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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 08, 2009 
 
Summary:  Reports and photographs of bomb blasts in Peshawar, 
Quetta, and Lahore that killed and injured scores of people 
dominated headlines in all newspapers on Tuesday.   At least five 
mainstream Urdu language dailies ran U.S. Embassy's statement 
condemning the terror attack in Peshawar. Ambassador Patterson's 
meeting with Federal Commerce Minister Fahim also received extensive 
coverage.  Some major papers quoted Undersecretary of Defense 
Flournoy as saying that "Taliban (are) pressed by Pakistan Army." 
Reports that U.S. justice officials charged Chicago native Headley 
with helping to plot the 2008 attacks in Mumbai garnered media 
attention.  Interior Minister Malik's statement that "concrete 
evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan has been provided to the 
Foreign Office" was also highlighted.  Commenting on Defense 
Secretary Gates remarks on Usama Bin Laden's whereabouts with 
earlier statement of Secretary of State Clinton on the subject, 
"Dawn," raised a question that "are the U.S. Secretaries of Defense 
and State really operating with fundamentally different scripts for 
American policy towards Pakistan or is it part of a complex game of 
signaling, a good cop/bad cop routine, in which the U.S. is trying 
to goad Pakistan into 'doing more'?"  All TV networks reported twin 
explosions in Multan on Tuesday that claimed 12 lives, and left many 
more injured.  End Summary. 
 
TOP STORIES 
 
News Story: Bomb Blast In Multan Leaves 12 Dead "Dawn" (12/08) 
 
"A bomb explosion at a security check post in Multan Tuesday (today) 
killed at least 12 people and injured 18 others. There were also 
some security men among the dead.... Multan's Police Chief Saood 
Aziz told AFP the explosives appeared to have been planted in a 
small pick-up truck, but it was not immediately clear if it was a 
suicide attack, while the exact target was also unknown." 
 
News Story: At Least 45 Killed As Twin Bombs Hit Lahore  "Dawn" 
(12/08) 
 
"Two powerful bomb blasts ripped through the busy Moon Market in 
Lahore's Allama Iqbal Town late in the night, claiming at least 45 
lives. The blasts, which took place within a radius of 30 meter, 
also caused a massive fire in a crowded shopping mall." (Story also 
covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: 11 Die In Suicide Attack Outside Peshawar Court "The 
News" (12/08) 
 
"Eleven people, including two policemen, were killed and 45 others 
sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the 
entrance of the sessions courts in Peshawar on Monday. The attack 
was second of its kind outside the court buildings in less than 
three weeks." (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: 10 Injured In Quetta Explosion  "The News" (12/08) 
 
"Ten people sustained injuries in a motorcycle bomb explosion in 
Quetta on Monday. Police officials said the explosives device went 
off around 3:00 pm near the main gate of the GOR Colony near the 
Quetta Airport Road."  (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: U.S. Condemns Terrorist Attack in Peshawar "Jang,' 
"Nawa-i-Waqt," "Express," "Aaj Kal," "Islam," "Ausaf" (12/08) 
 
"The United States Embassy in Pakistan condemned the suicide bombing 
at the Sessions Court in Peshawar on Monday that claimed numerous 
lives and left many injured." 
 
News Story: U.S. Envoy Calls On Amin Fahim "The Frontier Post"," 
"Nawa-i-Waqt," "Express," "Khabrain," "Aaj Kal," "Mashriq" (12/08) 
 
"The U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson called on the Federal 
Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim in his office on Monday. 
Makhdoom Amin Fahim expressed the hope that the U.S. government 
would be kind enough to accelerate work on Reconstruction 
Opportunity Zones (ROZ's)." 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: Taliban Pressed By Pak Army: U.S. "The Nation" (12/08) 
 
"Taliban insurgents have got to be 'very worried' over a US move to 
surge 30,000 troops into Afghanistan as they had hoped to force 
allied forces to retreat, a top Pentagon official said Monday. The 
insurgents will be facing a larger NATO-led force just as they come 
under mounting pressure in neighboring Pakistan, where the 
government has launched offensives against the Taliban network, said 
Michele Flournoy, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy." 
 
News Story: American Charged Over Mumbai Attacks "Dawn" (12/08) 
 
"US justice officials on Monday charged Chicago native David Headley 
with helping to plot the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed nearly 
170 people, including six Americans.... He is accused of conspiring 
to bomb public places in India, of seeking to murder and maim 
persons in India and Denmark, and of aiding and abetting the murder 
of U.S. citizens in India, the charge sheet said." 
 
News Story: Proof Given To Foreign Ministry, Says Malik "Dawn" 
(12/08) 
 
"Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that concrete evidence of 
Indian interference in Pakistan has been provided to the Foreign 
Office which will take it up at an appropriate forum. He told a 
press conference after meeting Ulema of different schools of thought 
in Karachi on Monday." (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Ending Safe Havens In Pakistan Vital: U.S. "Dawn" 
(12/08) 
 
"The United States said on Sunday it was pressing Pakistan to move 
against Taliban and Al Qaeda sanctuaries in its territory, saying 
success in Afghanistan depended on disrupting the cross-border safe 
havens. Senior U.S. officials turned the focus on Pakistan, after 
piling pressure on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to clean up 
corruption in his country, special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said 
in an interview on CNN." 
 
News Story: Pullout Date Indicates U.S. Won't Stay In Afghanistan 
Indefinitely "Dawn" (12/08) 
 
"Setting a date for the start of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan 
conveys 'a sense of urgency' to Kabul that American forces would not 
stay indefinitely, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said. Defending 
President Barack Obama's decision to combine a troop build-up in 
Afghanistan with a target date of July 2011 for the beginning of a 
drawdown, Mr. Gates said the Kabul government had to understand the 
U.S. military commitment was not open-ended." 
 
News Story: U.S. Issues Orders To 16,000 Troops To Start Afghan 
Surge "The News," "Dawn" (12/08) 
 
"A 1,500-strong contingent of the US Marines will arrive in 
Afghanistan this month in the first wave of a troop surge approved 
by President Barack Obama, the US military said on Monday. The 
Marines from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina were among the 16,000 
forces, who received deployment orders in the past few days as part 
of the troop build-up, spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters." 
 
News Story: NATO Pledges 7,000 More Troops "Daily Times," "Dawn" 
(12/08) 
 
"NATO allies have agreed to support the U.S. troop surge in 
Afghanistan with 7,000 more troops, the organization's Secretary 
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels on Monday. And there 
would be more to come in 2010, Rasmussen added." 
 
News Story: Drone Attack Kills Three In North Waziristan "Dawn" 
(12/08) 
 
"Intelligence officials say a U.S. missile strike has killed at 
least three people in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan 
border early Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity 
because they were not authorized to speak publicly to the media." 
(Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Eight Militants Killed In Bajaur "The News" (12/08) 
 
"Eight militants were killed and several others sustained injuries 
in different areas of Bajaur Agency on Monday. Official sources said 
a fierce clash took place in the Chinar area of Charmang Valley in 
the Nawagai subdivision when militants attacked security forces." 
(Story also covered in all newspapers) 
News Story: Ulema Term Suicide Bombing Un-Islamic "The News" (12/08) 
 
 
"Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Monday said religious 
scholars belonging to different schools of thought were of the view 
that terrorism and suicide bombings were un-Islamic and funeral 
prayer of a suicide bomber was not permissible. Addressing a press 
conference after attending a meeting with Ulema in Karachi at the 
Chief Minister House, the Minister said the participants of the 
meeting exchanged views in detail about terrorism and all were 
unanimous in condemning acts of terrorism and suicide bombings." 
(Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Army Stopped From Entering Jacobabad Airbase: Gen Shahid 
"The News" (12/08) 
 
"Former Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt-Gen. (Retd) Shahid Aziz has 
said he, along with other senior Army officers, opposed to give 
Pakistan's airbases to the U.S. but the then president and chief of 
Army Staff Pervez Musharraf did it without informing his corps 
commanders. Former CGS and former Chairman of the NAB Shahid Aziz 
made this revelation while talking to Hamid Mir in Geo TV's show 
'Capital Talk' on Monday night." 
 
Editorial: U.S. Signaling, an editorial in the Karachi-based 
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) 
(12/08) 
 
"Mercifully, American public diplomacy can also get things right on 
occasion. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said: 
'Well, we don't know for a fact where Usama bin Laden is. If we did, 
we'd go after him.' More importantly, from a Pakistani perspective, 
Mr. Gates also acknowledged that intelligence-sharing was not 
necessarily the problem between the U.S. and Pakistan.... Compare 
Mr. Gates' statements with what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
said on her trip to Pakistan in late October: 'I find it hard to 
believe that nobody in your government knows where [Al Qaeda's 
leaders] are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to.' Are 
the U.S. secretaries of defence and state really operating with 
fundamentally different scripts for American policy towards Pakistan 
or is it part of a complex game of signaling, a good cop/bad cop 
routine, in which the U.S. is trying to goad Pakistan into 'doing 
more'?" 
 
Editorial: Clueless, an editorial in the populist, often sensational 
national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/08) 
 
"Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday that U.S. 
intelligence agencies did not know where the Al Qaeda leader was and 
had lacked reliable information on his whereabouts for years.... 
Looking for Usama bin Laden by relying on modern technologies is 
like fishing without a hook - unlikely to succeed. There is a 
50-million-dollar reward on offer for him and so far nothing but 
silence. We expect no change in the foreseeable future." 
 
Editorial: Gates' Feeble Attempt To Allay Pak Fears, an editorial in 
the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 
5,000) (12/08) 
 
"U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates has tried to allay fears of 
Pakistan in the wake of announcement of new Afghanistan strategy 
that not only focuses on Pakistan but also depends totally on the 
country for success in the neighboring country.... The question 
arises as to what necessitated the U.S. Defence Secretary to make 
such a statement. This is because a deep and widespread perception 
has developed in Pakistan that the new Afghan strategy has something 
ominous to do with Pakistan.... Therefore, apprehensions in Pakistan 
are not totally baseless and that also explains why there is an 
increase in anti-American feelings in the country. We think that 
President Obama, who claims to be champion of peace, will have to do 
more to allay fears of 170 million people of Pakistan." 
 
Editorial: A Deadly Confusion, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/08) 
 
"Finally it has come out in the open that the U.S. really does not 
know where Osama has been post the botched Tora Bora bombing. U.S. 
Defence Secretary Gates declared that the U.S. had no reliable 
intelligence about Usama's whereabouts for years. Despite this 
ground reality the U.S. has pilloried Pakistan for years by 
declaring that Bin Laden was in Pakistan. The truth is that the U.S. 
has and continues to be confused not only about bin Laden but also 
Afghanistan in general." 
 
Editorial: Where Are You, Osama?, an editorial in the country's 
premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) 
(12/08) 
 
"Short of Osama bin Laden himself telling us where he is, there is 
probably no other way of finding out his whereabouts. That is so, 
despite over eight years of intense search by the anti-terror 
international coalition, very high-resolution aerial scanning by the 
United States and a bounty of 50 million dollars on offer for his 
capture or death.... Meanwhile, the Usama detection experts may like 
to figure out how is it that his perceived hosts in the Wild West of 
the Pak-Afghan border have withstood so much bombing, rejected 
millions of dollars worth of bounties and have refused to turn him 
over to his enemies." 
 
Editorial: Taliban's Positive Offer To The U.S., an editorial in the 
second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) 
(12/08) 
 
"According to Wall Street Journal, Taliban have said that they can 
guarantee noninterference in any foreign country if foreign forces 
leave Afghanistan....  Taliban are known for adhering to their 
promises the biggest evidence of which was their refusal to handover 
Usama to America....  The Taliban have made a positive offer as they 
want to give safe exit to America.  This is a good condition put 
forth by the Taliban and America should take advantage of it." 
 
Editorial: Terrorists' Brainwashing And Responsibility of Religious 
Scholars, an editorial in the leading mass circulation populist, 
often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (12/08) 
 
"Interior Minister Rehman Malik has urged the religious scholars to 
play their role in bringing back the people, who have gone astray, 
to the right path. We appeal the religious scholars, belonging to 
all schools of thought, to come formed to prevent the daily killings 
of innocent people by educating the entire Muslim world about the 
anti-Islam activities of a handful extremists. We think that owing 
to the reverence they command in the Pakistani society, the 
religious scholars can contribute much more in the restoration of 
peace and harmony than the rulers, who are accustomed to making 
hollow claims and delivering uninspiring speeches." 
 
Editorial: Consultation With Religious Scholars Is A Must To Restore 
Peace In Country, an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban 
Jihadi Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (12/08) 
 
"The government's belated initiative to take the religious scholars 
on board with a view to cope with the menace of terrorism is a right 
step in the right direction. Due to pursuing many policies of the 
Musharraf era, the militants consider that the present democratic 
government is nothing but the continuation of the dictatorship. It 
is high time for us to say goodbye to the ongoing pro-U.S. 
policies." 
 
Editorial: President Hamid Karzai Must Also Be Listened, an 
editorial in the Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 
55,000) (12/08) 
 
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed his willingness to talk 
to the Taliban. In the light of this encouraging development, we 
think that the U.S. must understand the ground realities, and help 
in bringing about the national reconciliation in Afghanistan." 
 
Editorial: Reversal of Musharraf's Pro-U.S. Policies Is Must To 
Improve Situation, an editorial in the popular rightist 
Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/08) 
 
"Former dictator Pervez Musharraf's decision to make Pakistan the 
frontline state in the war on terror paved the way for U.S. drone 
attacks in our tribal areas. It seems that real motive of these 
sorties is to provoke the dwellers of this mountainous region, who 
were in fact our first line of defense, and pitch them against our 
armed forces. Now, we are tasting the bitter and disastrous fruit of 
this dictatorial policy. We think that it is the need of the hour 
that we revisit Musharraf's myopic strategy and quit the U.S.-led 
war on terror." 
 
Editorial: Guarantee Of The Nuclear Assets' Safety, an editorial in 
the center-right Urdu daily "Pakistan" (cir. 10,000) (12/08) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Indian State Minister 
for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor comments on Pakistan's nuclear 
weapons are important progress.  High officials of both the 
countries have, for the first time, admitted in a positive way that 
Pakistan's nuclear assets are in safe hands....  We welcome U.S. 
Defense Secretary's statement.  The U.S. should also admit that no 
other country has suffered men and material loses as much as 
Pakistan due to terrorism....  America and other big powers should 
recognize the reality that Pakistan and India are nuclear powers; 
they should be included in the nuclear club." 
 
Editorial: Change In The Indian And U.S. Attitude Regarding 
Pakistan, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily 'Express" 
(circ.25,000) (12/08) 
 
"A change is visible in the U.S. and Indian stance towards 
Pakistan's internal matters. This is not only surprising for the 
Pakistani nation but also pleasant as well.... U.S. defense 
Secretary Robert Gates' admission that the U.S. does not have 
reliable information about Usama Bin Laden for the last several 
years is proof of the fact that all the pressure exerted on Pakistan 
in this regard was unjustified and eventually the U.S. has had to 
accept defeat.... On Sunday, Indian Minister of State for External 
Affairs Shashi Tharoor gave a positive statement on Pakistan by 
stating that at this stage India does not have any reason to doubt 
the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. This is encouraging. There 
will be an opportunity to improve bilateral relations if this 
goodwill continues." 
 
Opinion: President Obama's Af-Pak Policy - A Blessing Or Misfortune, 
an op-ed by Saleem Safi in the leading mass circulation populist, 
often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (12/08) 
 
"For the first time in the last eight years, Americans have talked 
about the political solution of the Afghanistan issue. They seem 
convinced to deal with Taliban minus Al Qaeda. The U.S. cannot 
achieve this goal sans the active cooperation of Pakistan. In this 
sense, the Afghan strategy could prove a blessing in disguise for us 
provided we are able to demonstrate our importance to Washington. 
But, on the other hand, if we fail to exploit this opportunity in 
our national interest, the new American policy would prove to be a 
disaster for us." 
 
Opinion: An Important Factor, an op-ed by Shahid Javed Burki in the 
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/08) 
 
"The Pakistan 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 will 
be unleashed. The response in Pakistan to the country's inclusion in 
the refined Afghan strategy was mixed. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza 
Gilani worried about the movement of the Afghan insurgents into 
Balochistan as the pressure on Afghanistan's province of Helmand 
increased. He wanted some assurance that the American troops will 
block these escape routes. There is no doubt that as the new 
strategy unfolds, Pakistan will be in the middle of things to come." 
 
 
Opinion: Obama's Afghanistan Policy, an op-ed by Javid Husain in the 
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(12/08) 
 
"There are three questions concerning Obama's Afghanistan policy 
which deserve special attention. What is its rationale? What are the 
chances of its success? What will be its likely repercussions on 
Pakistan? As for the rationale, the fact of the matter is that the 
U.S. and other coalition troops already in Afghanistan, currently 
numbering about 100,000, have not succeeded in wresting the military 
initiative from the Taliban and preventing their resurgence. The 
question is whether the mere addition of 30,000 troops will bring 
about a dramatic change in the situation on the ground within a 
period of 18 months.... What does Obama's Afghanistan policy portend 
for Pakistan? The reassuring factor is the recognition by the U.S. 
of the need for an enduring partnership with Pakistan on the 
foundation of 'mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual trust.' 
We have been told that the U.S. would continue its support for 
Pakistan's security and prosperity even after peace has been 
restored in Afghanistan. At the same time, it is obvious that we 
will continue to face constant pressure from the U.S. for doing more 
for eliminating the menace of terrorism." 
 
Opinion: Surge, And Then What?, an op-ed by Rahimullah Yusufzai in 
the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/08) 
 
"Despite being vague, his exit strategy marking July 2011 for 
starting the withdrawal of the 30,000 'surge' forces was designed to 
placate the Democrats and liberals, but it appears unrealistic and 
may not work. Besides, it has provoked the Republicans into accusing 
the president of endangering U.S. troops and emboldening the Taliban 
fighters who may simply opt to retreat and wait out the 18 months 
before the American soldiers start pulling out from Afghanistan.... 
On the ground the battle in Afghanistan is starkly uneven. On the 
one hand are the U.S.-led coalition forces that will total 147,000 
by next summer when the 'surge' troops from all NATO countries are 
in place. In addition, there are around 103,000 so-called private 
contractors - or, to put it bluntly, mercenaries - assigned all 
kinds of tasks ranging from supplying foreign forces to protecting 
convoys and sensitive installations. Then there is the Afghan 
National Army, now 90,000-strong and to be raised to 134,000 in 
2010, and the Afghan National Police numbering more than 70,000.... 
And yet this huge force is unable to defeat the lightly-armed 
Taliban fighters, whose strength until now was estimated at not more 
than 15,000." 
 
Opinion: A Man Of The Past, an op-ed by Zafar Masud in the 
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/08) 
 
"The new administration in the White House, impatient to seek a 
decent enough way out of the Af-Pak imbroglio, has resolved to count 
on the talents of Richard Holbrooke who, to tell the truth, has 
always been more of a bully than a negotiator.... Holbrooke is no 
stranger to Washington's grander designs in Pakistan that include 
turning the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad into a veritable fortress with 
its own up to 1,000-strong armed security and intelligence personnel 
who are to remain beyond the reach of the law of the land. Two 
private agencies, the DynCorp and Xe Services are reportedly already 
busy in Pakistan preparing groundwork for the project. It is 
probably too early to claim whether the Af-Pak mission is failing or 
whether it is making progress." 
 
Opinion: Pakistan's Nuclear Capability And U.S., an op-ed by former 
Jamaat-i-Islami chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, in the leading mass 
circulation populist, often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 
300,000) (12/08) 
 
"The U.S. cannot accept a Pakistan in possession of nuclear weapons. 
Unveiling his new Afghan strategy a few days back, President Barack 
Obama, has alleged that Pakistan has become a safe haven for Al 
Qaeda operatives and that his country would chase these terrorists 
wherever they are in world including Pakistan. Now the incessant 
suicide bombings in the most sensitive areas of Islamabad and 
Rawalpindi seem a part of a very dangerous conspiracy against our 
nuclear assets. Clearly, the real motive of these attacks was to 
demonstrate that Al Qaeda had the capability to reach out to the 
nuclear weapons of Pakistan and that Islamabad was unable to stop 
its nukes from falling into the hands of the terrorists." 
 
Opinion: At The Crossroads, an op-ed by Nazir Naji in the leading 
mass circulation populist, often sensational Urdu daily "Jang" (cir. 
300,000) (12/08) 
 
"Now, when a dominant majority of religious scholars has taken a 
common stand against the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, a party, 
engaged in politics in the name of Islam, is still making efforts to 
divert people's attention from the real perpetrators of these 
heart-rending incidents. Former chief Jamaat-i-Islami Qazi Hussain 
Ahmed, his successor Munawar Hassan and others of their ilk, claim 
adamantly that India, Israel and the U.S. are responsible for 
suicide bombing in the country. After the recent attacks in most 
sensitive areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, we are not in a 
position to term Washington's concern, that Al Qaeda can reach our 
nuclear assets, as baseless." 
 
POLITICAL ISSUES 
 
News Story: Restrictions On Movement: Dr. A.Q. Khan Says Govt. Using 
Fake Agreement "Dawn" (12/08) 
 
"The Lahore High Court (LHC) put off the hearing Monday in a case 
about restrictions on the movement nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul 
Qadeer Khan, till December 14 after a government lawyer concluded 
his arguments.... Interior Ministry's counsel Ahmer Bilal Sufi told 
the division bench of Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh and Justice Khwaja 
Imtiaz Ahmed that the high court had decided in favor of the 
scientist without hearing the government. He said Dr. Khan himself 
had agreed with the government not to visit any place if not allowed 
by the security agencies.... In response, Barrister Ali Zafar, who 
represented Dr Khan, claimed that the document the government was 
relying on was a fake one and the government was only trying to put 
forth excuses to detain the scientist." 
 
News Story: America Wants To Declare Pak Nukes Unsafe: Munawar "The 
Nation" (12/08) 
 
"Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Amir Syed Munawar Hassan has said that the 
United States through creating anarchy in Pakistan is seeking 
justification to declare Pakistan's nuclear arsenal as unsafe.  He 
said that Black Water is fully active in destabilizing Pakistan.  He 
stated this while replying to questions of newsmen at Quetta Press 
Club flanked by other JI provincial leaders in Quetta on Monday." 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
News Story: News Story: Moot Rejects New U.S. Policy on Afghanistan 
"The News" (12/08) 
 
"A moot organized at a religious seminary in Peshawar on Monday 
rejected the new Afghan strategy of the U.S. and declared that the 
American and allied forces should withdraw forthwith from 
Afghanistan to settle the issue and restore peace in the region. 
Addressed by noted religious scholars, representatives of different 
religio-political parties and academicians, the 'National Conference 
on U.S. New Afghan Policy' was convened by the 
Markaz-e-Uloom-e-Islamia." 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson