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UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO OIIP OPRC PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT:  PAKISTAN MEDIA REACTION: DECEMBER 30, 2009 
 
Summary: The aftermath of the terrorist attack in Karachi continues 
to dominate front-page news this morning.  All major English dailies 
carried President Obama's statement on the failed U.S. airliner 
attack.  "Dawn" carried the headline: "Terror havens in four states: 
US", focusing on his commitment to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat 
the violent extremists...whether they are from Afghanistan or 
Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia, or anywhere they are plotting attacks 
against the U.S. homeland."  Media widely reported the Pakistani 
military spokesman's response to a Washington Post article alleging 
political and military leadership involvement in transfer of 
nuclear-related material to North Korea by Dr. A.Q. Khan in the 
1990s.  Newspapers highlighted President Zardari's comments in 
defense of Pakistan's democratic system and Pakistan Muslim 
League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif's remarks that there is no 
threat to Pakistan's democratic system and that his party will 
defend the present government if threats emerge.  "The News" 
reported Sharif's statement warning the government against "growing 
U.S. influence" in Pakistan.  Several papers carried the U.S. 
Embassy's condemnation of the Muharram procession attacks and two 
corrections rejecting fictitious reports published in The Nation. 
The reports alleged that a U.S. B-52 aircraft was seen hovering over 
FATA and that the U.S. is brokering a deal on the Kashmir dispute 
between India and Pakistan. 
 
TOP STORIES 
 
Obama Concedes 'Systemic Failure' In Anti-Terror Protection "The 
Nation" (12/30) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said that a 'systemic 
failure' occurred in the intelligence network ahead of the thwarted 
attack on a U.S.-bound flight from Amsterdam on Christmas Day. 'This 
is unacceptable,' he said and asked the authorities to submit to him 
a preliminary report on the failed attempt by a Nigerian national to 
blow up a North West Airlines plane on December 25." 
 
News Story: Terror Havens In Four States: U.S. "Dawn" (12/30) 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama has identified Afghanistan, Pakistan, 
Yemen and Somalia as the four places where terrorists were hatching 
plans to attack the United States. In a statement issued on Monday 
evening, Mr. Obama also vowed to track down the plotters behind the 
attempted Christmas Day aeroplane bombing attack. He said the attack 
was a serious reminder of the danger his nation faced." 
 
News Story: Karachi In Grip Of Grief And Anger As Blast Toll Rises 
To 43 "Dawn" (12/30) 
 
"A deep sense of grief and anger prevailed in Karachi on Tuesday as 
victims of Monday's suicide attack on the main Ashura procession in 
the city were laid to rest and religious scholars made an 
impassioned plea for sectarian harmony and peace. The city was at a 
standstill with shops and markets, government offices and 
educational institutions closed and public and private transport off 
the road. At least 43 people were killed and 60 others injured when 
the bomber struck the procession on the M.A. Jinnah Road at about 
4.15pm near the Light House area." 
 
TERRORISM/MILITARY ISSUES 
 
News Story: Zardari Confident Of Victory Over Militants "Dawn" 
(12/30) 
 
"President Asif Ali Zardari has assured his U.S. supporters that his 
government is determined to carry on with the fight against 
militants until victory is achieved. 'We will not let militants 
violently impose their political agenda on the people,' Mr. Zardari 
wrote in an op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal." 
 
News Story: Terrorists Working On Foreign Agenda: PM "The News" 
(12/30) 
 
"Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said terrorists 
were working on a foreign agenda but the government had taken 
effective steps to crush them. He was talking to media persons after 
inaugurating a 100-unit Labor Housing Colony and distributing 
allotment letters of these houses among 100 laborers in Gwadar." 
 
News Story: COAS Warns Against Airstrikes; Tripartite Commission 
Meeting "The Nation" (12/30) 
"The Tripartite Commission comprising senior military 
representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and coalition forces in 
Afghanistan held its 29th meeting in Kabul on Tuesday.... The 
participants showed satisfaction over the existing level of 
cooperation.... The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) raised the recent 
incidents of firing inside the Pakistani border and said that 
Pakistan's sovereignty should be respected and if the allied troops 
have any information of viable target inside Pakistan then they 
should share that information with the Pakistani authorities who 
would then take action themselves." 
 
News Story: Pakistan Denies Transfer Of N-Material To N. Korea 
"Dawn" (12/30) 
 
"Pakistan rejected on Tuesday allegations about involvement of the 
political and military leadership in transfer of nuclear-related 
material to North Korea by Dr A.Q. Khan in the 1990s. Jeffery Smith 
and Joe Warrick leveled the allegations in an article in Washington 
Post headlined "Pakistani scientists depicts more advanced nuclear 
program in North Korea", and claimed that these were based on 'a 
previously unpublicized account' by Dr Khan, implicating former 
President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, the current Chief of 
Strategic Plans Division General (Retd) Khalid Kidwai and other 
officials.... Military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said there was 
no state-level connivance as had been alleged in the article." 
 
News Story: U.S. Denies Its Bomber Violated Pakistani Airspace 
"Daily times," "Jang," Nawa-i-Waqt," "Express," "Aaj-Kal," "Islam" 
(12/30) 
 
"The U.S. Embassy on Tuesday denied a report published in a national 
daily on Monday, which claimed that a U.S. B-52 bomber aircraft was 
seen flying over Waziristan and the Kurram Agency over the past 
several weeks. 'These accusations are entirely baseless. No B-52 
aircraft flew over North and South Waziristan or the Kurram Agency 
as alleged in the article,' the Embassy said in a statement." 
 
News Story: Thirty Seven Militants, Four Levy Men Killed In Orakzai 
"Dawn" (12/30) 
 
"Helicopter gunships shelled suspected Taliban positions in Anjani 
area of lower Orakzai Agency on Tuesday and killed 16 militants. The 
helicopters went into action after five volunteers of a tribal 
Lashkar and four levy personnel had been killed in clashes with 
militants in Chamjana area. Twenty-nine militants were killed in the 
clash, according to sources." 
 
News Story: Mohmand Clashes Leave 7 Dead "Dawn" (12/30) 
 
"Four children, a woman and two security personnel were killed in an 
exchange of fire and shelling in Mohmand tribal region on Monday and 
Tuesday." 
 
News Story: Four NATO Oil Tankers Destroyed Near Sibi "Dawn" (12/30) 
 
 
"Four oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces in Afghanistan were 
gutted by bomb blasts near Sibi on Tuesday. A driver was seriously 
injured in the explosions. An explosive device planted under a truck 
was defused by police, averting further damage, according to 
sources." 
 
POLITICAL ISSUES 
 
News Story: No Threat To Democratic System: Nawaz; Says He Wouldn't 
Accept U.S. Dictates "The News" (12/30) 
 
"PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that there was no threat 
to the democratic system in the country and that his party would 
defend the government if such a situation emerged. 'We are ready to 
defend the government if any threat emerges. I believe the 
undemocratic attitude of the government and the 17th Amendment are 
the real challenges that the democratic system is facing,' he said 
while talking to reporters in Oghi town. Nawaz said the government 
should follow and implement the Charter of Democracy in letter and 
spirit to overcome all challenges.... He warned the government 
against the growing U.S. influence in the country." 
 
News Story: U.S. Says It's Not Brokering Any Kashmir Deal "Daily 
Times," "Express" (12/30) 
"The U.S. is not brokering any settlement between Pakistan and India 
to resolve the Kashmir dispute, the U.S. Embassy said on Tuesday. 
The embassy was responding to an article published in a local 
national daily on Monday, which stated that the U.S. Special 
Representative Ambassador Richard Holbrooke told an interviewer that 
the U.S. was brokering a deal on the Kashmir dispute between India 
and Pakistan." 
 
ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT 
 
News Story: Pakistan Receives $1.2bn Payment From IMF "Daily Times" 
(12/30) 
 
"Pakistan has received $1.2 billion from the International Monetary 
Fund (IMF), the fourth tranche of an emergency loan facility agreed 
upon last year, State Bank of Pakistan Chief spokesman Syed 
Wasimuddin said on Tuesday." 
 
News Story: Over 10,000 Jobs, Rs30bn Lost To Arson In Karachi "Dawn" 
(12/30) 
 
"Over 10,000 people have lost their jobs because of a blaze that 
gutted between 2,000 and 3,000 shops located between Light House and 
Boulton Market in the old city area on Monday, causing an estimated 
loss of Rs30 billion." 
 
EDITORIALS/OPINIONS 
 
Editorial: Karachi Attacks,  an editorial in the Karachi-based 
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) 
(12/30) 
 
"Karachi's city centre was still burning the day after a suicide 
attack on a Muharram procession claimed nearly 40 lives.... No one 
can say with certainty whether Monday's attack was motivated solely 
by sectarian hatred or if it is part of the wider menace of 
Taliban-inspired terrorism. Many seem inclined towards the latter 
view, arguing that the blast was aimed at provoking sectarian strife 
and opening up a new front to further destabilize a country that is 
already at war.... Still, the need for a united stand against 
terrorism cannot be emphasized enough. The physical fight must be 
complemented by moral resolve." 
 
Editorial: Karachi Attack, an editorial in the Lahore-based liberal 
English language daily "Daily Times" (cir. 10,000) (12/30) 
 
"Public outrage and subsequent damage to businesses and property has 
served as an added problem for the security apparatus. It has yet to 
be established whether the public reaction was purely spontaneous or 
certain elements systematically carried out the rampage in order to 
inflict maximum damage, but the enormity of the loss of life and 
property is a grim reminder to the security agencies of their 
failings. There is literally no way a determined suicide bomber 
could be stopped from carrying out his mission. This kind of 
guerrilla warfare can only be fought through better intelligence and 
by infiltrating the enemy's networks and busting them from within. 
The government would be well advised to work on these lines if it is 
sincere in its efforts to defeat the hydra of militancy." 
 
Editorial: Multiple Targets, an editorial in the populist, often 
sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 55,000) (12/30) 
 
"The bombing of the Ashura procession was, from the point of view of 
those who planned and resourced it, highly successful.... We may 
never know what the real intention of the attack was - whether it 
was to spark sectarian conflict or more broadly destabilize the 
city. Time will tell on both counts, but what is clear is that 
despite Karachi having thus far escaped the worst it is in reality 
as vulnerable as anywhere else. 'Foolproof' security exists only as 
a fantasy. The bombers know this and, they having left their calling 
card, we may be certain that they will be paying a return visit - 
'foolproof' security or not." 
 
Editorial: Tragic Madness, an editorial in the center-right national 
English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/30) 
 
"It is understandable that the incidents, which hurt the religious 
sensitivities of a large section of the people, cannot fail to rouse 
fury and anger of the public and one should expect street protests, 
violent perhaps, to take place. But the aftermath of the suicide 
bombing at Karachi appeared to go beyond that limit; it looked to be 
well organized and pre-planned, as if the suicide and the rioters 
had some link." 
 
Editorial: Bloody Mayhem In Karachi And Muzaffarabad; Understand 
Enemy's Design And Think Of Saving The Country, an editorial in the 
second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily "Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) 
(12/30) 
 
"Rulers' imprudence has pitted us against grave terrorism with our 
enemy taking advantage of our internal weaknesses.  In view of the 
reports on nefarious activities of Indian intelligence agency RAW 
and American Blackwater the government needed to be vigilant....  It 
would have been appropriate for the government to stop the military 
operation in South Waziristan in reverence to Muharram thus giving 
the militants a message of peace and brotherhood." 
 
Editorial: NATO's Failure In Afghanistan, an editorial in the 
popular rightist Urdu-language daily "Ausaf" (cir. 10,000) (12/30) 
 
"The NATO's admission that the Taliban have regained control over 
most of the provinces of Afghanistan is an evidence of the failure 
of Washington and its allies in this war. Now they are wasting 
dollars and the lives of their soldiers in Afghanistan only for 
face-saving. We think that the time has come for the general public 
in the U.S. and Europe to hold their rulers accountable over the 
wastage of their tax-money. In fact, only the ordinary citizens of 
these countries can prevent their governments from undertaking such 
futile adventures in the future." 
 
Editorial: NATO in Afghanistan, an editorial in the center-right 
national English daily "The Nation" (cir. 20,000) (12/30) 
 
"A NATO report has conceded that the Taliban have control of 33 of 
the country's 34 provinces, and practically are in government 
there.... This should be a more than sufficient indication to the 
Pakistan government that it has supported the United States too much 
and for too long. It needs a strong and stable Afghanistan more than 
NATO, and so it must ensure that the shape of a post-occupation 
Afghanistan is in place in advance of the inevitable departure of 
foreign forces from Afghanistan. The failure to do so when the USSR 
left Afghanistan led to the rise of the Taliban and the present 
imbroglio. As the United States and allied NATO forces are likely to 
repeat the hastiness of their departure, Pakistan must be ready to 
see that the Afghan situation does not become harmful for it or the 
world." 
 
Opinion: Decade Of Terror, an op-ed by Rafia Zakaria in the 
Karachi-based center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" 
(cir. 55,000) (12/30) 
 
"Despite all these efforts countries large and small, weak and 
strong have failed to corner the non-state warrior who has remained 
impenetrable and largely unassailable. As warfare has moved away 
from the army barracks into the cave, the rented room and the 
abandoned warehouse the world is set to end the first decade of the 
millennium horrified by the terror unleashed but helpless against 
it." 
 
Opinion: NATO Needs Afghan War, an op-ed by Farooq Sulehria in the 
populist, often sensational national English daily "The News" (cir. 
55,000) (12/30) 
 
"For a while, the Iraq war overshadowed the Afghan war. But not for 
long. And it is not merely the deterioration in the Afghan situation 
that Hindukush drew Washington's attention yet again. The Afghan 
theatre also provides the White House with an opportunity to 
discipline NATO allies as well as testing new East European 
mercenaries keen to enter NATO. It is of course Obama's political 
future at stake in Afghanistan that has prompted the recent surge of 
30,000 U.S. troops. The U.S. hawks will make it impossible for Obama 
to run for the next term if he is seen as a dove." 
 
Opinion: Psy War Against Pak Nukes, an op-ed by Dr. Raja M. Khan in 
the Islamabad-based rightist English daily "Pakistan Observer" (cir. 
5,000) (12/30) 
 
"Seeing the sensitive nature of the matter; it is expected that our 
allies must desist from passing irresponsible comments on the 
Pakistani nukes. The current phase of the psychological warfare 
against the Pakistani nukes must cease. Such reports indeed promote 
Indian view point, which considers a nuclear Pakistan as the biggest 
barrier in its super power ambitions." 
 
Editorial: President Zardari's Speech Was Mere Perturbation, an 
editorial in the second-largest, nationalist Urdu daily 
"Nawa-i-Waqt" (cir. 150,000) (12/30) 
 
"Analysts and political leaders of the country think that President 
Zardari's speech on Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary did not 
behoove of a dominant President and the head of a popular political 
party.  According to them, the speech demonstrated agitation of mind 
and he appeared hurling threats on every institution including the 
army and judiciary.... This was a declaration of war kind of speech 
that could also be described as madness....  People think that due 
to governance failure and his weaknesses the PPP chief is bent upon 
giving reign of the country into the hands of undemocratic forces. 
On the other hand, the undemocratic hands are not willing to accept 
this offer; they want to give full opportunity to the democratic 
force." 
 
Editorial: Protests in Iran, an editorial in the Karachi-based 
center-left independent national English daily "Dawn" (cir. 55,000) 
(12/30) 
 
"The recent death of Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Montazeri, a reformist 
opposition religious leader, provided Iranian dissidents the 
opportunity to revive their protest. The government's poor handling 
of the crisis and the resultant anger has no doubt boosted the 
protest movement in Iran.... The support extended by the U.S. and 
some European powers has boosted the opposition's morale in Iran. 
But it has also given Mr. Ahmadinejad the pretext to dub the protest 
movement as foreign-inspired and crush dissension." 
 
 (All circulation figures are based on estimation) 
Patterson