not ignore the fact that 
the public opinion of the war in many of its allies is even more 
negative than it is in his own country.... President Obama is 
optimistic about gaining the support of his allies in war on terror 
for his new Afghan policy but so far the latter have not yet 
promised him any surge in their troops since his address.... Only 
time will tell how successful Obama's new strategy will be in 
solving the Afghan tangle." 
 
Editorial: Obama's new Afghan policy and our rulers behavior, an 
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily 
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/03) 
 
"Addressing a military command meeting in Washington, U.S. President 
Barack Obama reiterated U.S. administration's apprehension that 
Pakistan's nuclear assets could go into the hands of terrorists.... 
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi, on the other hand, 
has very obediently requested America to not withdraw its troops 
from Afghanistan for five more years....  Our recommendation for 
U.S. forces stay in Afghanistan for five more years will anger the 
Afghans, who never tolerated foreigners on their soil, and this 
request by the FM might end up in more suicide attacks and 
terrorism....   American and allied forces' immediate withdrawal 
from Afghanistan is in our national interest." 
 
Editorial: President Obama's Pak-Afghan policy and ground realities, 
an editorial in liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir. 25,000) (12/03) 
 
"America's new Afghan policy has disappointed a big chunk of 
American population and, according to analysts and war experts, 
Obama has taken an imprudent decision to move towards 
destruction....  During his election campaign President Obama 
appeared to be committed world peace, holding an olive branch for 
the Muslim world.  He appeared to be different from cowboy Bush, but 
this image depicting hope has gone murkier...." 
 
Editorial: Pakistan Must Formulate Its Own Afghan Policy, an 
editorial in the leading mass circulation populist, often 
sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (12/03) 
 
"Many points in President Barack Obama's speech are directly or 
indirectly related to Pakistan, therefore political leaders, 
ministers, members of the parliament and the analysts must avoid 
expressing their individual opinions. Rather, arrangements must be 
made to discuss this delicate issue on each and every level. The 
president, prime minister, foreign and defense ministers as well as 
the top military leadership must ponder upon the each and every 
aspect of this matter in order to develop a national policy. It 
would also be convenient if the parliament thoroughly debate this 
issue, and provide guidelines to the government to formulate its own 
Afghan policy." 
 
Editorial: U.S. Announcement Of Withdrawal Date From Afghanistan, an 
editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi Urdu daily 
"Islam" (cir. 15,000) (12/03) 
 
"In fact, President Barack Obama's announcement to withdraw U.S. 
forces from Afghanistan is tantamount to the U.S. admission of its 
failure. However, the U.S. wants to stoke civil war and large-scale 
bloodshed in this region in order to divert attention from its 
defeat. For this purpose, it has planned to make Pakistan a 
scapegoat. We urge the U.S. president to pick up some moral courage 
and accept his country's defeat instead of turning the entire region 
into an inferno." 
 
Editorial: New U.S. Target, New Afghan Policy, an editorial in the 
Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (12/03) 
 
"During the last eight years, the resistance in Afghanistan has 
expanded to 24 provinces of the country and  the situation would 
further deteriorate with the deployment of more troops. The surge in 
the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will also jeopardize 
Washington's negotiations with the Taliban. However, it is a good 
omen that the U.S. has confessed that it cannot achieve success in 
Afghanistan without the cooperation of Pakistan." 
 
Editorial: Governments and Policies Remain The Same, an editorial in 
Karachi based Pro-Jihadi right-wing daily "Ummat" (Cir. 33,000) 
(14/03) 
 
"Pakistan and the world should not trust President Obama's new 
promise of withdrawal from Afghanistan, as there is no reason to 
believe that security and stability in South Asia is in U.S. 
interest, and it (U.S.) is seeking long term alliance with Pakistan. 
The policy that President Obama has adopted is a continuation of 
Bush era." 
 
Editorial: Afghan Policy or Pakistan Policy, an editorial in the 
Karachi-based right-wing pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Urdu daily "Jasarat" 
(cir. 3,000) (12/03) 
 
"President Obama in a short span of his Presidency has disappointed 
his own people. He is ignoring a big question: will the additional 
troops to Afghanistan necessarily help him win the war? It is the 
war mongering mindset of former President Bush that continues to 
affect America, and Obama seems to be his continuity. The Policy 
that Obama has announced looks like more Pakistan-specific policy 
rather than for Afghanistan." 
 
Editorial: Obama Administration's New Afghan Policy, an editorial in 
Hyderabad based liberal and independent Sindhi daily "Ibrat" (Cir. 
80,000) (12/03) 
 
"President Obama has announced gradual withdrawal of his troops from 
Afghanistan. It is hard to imagine what will happen of Afghanistan 
afterwards, we all have seen post-Soviet situation. But things will 
really become better for people of Afghanistan, if Taliban and 
Al-Qaeda are eliminated from Afghanistan before the U.S. departure." 
 
 
Opinion: Obama's Afghanistan Mis-Speech, an op-ed by Mosharraf Zaidi 
in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/03) 
 
"At West Point on Tuesday, President Obama was least like himself 
than we've ever known him. He was guarded, defensive, and less than 
entirely convincing. The biggest reason for the speech's failure is 
that it deliberately skirted around the central issue that plagues 
the American war in Afghanistan. If there is one overwhelming area 
of consensus among pundits that think about these things for a 
living, it is concerning where the epicenter of America's problem in 
Afghanistan lies. That place is Pakistan. More specifically, it is 
Pakistan's willingness and its ability to take on and defeat, 
decisively, those terrorists that would either themselves, or 
through proxies, seek to harm the United States.... Continued 
reliance on the Northern Alliance to provide good governance, on the 
U.S. military and NATO to hold territory, and on Pakistan to take on 
the Kandahari Taliban are all delusions. President Obama's refusal 
to recognize the immobility of America's position in his speech is 
his greatest failure to date." 
 
Opinion: The Afghan-Pakistan Solution, an op-ed by Pervez Musharraf 
in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" 
(cir. 10,000) (12/03) 
 
"On the political front, we need an invigorated dialogue with all 
groups in Afghanistan, including the Taliban. Afghanistan for 
centuries has been governed loosely through a social covenant 
between all the ethnic groups, under a sovereign king. This 
structure is needed again to bring peace and harmony. We have to 
reach out to Pashtun tribes and others who do not ideologically 
align themselves with the Taliban or al Qaeda. I have always said 
that "all Talibans are Pashtun, but all Pashtuns are not Taliban." 
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia can play pivotal roles in facilitating 
this outreach. Pakistan and Afghanistan were shortsightedly 
abandoned to their fate by the West in 1989, in spite of the fact 
that they were the ones who won a victory for the Free World against 
the Soviet Union. This abandonment lead to a sense of betrayal 
amongst the people of the region. For the sake of regional and world 
peace, let us not repeat the same mistake." 
 
Opinion: Obama's Afghan War, an op-ed by Adnan Gill in the 
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(12/03) 
 
"If history is any guide, similarities like Mission Creep, vague 
objectives, and confusing exit strategies are proven recipes for 
losing wars. Nonetheless, all is not lost. Going back to reliable 
American allies like Pakistanis and proven strategies could still 
save the day. A recipe to winning the war is very simple: Dust off 
the shelved list of the ISI contacts to formulate a winnable 
strategy. Tell India to immediately cease from destabilizing 
Pakistan, and to dramatically reduce its footprint in Afghanistan. 
Reserve Predator attacks for the most wanted terrorist leadership 
only. Stop supporting military-political dictators in Pakistan. 
Encourage formation of a national Afghan government. Involve tribal 
leaders in nation building. Above all, stop alienating highly 
territorial tribals through brute military force; which more than 
often multiplies civilian casualties. Mr. President (Obama), if you 
will win the hearts and minds of the masses, tired of violence and 
hungry for peace, they will win the war for you." 
 
Opinion: Pakistan At Odds With Obama's Vision, an op-ed by Syed 
Saleem Shahzad in the Lahore-based liberal English daily "The Post" 
(cir. 5,000) (12/03) 
 
"At the heart of Obama's plan appears to be the desire to sharply 
escalate the war in Afghanistan in an attempt to tighten the noose 
around the Taliban and Al Qaeda and then to open political dialogue 
with the Taliban that would lead to the dissolution of Al Qaeda's 
structures in South Asia and open the way for a U.S. exit in the 
next few years.... Pakistan, though, while wanting to play a 
mediating role between the Taliban and the U.S., does not want any 
active role in fighting the Taliban before they are eventually 
offered an olive branch as they do not pose any challenge to 
Pakistan's security." 
 
Opinion: Please Show Some Spine, an op-ed by Saida Fazal in the 
country's premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 
25,000) (12/03) 
 
"While success in Afghanistan is being redefined as elimination of 
al Qaeda, the strategy is to blame Pakistan for the failure to get 
al Qaeda in order to pressure it to take greater responsibility on 
behalf of the US after it, along with Britain and other allies, 
beats a retreat in 18 months' time. It is important therefore that 
our government makes its own decisions, in the light of our national 
interest, on how to cope with the menace of militancy within our own 
borders, and acts accordingly. In view of our past experience we 
must not accept the responsibility to try and prevent cross-border 
movement. The U.S. and British troops on the other side of the 
border must contain the fighting within Afghanistan's borders as far 
as possible. We should offer co-operation where there is a 
confluence of interest and ignore the 'do more' demands when these 
involve avoidable risks for our people. It is time for our rulers to 
show some spine. The U.S. cannot resolve the Afghan problem without 
our help. A helping hand should be offered, but not at the cost of 
our own people's safety and security. A line must be drawn between 
what is doable and what is not." 
 
Opinion: New Afghan Policy Or New Pakistan Policy, an op-ed by Aijaz 
Mangi in Karachi based Pro-Jehadi right-wing daily "Ummat" (Cir. 
33,000) (11/03) 
 
"President Obama was not conferred with Nobel Peace prize for waging 
a war. His new Afghan policy is a negation of his earlier positions. 
With the announcement of additional troops for Afghanistan, the 
world has lost its hope from America." 
 
Opinion: On Afghan Policy, an op-ed by M. Zubair Khan in Karachi 
based Pro-Jehadi right-wing daily "Ummat" (Cir. 33,000) (12/03) 
 
"President Obama eventually has betrayed his own slogan of change. 
In his speech he shifted the responsibility of failure in 
Afghanistan to Pakistan. Our Prime Minister Gilani has rightly 
expressed reservations on new the Afghan policy, and time has come 
for Pakistan and the U.S. to part their ways on Afghan issue for 
their respective security concerns." 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
News Story: India May Pull Out Some Troops From Kashmir "Dawn" 
(12/03) 
 
"India's home minister said on Wednesday his government was prepared 
to withdraw a 'significant' number of troops from the restive 
Kashmir region. Briefing lawmakers in parliament on the state of 
security, P. Chidambaram noted that violence in occupied Kashmir had 
dropped in the past few years." 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson