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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 002966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: December 11, 2009 
 
Summary:  Coverage of the arrest of five Americans in Sargodha 
dominated front page news for the second consecutive day, citing 
President Obama and Secretary Clinton's statements on the 
investigation.  The reports coincided with extensive coverage of 
President Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize.  The 
President's remarks on war and peace were carried alongside reports 
of anger in Peshawar over his selection.  Papers covered a wide 
variety of statements on U.S. security operations, including 
comments by the Foreign Office spokesman and General McChrystal 
ruling out "hot pursuit" inside Pakistan and Interior Minister 
Rehman Malik's statement that "Blackwater is not operating in 
Pakistan."  U.S. Congressional actions also figured prominently, 
with reports on the 1.5 billion dollar appropriation under 
Kerry-Lugar and calls for more controls on aid to Pakistan. 
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's call "for withdrawal from Afghanistan 
and Pakistan" also received coverage with the latest polls on U.S. 
support for the President's Afghanistan plan.  More law enforcement 
issues rounded out coverage, including reports on former president 
of the Bank of Punjab, Hamesh Khan's arrest in the U.S. and 
continued coverage of the Headley case.  Some newspapers covered the 
release of American Nicole Tung, who had been held on charges of 
"spying for the U.S."  Several Urdu papers reported that police 
stopped a U.S. Embassy vehicle "fleeing a checkpoint in Islamabad," 
and let the passengers go after they "apologized to the officers." 
Commenting on the ongoing military offensive against militancy, a 
prominent columnist, Ayaz Amir, opined in "The News," that "we have 
to fight this war on our own, within our borders, without being seen 
as an American appendage."  End Summary. 
 
TOP STORIES: 
 
News Story: U.S. Probe Into Arrest Of Americans In Pakistan  "Dawn" 
(12/11) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday he envisioned 'a 
series of investigations' into the arrest of five American Muslims 
in Pakistan for allegedly attempting to contact two militant 
groups." (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: War At Some Level An Expression Of Human Feelings, Says 
Obama - "Dawn" (12/11) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama accepted on Thursday the Nobel Peace 
Prize, uncomfortably acknowledging his role as a leader at war while 
insisting that conflict can be morally justified." (Story also 
covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Anger In Peshawar Over Prize  "The Nation" (12/11) 
 
 "The Nobel prize is for those who have made achievements, but Obama 
is a killer," Jabir Aftab, an engineer living in the shadow of bomb 
attacks in Peshawar, said Thursday. As President Barack Obama 
conceded others "may be more deserving" of the prize he won for 
international diplomacy, there was anger and bewilderment in 
northwest Pakistan where many blame the United States for a surge in 
violence." 
 
News Story: U.S. General Rules Out 'Hot Pursuit' Into Pakistan 
"Dawn" (12/11) 
 
"Commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley 
McChrystal, told a congressional panel on Thursday that his troops 
would not enter Pakistan to fight militants." 
 
News Story: U.S. 'Hot Pursuit' Out Of Question  "The Nation" 
(12/11) 
 
"Pakistan would never compromise on its nuclear capability and 
nuclear deterrence and its security forces are fully capable of 
combating terrorism, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said this 
during a weekly media briefing on Thursday. He added that Pakistani 
security forces did not need assistance from any country, neither 
there was any option of hot pursuit." 
 
News Story: All Terrorists In Pakistan Are Locals, Says Malik 
"Daily Times" (12/11) 
 
"The U.S. security contractor, Blackwater, is not operating in 
Pakistan and all the terrorists in the country are locals, a private 
TV channel quoted Interior Minister Rehman Malik as saying on 
Thursday" 
 
News Story: U.S. Congress Approves $1.5 Bn For Pakistan "The News" 
(12/11) 
 
"The U.S. Congress has appropriated the amount of $1.5 billion for 
Pakistan for fiscal year 2010 under the Kerry-Lugar Law. Of this 
amount $268 million will be used as military assistance." 
 
Editorial: Sound Judgment Of Chief Justice About Our Rulers' 
Character, an editorial in the Karachi-based, pro-Taliban Jihadi 
Urdu daily "Islam" (cir. 15,000) (12/11) 
 
"It has now become almost crystal clear that the U.S. wants to 
expand the Afghan war to our tribal areas. Our successive 
governments have bartered away our national dignity and independence 
for the U.S. financial assistance. At this critical juncture of 
Pakistan's history, the role played by the people, occupying the top 
echelons of power in the country, is pushing the nation into further 
despondency. We think it is high time for us to formulate an 
independent national policy to arrest the growing threats to the 
very existence of Pakistan." 
 
News Story: U.S. Lawmaker Calls For Withdrawl From Afghanistan, 
Pakistan - The News" (12/11) 
 
"A U.S. lawmaker sharply opposed to the war in Afghanistan plans to 
offer twin resolution come January aiming to force President Barrack 
Obama to bring home any U.S. forces there and in Pakistan. 
Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich's proposals unveiled 
Wednesday could lead to a first vote to guage support among Obama's 
congressional allies for his decision to send 30,000 more troops to 
Afghanistan." 
 
Opinion: The Sharp Head Of The Tempest Brewing, an op-ed by Ayaz 
Amir in the populist, often sensational national English daily "The 
News" (cir. 55,000) (12/11) 
 
". . . We cannot afford to be tied to America's apron strings the 
way we are at present. We have to fight this war on our own, within 
our borders, without being seen as an American appendage. It is time 
to loosen, not tighten, the American connection. . ." 
 
News Story: Hamesh Khan Arrested In United States "Daily Times" 
(12/11) 
 
"Hamesh Khan, the former president of the Bank of Punjab (BoP), has 
been arrested in America by the U.S. Department of Justice, a 
private TV channel reported on Thursday. According to the channel, 
the U.S. Department of Justice has informed Islamabad about Hamesh 
Khan's arrest, after the Pakistani government had contacted 
Interpol, requesting that they arrest the former BoP president." 
 
News Story: Alleged U.S. Spy Released  "The Nation" (12/11) 
 
"An American national, held on charges of spying for the U.S., was 
released on Wednesday by the local authorities. Local security staff 
posted on Pak-Afghan border in the turbulent Khyber Agency had 
rounded up the alleged female spy Nicole Tung who claimed to be 
working for the U.S. government but failed to show any proof 
including passport or valid visa document." 
 
News Story: Makes U.S. Nationals Respect The Law Of The Land  "The 
Nation" (12/11) 
 
"Police officers' commitment to law enforcement was revealed when 
one of them, a young ASP, chased a fleeing U.S. embassy vehicle 
after it deliberately ignored the police's request at a picket to 
stop and broke through the picket instead. The ASP gave them chase 
and brought the Americans back from two kilometers away from the 
picket and forced them to tender an apology to the police officials 
deployed there, sources said on Thursday." 
 
News Story: U.S. Considers Using Drones For Supplies "Daily Times" 
(12/11) 
 
"The U.S. military is taking a serious look at resupplying combat 
troops in Afghanistan using unmanned aircraft, an Air Force general 
said on Wednesday. Faced with the task of delivering vast amounts of 
supplies by land and by air to troops in the mountainous, 
land-locked country, senior officers were considering using 
pilotless aircraft to help with the job, said U.S. Transportation 
Command chief General Duncan McNabb." 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: Imran Says He Got Positive Response From Taliban  "The 
News" (12/11) 
 
"Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, who on Wednesday offered 
his services and even showed the willingness to go to the tribal 
areas to get the mounting terrorism issue resolved through political 
dialogue, got encouraging response from the Taliban side." 
 
News Story: 10 Militants Killed In Bara Search Operation - "Dawn" 
(12/11) 
 
"At least 10 suspected militants were killed and several others 
injured during a search operation carried out by security forces in 
Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency on Thursday." 
 
News Story: Who Is David Coleman Headley? - "Daily Times" (12/11) 
 
"David Coleman Headley was known as Daood Gilani until 2006. He is 
the son of a noted former director general of Radio Pakistan, 
General (r) Salim Gilani and half brother of Prime Minister Yousaf 
Raza Gilani's public relations officer (PRO), Daniyal Gilani. . ." 
 
Opinion: The Long Duel, an op-ed by Mowahid Hussain Shah in the 
center-right national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) 
(12/11) 
 
" . . . Given Obama's speech and the escalating conflict on the 
Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier, what lies next? Situational awareness 
suggests that America is in for the long haul. . . Obama's ambitious 
agenda on healthcare, jobs, and economic recovery has to compete 
with the rising costs of its Afghan undertaking. If mishandled, it 
can consume his presidency, just as Vietnam consumed Lyndon Johnson, 
and 9/11 consumed the Republican administration of George Bush. 
Obama now owns the Afghan war. . ." 
 
POLITICAL ISSUES 
 
 
News Story: Policy Of Nuclear Deterrence To Remain Intact: FO - "The 
News" (12/11) 
 
"Pakistan on Thursday ruled out any chances of a compromise on its 
policy of nuclear deterrence and cautioned major powers in the 
region to refrain from creating instability by helping India to 
further its nuclear ambitions." 
 
Editorial: India Fuelling Terror, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/11) 
 
 "As evidence of Indian involvement in sponsoring terrorism in 
Pakistan, whether it is FATA, Balochistan or another part of the 
country, has continued to multiply, the Interior Minister's 
accusatory finger can no longer be termed as Islamabad's mere 
knee-jerk reaction against its arch enemy.....Reports also indicate 
that the Interior Ministry has kept the Foreign Ministry posted with 
these developments. Again, COAS General Kayani apparently took up 
the matter with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, as he, in 
turn, has confirmed that he conveyed Pakistan's concerns to the past 
as well as the present Indian Army Chiefs." 
 
Editorial:  Solid Proofs Of Indian Interference In Pakistan, an 
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily 
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/11) 
 
"Interior Minister is providing hard evidence of Indian interference 
and the Foreign Minister does not consider it enough.  This 
situation can best be described as unfortunate, lack of coordination 
between the two ministries and incompetence of the authorities 
concerned....  India blamed Pakistan for Mumbai attacks without any 
evidence.  However, we have proofs of Indian terrorism [in 
Pakistan].  There is now no justification for Indian High 
Commissioner to be in Pakistan....  Pakistan should take a strict 
note of the situation and should think of the eastern border instead 
of the western one, where India has deployed its warplanes 
squadrons." 
 
Editorial:  Lack Of Harmony On The Issue Of Indian Interference In 
 
 
Pakistan, an editorial in the liberal Urdu daily "Express" (cir.25, 
000) (12/11) 
 
"It is a matter of concern for the nation that the government 
statements on Indian interference in Pakistan lack harmony. The 
Interior Minister says that it has provided solid evidence of Indian 
interference to the Foreign Ministry yet the Foreign Minister says 
that the evidence that has been provided is insufficient.  The 
question is: if there is lack of harmony on such a vital issue, what 
would be the state of affairs in other areas?" 
 
Opinion: How U.S. Winked At Indian Nukes, an op-ed by Basharat 
Hussain Qizilbash in the center-right national English daily "The 
Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/11) 
 
"For quite some time now, the U.S. media has been propagating scary 
stories about Pakistan's nuclear weapons while maintaining a deathly 
silence about the Indian nukes. . . In other words, the Americans 
gave a clear pass to the Indians. . . However, an article in the 
Washington Post, while realising the fallout of this detonation in 
the region critically observed: "India's Peaceful Nuclear Explosion 
Experiment is first of all the test of a bomb....There (is) no real 
distinction between a military and peaceful explosion....For India 
to call its explosion 'peaceful' and to abjure all military intent 
is in a word rubbish...the blast can only further aggravate 
Pakistan's fears of Indian domination." 
 
Editorial: Need To Expose Indian Conspiracies Before International 
Community, an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily 
"Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/11) 
 
"India is the main beneficiary of the war on terror while Pakistan, 
despite rendering innumerable sacrifices, has been continuously on 
the receiving end. Washington has played the central role in 
elevating New Delhi to the position of a regional bully with a view 
to use India in containing China. The criminal silence of our own 
rulers, over the Indian interference in Pakistan, is almost 
unfathomable for the nation. We think that the government must take 
immediate and hectic steps to expose India's nefarious designs 
against Pakistan, and at the same time, develop a national strategy 
to counter this growing threat to our country." 
 
News Story: Giving Up Nuclear Command Not Sign Of Weakness: Zardari 
"The News" (12/11) 
 
"President Asif Zardari has said his decision to hand back the 
chairmanship of the National Command Authority (NCA) that controls 
over country's nuclear assets should not be seen as a sign of 
weakness; rather, it demonstrates the vitality of the Pakistani 
democracy." 
 
News Story: Zardari Seeks US Mediation On Kashmir Issue "Dawn" 
(12/11) 
 
"President Asif Ali Zardari called upon U.S. President Barack Obama 
on Thursday to demonstrate American neutrality and willingness to 
help India and Pakistan overcome their mutual distrust by stepping 
up its efforts 'to mediate the Kashmir dispute'." 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
News Story: Foreign Airlines Told To Restart Peshawar Operations By 
31st - "Daily Times" (12/11) 
 
"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has set December 31 as a 
deadline for foreign airlines - mainly from the Gulf - to restart 
operations from Peshawar or discontinue services if they feel the 
security situation is a threat." 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
 
Patterson