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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003005 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 15, 2009 
 
Summary:  Matters concerning U.S. actions on the 
Afghanistan-Pakistan border dominated front pages this morning with 
wide coverage of General Petraeus' visit to Islamabad and views 
attributed to President Obama in separate interviews appearing both 
cautious about and supportive of drone attacks within Pakistani 
territory -- The Daily Times, citing a Newsweek report trumpets 
"Obama resisting drone attacks in Quetta."  Dawn: "Obama refuses to 
rule out drone attacks in Quetta."  The Nation: "U.S. to strike 
inside Pakistan on actionable intel: Obama."  Headlines in most 
media alleged that General Petraeus heard calls from Pakistani 
leaders to end drone attacks.  General Petraeus's statement that the 
U.S. respects Pakistan's sovereignty, his praise for Pakistan's 
military, and assurances on increased coordination on Afghan 
strategy received prominent display; but Admiral Mullen's concerns 
about collusion between Afghan and Pakistani militants rounded out 
coverage.  In other matters, most media front-paged a statement in 
the Supreme Court by Counsel for the Federation (government lawyer) 
Kamal Azfar that the CIA and the Pakistan military (GHQ) are 
threatening Pakistan's democratic system.  Feeding the fictitious 
narrative of clandestine U.S. activity in Pakistan, nearly every 
major English daily reported that the Lahore High Court Chief 
Justice ordered the GoP to take legal action against diplomats 
involved in illegal activities in Pakistan -- the comments were made 
while hearing a petition about the alleged presence and illegal 
activities of Blackwater and Dutch nationals in Pakistan.  Reports 
also highlighted the Lahore High Court Chief Justice's decision to 
restrain federal and provincial authorities from deporting the 
alleged American Jihadis.  End Summary. 
 
TOP STORIES 
 
News Story: Stop Drone Attacks, COAS Asks U.S. "The Nation" (12/15) 
 
 
"... U.S. General David Petraeus again assured that new Afghan 
policy will not affect national interests of the country at any cost 
urging undoubtedly U.S. respects Pakistan's sovereignty and 
integrity. U.S. General David Petraeus on Monday met Chief of the 
Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the GHQ.... The CENTCOM 
Chief said Pakistani forces are operating very well against 
militants in SWA, adding they (militants) are posing a significant 
threat to Pakistan. On the other hand, COAS Gen. Kayani again urged 
the U.S. to stop drone attacks because it is proving 
counterproductive and thus creating a negative impact on war against 
terrorism." 
 
News Story: Pakistan, U.S. Discuss Operational Details Of Afghan 
Strategy "Dawn" (12/15) 
 
"U.S. Central Command chief General David Petraeus said on Monday he 
had discussed with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chief of 
the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani operational aspects of 
U.S. plans to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and 
reinforced his view that the civilian government in Pakistan did not 
face any threat. Talking to a group of journalists after meetings 
with the prime minister and the army chief, the visiting U.S. 
General declined to comment on speculations that the U.S. had plan 
to carry out drone attacks in Balochistan." 
 
News Story: Petraeus Sees No Threat To Zardari From Kayani "The 
News" (12/15) 
 
"General David Petraeus, head of U.S. CENTCOM, says that he is 
positive that the Pakistan military does not nurture any notion of 
destabilizing President Asif Ali Zardari or the present government 
in Islamabad. "I have seen no indication that General Ashfaq Kayani 
is entertaining such a notion. Whenever we have talked to them they 
say they are committed to democratically elected civilian 
government. Whenever any such topic is touched upon they say they 
are supportive of the government. When I testified before the 
Congress I was also asked whether the Pakistan military would take 
over and I said, 'No.'" (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Obama Resists Drone Strikes In Pakistan "The News" 
(12/15) 
 
"U.S. media reports have revealed that President Barrack Obama, 
during situation room meetings at the White House to review the U.S. 
strategy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, did express concern over the 
idea of expanding drones attacks to Quetta and other urban centers 
of Pakistan. The White House has not confirmed or denied the report. 
The reports say that President Obama was of the view that widening 
the scope of the drone attacks to more Pakistani areas would be 
risky, unwise and draw strong reactions from Pakistani politicians 
and military leaders, who have been largely quiet about these 
attacks as long as they were confined to the remote Pak-Afghan 
border areas. A top U.S. official, told this correspondent on 
condition of anonymity, that top U.S. diplomats, including U.S. 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Special U.S. representative for 
Pakistan and Afghanistan Ambassador Holbrooke and U.S. Ambassador to 
Pakistan Anne Paterson, were also of the view that the U.S. should 
be ready for a very strong reaction from Pakistan in case drones 
attacks were expanded to settled areas of Pakistan, including 
Quetta."  (Story also covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Obama Refuses To Rule Out Drone Attacks In Quetta "Dawn" 
(12/15) 
 
"President Barack Obama has warned that the United States would 
launch strikes inside Pakistan if it had actionable intelligence 
about the presence of top Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in a 
particular area. His statement - included in the transcript of an 
interview released on Monday - contradicts earlier U.S. media 
reports that President Obama opposed drone attacks at suspected 
Taliban targets in and around Quetta." 
 
News Story: U.S. To Strike Inside Pakistan On Actionable Intel: 
Obama "The Nation" (12/15) 
 
"Underscoring the militants' growing threat to Pakistan and the 
United States, U.S. President Barack Obama has said that his 
administration would not hesitate from striking inside Pakistan if 
it had actionable intelligence against top Al-Qaeda and Taliban 
leaders, Obama said on CBS '60 Minutes' program on Sunday night." 
 
News Story: Al-Qaeda-Taliban Collusion Worries Mullen "The News" 
(12/15) 
 
"America's top military officer on Monday expressed concern over the 
"growing level of collusion" between the Taliban insurgents in 
Afghanistan and al-Qaeda and other militant groups taking refuge 
across the border in Pakistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, who is in Kabul 
to discuss the upcoming U.S. troop buildup and training of 
Afghanistan's security force, told reporters he would discuss the 
issue with Pakistani authorities during talks in Islamabad later 
this week." 
 
News Story: Azfar's Remarks Stun SC: Govt. Facing Threat From GHQ, 
CIA  "Dawn" (12/15) 
 
"The federal government's lawyer Kamal Azfar on Monday stunned the 
Supreme Court bench hearing challenges to the controversial NRO by 
saying that he alluded to the American CIA and the GHQ (General 
Headquarters) when he cautioned in the petition he had filed last 
week about threats that could derail the democratic system in 
Pakistan." 
 
News Story: Court Orders Action Against Diplomats For Illegal 
Activities "The Nation" (12/15) 
 
"Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif on Monday 
directed the government to take action against foreign diplomats if 
they were found involved in illegal activities in the country. The 
Chief Justice observed that the present courts were independent and 
would not allow violation of law in the country." (Story also 
covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Govt. Barred From Extraditing Six Americans "Dawn" 
(12/15) 
 
"Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif on Monday 
restrained federal and provincial authorities from handing over six 
American nationals, arrested from Sargodha, to America or any other 
country. The chief justice also directed Additional Advocate-General 
Faisal Zaman Khan to seek a reply from the home secretary by next 
date of hearing on December 17."  (Story also covered in all 
newspapers) 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: Pakistan Cautions U.S. "Dawn," "The News" (12/15) 
"Senior Pakistani official told Los Angeles Times if the U.S. went 
ahead with its plan to launch drone strikes in Quetta then it would 
be 'the end of the road' for the U.S.-Pakistan cooperation in the 
fight against extremist groups. 'We are not a banana republic,' said 
the official involved in discussions on security issues with the 
Obama administration." 
 
News Story: Police Seize Luggage Of U.S. Nationals "The Nation" 
(12/15) 
 
"The Preedy Police on Monday recovered the luggage of U.S. national 
terror suspects, arrested from Sargodha, over alleged links with 
terrorists here on Monday. The Preedy Police SHO said that a Police 
party raided a local hotel namely Al-Saddam on Shahra-e-Iraq and 
seized five bags, one cell-phone without SIM card and a book from a 
room where the U.S. citizens had stayed. He said that alleged 
terrorists reserved the room on November 30, and checked out from 
the hotel on December 1, without any prior notice to the 
administration." 
 
News Story: No Threat From GHQ: PM Spokesman "The News" (12/15) 
 
"The statement of Federation's counsel Kamal Azfar before the 
Supreme Court that the democratic system in Pakistan is under threat 
from Pakistan Army's GHQ and American CIA, has stunned the nation 
and put the government in a tight corner - almost an indefensible 
no-win situation. As the corridors of the Presidency are used to 
hear such mutterings often, the presidential spokesman gave a 
calculated response on Azfar's statement, the Prime Minister's 
office unambiguously distanced itself from this." (Story also 
covered in all newspapers) 
 
News Story: Hillary Offers U.S. Help To Improve Pak Police Force 
"The News" (12/15) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Pakistani 
police were under-resourced in fight against terrorists and America 
was ready to consider any request from the Government of Pakistan to 
help police force, while talking to Pakistani Scholar Dr. Hassan 
Abbas in Washington at the State Department, Secretary Clinton 
said." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Rejects U.S. Demands For Crackdown On Haqqani 
Network "Daily Times" (12/15) 
 
"The Pakistani military has rejected U.S. demands that Islamabad 
crack down on the strongest Taliban warrior in Afghanistan, Siraj 
Haqqani, whose fighters pose the biggest threat to American forces, 
Pakistani military officials and diplomats told the 'New York 
Times.'" 
 
News Story: Zardari Hits Back At U.S. Criticism of Pakistan "The 
News" (12/15) 
 
"... President Zardari has hit back at American criticism of his 
country's failure to catch terrorist leaders with an accusation that 
it was the U.S., which created Al Qaeda and Taliban. Zardari, 
writing in the New York Times, was reacting to criticism officials, 
including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and senior Military 
Chiefs." 
 
News Story: U.S. Consulate's Vehicle Released "Dawn" (12/15) 
 
"Police on Monday released after verification a Land Cruiser of the 
U.S. Consulate General which was impounded near Sherpao Bridge on 
Saturday for not having registration documents. SSP (Operations) 
Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmed told 'Dawn' that the vehicle had been released 
by the Sarwer Road police three days after officials of the U.S. 
embassy showed the registration documents." 
 
News Story: U.S. Man Gets 17 Years For Supporting Terror "The 
Nation" (12/15) 
 
"A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen was sentenced Monday to 17 years in 
prison for supporting terror groups by sending videos of U.S. 
landmarks abroad and plotting 'violent Jihad' in Europe. Ehsanul 
Islam Sadequee, 23, refused to stand when Judge William Duffey, a 
former U.S. attorney, asked him several times to stand for 
sentencing. Duffey had allowed to Sadequee 44 minutes in court to 
explain to the judge why a harsh sentence should not be imposed." 
News Story: Dr. Khan Provided Protocol Due To Security Concerns, 
Blackwater Presence "Daily Times" (12/15) 
 
"The government provided foolproof security to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan 
considering the law and order situation, including the attack on the 
military's General Headquarters and reports of the presence of U.S. 
private security firm Blackwater in the country, the Interior 
Ministry's counsel submitted to the Lahore High Court on Monday." 
 
News Story: 17 Taliban Killed In Army Action "Daily Times" (12/15) 
 
"The security forces on Monday killed 17 Taliban in the ongoing 
military operations across the country. The forces killed five 
Taliban in Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan, the 
Inter-Services Public Relations said." 
 
News Story: Another School Blown Up In Khyber Agency "Dawn" (12/15) 
 
 
"Militants blew up a government-run Girls Primary School in Khyber 
tribal region in the small hours of Monday, locals and political 
administration officials said." 
 
POLITICAL 
 
News Story: Clinton For Resumption Of Indo-Pak Talks On Kashmir - 
"Daily Times" (12/15) 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for resumption 
of dialogue between Pakistan and India on all outstanding issues, 
including Kashmir, warning that terrorists would try to provoke a 
conflict between the two countries if the issues were not resolved, 
she said in an interview with a private TV channel." 
 
ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT 
 
News Story: U.S. Approval Of $1.56 Billion Under KLL Paves Way For 
4th IMF Tranche "The News" (12/15) 
 
"The Obama administration has finalised sectors for providing 
upcoming $1.56 billion assistance to Pakistan under the Kerry Lugar 
Law (KLL) till September 30, 2010 under which Washington is going to 
extend $155.200 million for law enforcement agencies especially for 
police and $298 million for foreign military financing, official 
document available with 'The News' reveals." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Exposed To Impact Of Glacial Melting "Dawn" 
(12/15) 
 
"The melting of the glaciers will have an adverse impact on the 
entire South Asian region, said Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the Chairman 
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who came to a side 
event organized by Pakistan's Ministry of Environment and IUCN at 
the Climate Summit in Copenhagen on Monday. He termed the Indian 
ministry's recent reports of glaciers in the Himalayas being in a 
healthy state as incorrect, calling it 'voodoo science.'" 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
News Story: U.S. Donates Search And Rescue Equipment "Daily Times" 
"Jang," "Express," "Mashriq," "Islam", "The News", "The Nation" 
(12/15) 
 
"U.S. Consul General Candace Putnam delivered four search and rescue 
equipment kits to the NWFP Provincial Relief, Rehabilitation and 
Settlement Authority (PaRRSA) in a ceremony held on Monday.  The 
equipment will help fire and rescue personnel to safely remove 
victims from disaster scenes, said a release." 
 
Opinion: U.S. Visas, an op-ed by Hamid Akhtar in an editorial in the 
liberal Urdu daily "Express" (circ.25, 000) (12/15) 
 
"People who applied for U.S. visas in the golden era after 
Pakistan's creation still remember nostalgically that when they 
received their U.S. visas, the Embassy would also send along a thank 
you letter. The letter said that 'we are grateful that you are 
planning to visit and see our country.' Obviously, due to such 
reasons, old people of my age still remember those times fondly. 
Whatever my [journalist] friends might say, despite all the new U.S. 
visa regulations and rules, I do not wish to blame the U.S.  I feel 
that we only have ourselves to blame if other countries feel 
apprehensive about letting us [Pakistanis] into their countries. 
There was a time when Turkey allowed Pakistanis to visit without any 
visa. But we misused this facility to such an extent that the 
privilege was eventually withdrawn. Now we have Jihadis wishing to 
conquer the U.S.; so how can we expect the U.S. to open its doors to 
us? What I do not comprehend, though is how can terrorism be 
eliminated by looking at the centimeters between the applicant's 
eyes and chin [per the visa photo requirements]. The problem, 
however, is that we cannot seek an explanation from the U.S. From 
day one, we accepted it as our lord and master, and we also continue 
to receive dollars from it, so how can we even dare to ask for an 
answer from it." 
 
EDITORIALS/OP-EDS 
 
Editorial: U.S. Assistance To Pakistan And The Controversies, an 
editorial in the country's premier business newspaper, "Business 
Recorder" (cir. 25,000) (12/15) 
 
"The 1.459 billion dollars of U.S. assistance to Pakistan must be 
viewed in the context of these well-known limitations to aid 
efficacy. In Pakistan's context, the element of domestic corruption 
is considered an additional element that would limit aid's quality 
of being able to bring about an effect; and this accounts for 
allocation of a significant amount of money under the Kerry-Lugar 
Act for audit by U.S. Agency for International Development - money 
that would not, obviously, be earmarked for direct poverty reduction 
projects. A part of U.S. assistance is also being diverted to 
provide further security to U.S. personnel stationed in Pakistan 
given the rise of terrorist attacks in the country. However, these 
expenditure items can no longer be negotiated and therefore are no 
longer available to the country for poverty reduction." 
 
Editorial: Growing Suspicions Regarding Blackwater Activities In 
Pakistan, an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily 
"Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/15) 
 
"During the last few days, local media has repeatedly highlighted 
the dubious activities of American diplomats in various cities of 
Pakistan. According to reports, these people, armed with 
sophisticated weapons, often refuse to allow the Pakistani security 
officials to search their vehicles and sometimes adopt derogatory 
attitude towards the law-enforcers. Such behavior is in stark 
contrast to the universally-recognized diplomatic norms and 
principles which may also result in a confrontation between the 
American diplomats and the Pakistani masses. We urge the government 
to take immediate and effective measures to check these illegal 
activities of the U.S. nationals in Pakistan." 
 
Editorial: Peaceful Solution To Afghan Issue, an editorial in the 
Peshawar-based Urdu-language daily "Mashriq" (cir. 55,000) (12/15) 
 
"The doubletalk of the U.S. officials about Pakistan's role in the 
war on terror serves nothing but create confusion and ambiguity 
regarding the American policies. Nonetheless, despite having 
complete knowledge about the foreign powers which support the 
terrorists, Pakistan has never blamed the U.S. or any other country. 
In fact, after suffering humiliating defeat in Afghanistan, 
Washington and its allies are laying all the blame at our door. We 
think that the Obama administration should pay heed to Gulbadeen 
Hikmatyar's advice and hand over Afghanistan to Afghans elected 
through free, fair and impartial elections." 
 
Editorial: Terrorism: Pak-U.S. Strategy And India, an editorial in 
the Urdu daily 'Waqt" (circ. 5000) (12/15) 
 
"Instead of directing Pakistan to do more, the U.S. leadership must 
lend all possible cooperation to Pakistan. Keeping in view its 
[American] defeat in Afghanistan, it should adopt the same strategy 
that the Pakistan Army has adopted.  The U.S. and the western 
countries will gain nothing but humiliation if they want to win the 
war on terror through being pro-India." 
 
Editorial: Indian War Preparations And Prerequisites Of Defending 
Our Country, an editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu 
daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/15) 
 
"Recently retired chief of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission Anil 
Kakud (sp?) said in a television interview that India has about 
45-200 kiloton hydrogen bombs which are much more powerful than 
thermo-nuclear bombs. He also added that Indian nuclear weapons are 
safe and that the country must now focus on hydrogen bombs more.... 
Keeping in view Indian preparations, we must increase our defense 
capabilities. We must also find a response to its hydrogen bombs - 
as this is what national defense demands." 
 
Opinion: Roots Of Terrorism, an op-ed by Shahid Javed Burki in the 
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/15) 
 
"By far the most important contributor to the rise of extremism was 
the way a series of administrations managed the Pakistani 
economy.... Islamabad should have focused not only in getting the 
economy to grow rapidly.... The result is that the country now has 
millions of alienated youth with little faith in their future. They 
have been successfully recruited to jihadist causes. The latest of 
these is the destruction of the Pakistani state. In developing an 
approach towards growing extremism and terrorism it is breeding, 
policymakers as well as the citizenry must first understand its 
complex causes. By focusing on just one aspect - the American 
pressure to go after the perpetrators of terrorist activities - the 
country will not be able to evolve a cogent response." 
 
Opinion: The Menace Of The Infantile Left, an op-ed by Ishtiaq Ahmed 
in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" 
(cir. 10,000) (12/15) 
 
"A curious situation prevails currently in Pakistan. Both religious 
fascists and infantile Leftists are hell-bent on opposing the 
presence of the U.S. in Afghanistan. If the Americans were to leave 
today, the right and left 'historic United Front against 
Imperialism' will not last a day. So, what will happen in such a 
situation? The Taliban will return to power.... From a genuine 
leftist point of view, it is important that the forces of reaction 
and fascism are defeated, but that cannot be done now in Afghanistan 
without U.S. help as was also true during World War II in Germany." 
 
Opinion: Obama's Afghan Policy; Pakistan's Perspective, an op-ed by 
Tariq Osman Hyder in the center-right national English daily "The 
Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/15) 
 
"Despite eight years of occupation, military intervention and 
developmental funding this year has been the worst in terms of the 
security situation for the Afghan people and the American, ISAF and 
NATO forces. General Stanley McChrystal has admitted this.... 
Obama's latest policy vision is still predominated by the military 
surge though couched in terms of protecting Afghans. The Afghan 
people developmental and political reconciliation surges do not yet 
carry the same weight.... Obama's new policy on Afghanistan is 
unlikely to succeed unless it is modified and implemented to bring 
all Afghans and Pakistan on board." 
 
Opinion: The Fog Of War, an op-ed by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi in the 
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 
55,000) (12/15) 
 
"The announcement by President Barack Obama of his new strategy for 
Afghanistan has been followed by frenetic efforts of the Obama 
Administration to explain what this really means and defend it 
against domestic and international criticism. Because of the tension 
in a policy designed to convey varied messages to different 
audiences in order to placate both supporters and critics of an 
escalating war, the need for clarification became especially 
necessary.... Leaks are not policy. But the pattern of the leaks is 
much too familiar for Islamabad not to take urgent notice and 
undertake a careful evaluation of the risks ahead. The immediate 
danger - even before any planned escalation materializes - is that 
this coercive diplomacy-by-leaks can reinforce official and popular 
Pakistani suspicions about U.S. intentions, intensify public 
alienation from the West, and promote more anti-American rage. By 
contributing to such a toxic environment this strategy of leaks can 
badly backfire making it infinitely harder for the government 
(Pakistani) to cooperate 'fully' with the U.S., as President Obama 
is asking Islamabad to do. This should give the sources of these 
leaks much pause for thought." 
 
Opinion: The Surge Might Scorch Us, an op-ed by Tasneem Noorani in 
the populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/15) 
 
"President Obama has deliberated on his Afghan policy long and hard 
and finally decided that he want to leave Afghanistan. Now the 
30,000 extra troops will raise the temperature in the war theatre 
and there is no way the heat will not affect Pakistan. As a matter 
of fact, I shudder to think of the impact the American surge will 
have on us, considering that just its announcement has resulted in 
mayhem all over the country. The Americans have been asking us to do 
more against the Taliban, who are shielding Al Qaeda. But now Mr. 
Karzai wants to talk to the Taliban; the Americans want their allies 
like the Saudis to open dialogue with the Taliban. So where does 
that leave Pakistan?" 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson