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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 22, 2009 
 
Summary: Coverage of the meeting between Prime Minister Gilani and 
PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif and their vow to continue 
reconciliation policy and strengthen the democratic system dominated 
front pages Tuesday morning. Most media also reported President 
Zardari and PM Gilani's statement that there should be no 
"institutional confrontation," referencing the Supreme Court. 
Several major Urdu language newspapers published three corrections 
issued by the U.S. Embassy-- Jinnah: "No American jet violated 
Pakistani airspace in Mohmand Agency"; Nawa-i-Waqt: "U.S. Embassy 
rejected news item regarding land acquisition in Prime Minister's 
Staff Colony"; and Mashriq: "Diplomatic parcels of the U.S. Embassy 
cannot be checked."  Analysis of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship 
rounded out coverage.  Dawn quoted Admiral Mullen's claim that 
"Pakistan does not get enough credit for its role in the war against 
extremists."  Several publications covered statements by prominent 
Pakistani analysts in Washington who advise President Obama to 
address Pakistan's concerns, particularly vis-`-vis India, both in 
the short-term and following U.S. troop withdrawal.  Some dailies 
highlighted The Boston Globe's editorial urging President Obama to 
"stay neutral in Pakistan," and to "make sure that America is not 
identified with any one Pakistani politician or party." All TV 
networks reported a suicide bombing at the Press Club in Peshawar 
that killed several people.  End Summary. 
 
TOP STORIES 
 
News Story: Attempt To Oust Govt. Will Be Resisted With Full Might: 
PM "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is reported to have conveyed to 
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif a tough message from his party 
that it will resist with its full might any attempt to destabilize 
or dislodge its government, sources quoted him as telling the Chief 
Minister during a meeting in Islamabad on Monday." 
 
News Story: Zardari, Gilani Don't Want Institutional Confrontation 
"Daily Times" (12/22) 
 
"Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday called on President 
Asif Ali Zardari to brief him on his meeting with Pakistan Muslim 
League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore, and the two 
leaders agreed that there should not be a confrontation between 
institutions. Sources said Zardari and Gilani discussed the 
consultations that were underway with government allies and other 
political parties, to tackle the situation in the wake of the 
Supreme Court's (SC) verdict on the National Reconciliation 
Ordinance (NRO)." 
 
News Story: U.S. Dismisses Reports On Pak Air Violation  "Daily 
Times," "Jang," "Express," "Jinnah,'" "Pakistan," "Islam," 
"Mashriq," "Ausaf" (12/22) 
 
"The U.S. Embassy has dismissed allegations in the local press that 
U.S. aircraft violated Pakistan's airspace in the Mohmand Agency. 
The Embassy quoted a news report of a national daily on Saturday 
that claimed that U.S. jets were seen flying over Mohmand and flew 
almost 50 kilometers into the Pakistani airspace. 'These accusations 
are entirely false. No U.S. fighter aircraft flew over Mohmand as 
alleged in the article,' said a press release from the U.S. 
Embassy." 
 
News Story: U.S. Embassy Refutes Acquisition of Land in PM's Staff 
Colony "Nawa-i-Waqt," "Express" (12/22) 
 
"The U.S. Embassy rejected an article published in a national daily 
newspaper on Monday claiming that the Embassy has acquired land in 
the Prime Minister's Staff Colony, which has resulted in the 
issuance of eviction notices to eight Prime Minister's Secretariat 
staffers and their families. In a press release issued on Monday, 
the U.S. Embassy has rejected this story as entirely fictional 
saying it has not obtained any land in the Prime Minister's Staff 
Colony, nor has sought the eviction of residents from their homes. 
 
News Story: Parcels Sent To Embassies Can't Be Checked: U.S. "The 
Nation," "Jang," "Express," "Pakistan," "Mashriq" (12/22) 
 
"U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire has said parcels of any 
Embassy including U.S. cannot be checked nor can any custom duty be 
clamped thereon. He said this in an exclusive talk with Online in 
Islamabad Monday. 'Newspapers published articles on Monday alleging 
there was a disagreement between U.S. Consulate General Lahore staff 
and Pakistani customs officials at the Lahore airport regarding the 
receipt of routine diplomatic pouches.  These reports were in error 
-- the U.S. diplomatic pouches that arrived Saturday in Lahore were 
received without incident.'" 
 
News Story: Obama Must Address Pakistan's Concerns: Experts "Daily 
Times" (12/22) 
 
"President Barack Obama must complement his Afghan security strategy 
with a political plan and address Pakistan's concerns, particularly 
vis-`-vis India, both in the immediate and the post-U.S. troop 
pullout perspectives, top experts said while discussing imperatives 
of an effective way forward. Sharing their evaluation of the new 
U.S. plan with the Council on Foreign Relations, analysts also 
cautioned against any unilateral moves that may spell further 
difficulties for Islamabad as it struggles with consequences of the 
eight-year old Afghan war.... Maleeha Lodhi says Pak-U.S. 
relationship will run into problems if Washington fails to dispel 
Islamabad's concerns about new Afghan strategy.... Ahmed Rashid says 
U.S. needs to articulate a political strategy that includes India 
and Pakistan." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Not Given Enough Credit, Says Mullen "Dawn" 
(12/22) 
 
"Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has 
said that Pakistan does not get enough credit for its role in the 
war against extremists although some of its achievements were 
'pretty extraordinary.' 'Too many people eagerly and easily 
criticize Pakistan for what they haven't done, and when I go to Swat 
and look at what they did there on the military side I think it's 
pretty extraordinary,' said the U.S. military Chief while talking to 
journalists in Washington on Sunday." 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: 3 Die, 18 Hurt In Peshawar Suicide Blast "The News" 
(12/22) 
 
"At least three persons lost their lives and 18 others sustained 
injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the main 
gate of Press Club Building located on Sher Shah Sori Road in Saddar 
locality of Peshawar on Tuesday morning (Today), police sources 
confirmed." 
 
News Story: Arrested Americans Have 'No Regrets' "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"The five Americans facing life imprisonment have no remorse for 
plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, rather they 
regret 'they could not lay their lives in fight against infidels.' 
'We have no remorse for what we were planning. Rather we have 
regrets that we could not embrace Shahadat (martyrdom) for our cause 
to (wage) jihad against the U.S.,' they were quoted as saying by 
Sargodha District Police Officer Dr. Usman who was part of the Joint 
Investigating Team grilling the accused in Lahore." 
 
News Story: A Pak Firm Aiding Blackwater "The Nation" (12/22) 
 
"The heated debate regarding the misadventures of notorious 
Blackwater in Pakistan have rightly questioned the credibility and 
integrity of the covert organisation. Blackwater or Xe Worldwide, 
being an expansionist organisation, works on the agenda and 
directives of CIA, whether it is involved in the recent wave of 
bloodbath in Pakistan is yet to be determined, but the writing on 
the wall is too visible to be comprehended what lies underneath, and 
all this is happening with the active involvement of 'local 
Americans.' Jeremy Scahill, an investigative journalist whose recent 
article about Blackwater titled "Blackwater's Secret War in 
Pakistan" had given light to some of the darkest aspects of 
Blackwater, disclosed in an interview that a Pakistani company 
Kestral owned by Liaquat Ali Baig, was working with Blackwater to 
assist it in Pakistan with the collusion of Interior Ministry and 
Frontier Constabulary (FC)." 
 
News Story: Israel Wins $350m Tender To Produce Apcs For Afghan 
Troops "The Nation" (12/22) 
 
"The United States is trying to bring Israel overtly into the 
region, through Afghanistan. The latest attempt has been through the 
supply of arms to the military in Afghanistan. The Israeli Palsan 
company won a tender to supply $350 million worth of armored 
personnel carriers to soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, Israel 
Radio reported. Another Israeli company, Panas, is a subcontractor 
of Palsan and produces ballistic protection sheets manufactured 
using a specialized technology. Interestingly, Afghanistan does not 
recognize Israel and there are no diplomatic relations between the 
two countries." 
 
News Story: CM Says Defeated Taliban Targeting Civilians "Dawn" 
(12/22) 
 
"NWFP Chief Minister (CM) Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has hoped that the 
restive areas will be cleared of militants soon, saying the Taliban 
can no more fight the army. Talking to journalists in Timergara on 
Monday, he said that they would continue to fight the militants, who 
were killing innocent sons of the soil." 
 
News Story: Taliban Claim Control Of Over 80pc Of Afghanistan "The 
News" (12/22) 
 
"Rejecting as baseless the U.S. allegations about the presence of 
Afghan Taliban in the tribal areas, a militant commander said they 
did not need to flee to the neighboring country when the Taliban 
controlled major parts of Afghanistan. Mullah Sangeen, a key 
commander of the Afghan Taliban, claimed there was no truth in the 
U.S. charges, as the Taliban were holding 80 per cent of the 
territory in Afghanistan. In his video message, which the Taliban 
commander claimed was recorded in one of his camps in the Paktika 
province, he said the Haqqani network was active and based in 
Afghanistan. Sangeen is also affiliated with the network." 
 
News Story: Six Killed In Bajaur "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"Six militants were killed and five others injured when military 
planes pounded militants' hideouts in Bajaur tribal region on 
Monday. Sources said that militants' positions were targeted in 
Speray, Gatki, Yasha and Warha Kharki areas of Warh Mamond tehsil." 
 
 
News Story: School, BHU Blown Up In Kurram "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"Militants blew up a Primary School and a Basic Health Unit (BHU) in 
central Kurram Agency on Monday, officials said." 
 
News Story: Hoti: Nizam-e-Adl To Be Implemented In Malakand At All 
Costs "Pakistan Observer" (12/22) 
 
"NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has reaffirmed that 
Nizam-e-Adl will be implemented in Malakand division at all cost and 
said that provision of prompt and inexpensive justice is essential 
for good governance and elimination of disparities of the people. 
Expressing these views while talking to media representatives while 
inquiring the health of Police Line blast's injured at Timirgarah 
Lower Dir on Monday." 
 
News Story: JI Accuses Punjab Govt. Of Following Pro-U.S. Policies 
"Pakistan Observer" (12/22) 
 
"Punjab government has proved that it is also following pro American 
policy like federal government by imposing section 144 urgently in 
the mid of day on the occasion of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) 'go America 
go' rally. This was said by Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami district 
Rawalpindi Raja Abdul Waheed during a press conference in Rawalpindi 
on Monday." 
 
POLITICAL ISSUES 
 
News Story: Obama Should Stay Neutral In Pakistan: Boston Globe "The 
News," "The Nation" (12/22) 
 
"President Obama should end U.S. meddling in the Pakistani politics 
and his guiding principle must be to make sure that America is not 
identified with any one Pakistani politician or party, the 
influential Boston Globe said on Monday in an editorial on Pakistan 
after the NRO verdict." 
 
News Story: Accord On 17th Amendment, Zardari's Office: PPP And 
PML-N Agree To Cease Fire  "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"The PPP and the PML-N have reached an accord under which the former 
has assured the latter of doing away with the 17th Amendment and in 
return the PML-N has promised to support President Asif Ali Zardari 
in the current political crisis, according to sources in the 
presidency." 
 
ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT 
 
News Story: Establishing JSG: Afghanistan Concedes Pakistan's Demand 
 "Business Recorder" (12/22) 
 
"Afghanistan has conceded Pakistan's longstanding demand to 
establish a Joint Study Group (JSG) with the objective of suggesting 
measures to curb smuggling which is not only hurting Pakistan's 
domestic industry but is also compromising duty collection on 
imports like tea and tyres, sources told 'Business Recorder.' 
Pakistan achieved this success after three days of deliberations 
with Afghanistan under new Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade 
Agreement (APTTA) supported by U.S. State Department." 
 
News Story: Subsidy For Lifeline Consumers, Farm Sector Withdrawn: 
Power Tariff To Go Up By 13.5pc Next Month  "Dawn" (12/22) 
 
"The government has decided to withdraw electricity subsidies being 
given to lifeline consumers and the agriculture sector. A 
notification to this effect would be issued on Tuesday, sources told 
'Dawn.' The withdrawal of subsidy is part of the second phase of 
tariff increase under a commitment made to the International 
Monetary Fund. The tariff will be increased by 13.5 per cent for the 
January-March period next year." 
 
MISCELLANEOUS 
 
News Story: Another Tool To Safeguard American 'Interests' "The 
Nation" (12/22) 
 
"The higher authorities of Cuba have detained an employee of 
Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), the major U.S. government 
contractor providing services to the Pentagon and U.S. Agency for 
International Development (USAID), due of his involvement in covert 
activities, reports The New York Times." 
 
EDITORIALS/OPINIONS 
 
Editorial: Guarding Pak Interest, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/22) 
 
"Once again Pakistan is under U.S. pressure, this time on the issue 
of the Transit Trade Agreement with Afghanistan which is now being 
sponsored by the U.S. Earlier, it was feared that Pakistan would 
give in to U.S. demands and grant access to India across the land 
border, into Afghanistan and on to Central Asia.... Instead of 
allowing a backdoor entry to India, Pakistan needs to stress on the 
revival of the composite dialogue in order to discuss all bilateral 
issues - from Kashmir to security to trade.... Pakistan has tended 
to ignore security issues in the context of the Afghan transit 
trade, but in the prevailing situation with the U.S. attempting to 
assert its agenda on all fronts, and Pakistan being devastated by 
terrorism from internal and external forces, it has to put security 
issues at the forefront of the transit trade question." 
 
Editorial: Increase In Americans' Intolerable Undiplomatic 
Activities, an editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu 
daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/22) 
 
"Lahore has had 5 such incidents recently [involving Americans.] In 
the latest incident, while the Americans acted like hooligans, the 
Customs officials also did not fulfill their duties.... Why were 
American parcels allowed to leave [the airport] without checking and 
paying of the Custom duty? Instead of being plagued by an 
inferiority complex, [the customs'] officials should have used their 
authority more responsibly.... Pakistan is an independent and 
sovereign country; and the citizens are concerned over the 
activities of Americans and other foreigners. It is now open that 
they are acting on an anti-Pakistan agenda. The government must 
remain vigilant and stop their undiplomatic activities. If someone 
violates [the law] he or she should be dealt with according to the 
law; no favors or concessions must be accorded to them." 
 
Editorial: Americans' High-handedness And Anger Of Pakistani Masses, 
an editorial in the popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" 
(cir. 10,000) (12/22) 
 
"The silence of the mainstream political parties, the PPP and PML-N, 
over the suspicious activities of the U.S. nationals in Pakistan, 
and Washington's overt and covert conspiracies against our nukes, 
has become an enigma for the ordinary people.  Despite fully knowing 
the fact that all roads to the corridors of power in Islamabad pass 
through Washington, we hope that both of the main political parties 
would realize their responsibilities, particularly in the face of 
American designs against our national interests." 
 
Editorial: Country Needs Stability, Not Confrontation, an editorial 
in the leading mass circulation populist, often sensational Urdu 
daily "Jang" (cir. 300,000) (12/22) 
 
"At a time when Pakistan is virtually at war, both at home and on 
its borders, the threats from various religious political parties to 
hold protest demonstrations against the government will further 
aggravate the prevailing dangerous situation. On the one hand, India 
is not honoring its pledges made in the Sharm al Sheikh declaration, 
while, on the other, the U.S. officials are relentlessly expressing 
unjustifiable concerns regarding the safety of our nuclear assets. 
Moreover, the dubious activities of the American diplomats have 
become a constant source of concern and anxiety for the Pakistani 
masses. Under these circumstances, we think that our political 
leadership must forge unity, rather than stoking dissociation in the 
society." 
 
Editorial: Horrible Consequences Of Drone Attacks On Quetta, an 
editorial in the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan 
Observer" (cir. 5,000) (12/22) 
 
"Knowledgeable circles in Islamabad have expressed their fears that 
the U.S. plan to launch drone attacks in Balochistan could be 
implemented any time as the deployment of additional 30,000 troops 
announced by President Obama begins.... Keeping these developments 
in view, we would like to warn all concerned that if this happens, 
it would have horrible consequences as Pakistan in no case would 
allow violation of its sovereignty and further destabilization of 
the largest province which is already witnessing incidents of 
lawlessness. Therefore it is the time, the Government must use every 
forum and firmly say 'NO' to drone attacks or ground incursions by 
foreign forces in Balochistan." 
 
Editorial: The Road To Peace, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/22) 
 
"Expressing the view that the road to peace in the subcontinent lies 
through the resolution of Kashmir, former U.S. Ambassador to 
Pakistan Ronald Spiers has called for bringing the issue off 'the 
backburner' to the forefront and settling it.... One would wish the 
Indian leadership to dispassionately assess the implications of the 
High Commissioner's remarks that the present diplomatic vacuum (the 
absence of contact to resolve disputes) was strengthening the 
forces, which do not want the two countries to make progress. At the 
very least, India should listen to a third party, Ambassador Spiers, 
who has made more or less a similar statement when he predicated 
Kashmir's solution to peace." 
 
Editorial: Copenhagen Agreement, an editorial in the country's 
premier business newspaper, "Business Recorder" (cir. 25,000) 
(12/22) 
 
"Among the positive points is that major economies have for the 
first time come together to accept their responsibility to take 
action to confront the issue of climate change. The accord provides 
a system for monitoring and reporting progress towards the national 
pollution-reduction goals.... Among the failures of the agreement is 
that it does not set a 2010 goal for reaching a binding 
international treaty on the issue, which many countries had 
demanded. The agreement also does not commit the industrialized or 
the developing nations to firm targets for mid-term or long-term 
greenhouse gas emission reductions.... The agreement may not be 
ideal, but this was the only practical thing possible in the 
prevailing circumstances." 
 
Editorial: A Raw Deal, an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal 
English daily "The Post" (cir. 5,000) (12/22) 
 
"Despite Ban Ki-moon trying to put a gloss over the limited accord 
the fact of the matter is that final results have been far from what 
the developing countries expected from Copenhagen.... The truth is 
that the industrialized countries have once again shirked their 
responsibility to do their bit to mitigate the effects of global 
warming.... What has been offered at Copenhagen is mere peanuts 
which will not make the slightest difference to the situation. 
Glaciers are melting fast and sea levels are rising everywhere 
putting many island nations at risk. Many countries are faced with 
creeping threat of desertification. Needless to say, the planet will 
become inhabitable sooner than later if the rich nations do not act 
fast." 
 
Opinion: A Case Of Unchecked Terrorists, an op-ed by Ishtiaq Ahmad 
in the Lahore-based liberal English language daily "Daily Times" 
(cir. 10,000) (12/22) 
 
"Interior Minister Rehman Malik has ruled out the presence of any 
U.S. terrorists in Pakistan. 'There is no presence of Blackwater in 
Pakistan. Unfortunately, all the terrorists in the country are 
Pakistani nationals.' Now, if there is no U.S. terrorist in Pakistan 
and all the terrorists in the country are Pakistani nationals, it 
does not mean that there is no Blackwater presence in Pakistan." 
 
Opinion: Karzai Passes The First Test, an op-ed by Rahimullah 
Yusufzai in the populist, often sensational national English daily 
"The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/22) 
 
"Under pressure from the western nations that have invested heavily 
in blood and money to keep him in power, President Hamid Karzai has 
retained ministers favored by the U.S. and its allies in his 
23-member cabinet and appointed new ones reportedly untainted by 
corruption. It was a tough balancing act for the beleaguered Afghan 
leader as he had to please not only the western capitals but also 
powerful Afghan warlords who had backed him in the recent 
presidential election. As if this wasn't enough of a challenge, he 
needed to keep in mind the interest of the competing political, 
regional and ethnic groups brought together in a broad and unwieldy 
coalition to confront the growing challenge by the Taliban.... 
Afghan warlords are no longer favored by the U.S. and its western 
allies after having been armed and paid to fight the Taliban and Al 
Qaeda." 
 
(All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson