Pakistan in Media

ISLAMABAD: There is the potential for spread of the trends of Talibanisation in India and it would be in mutual interest of India and Pakistan to sincerely cooperate with each other to eliminate the menace of terrorism from region.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said this on Wednesday in a telephonic interview to a private television channel. He said Muslims are second largest population group in India and are facing suppression. He said the Indian leadership should realise this situation could be exploited any time by vested interests.

NEW DELHI: Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Monday that the possibility of a limited war under a nuclear overhang was still very much a reality in South Asia.

Addressing a seminar on “Changing Nature of Conflict: Trends and Responses,” he said South Asia, along with West Asia, had emerged as “one of the epicentres of conflict and instability.” He said the situation would “worsen since there is neither any political nor diplomatic unity, nor any common ground to build a consensus to fight this new war.” Gen Kapoor said: “Territorial disputes, provocation by proxy wars, religious fundamentalism, radical extremism, ethnic tensions and socio-economic disparities are the hallmark of South Asia.”

He said sub-conventional conflicts might force nations to undertake interventions on “purely humanitarian grounds if the diaspora is under threat, sovereignty of nations being questioned, such as attacks on missions abroad, and national assets and foreign soil being used constantly for attack by state and non-state actorsî.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Defence Minister AK Antony said the threat of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands was an “area of serious concern” and its consequences would be “unimaginable”.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that his Indian counterpart Chidambaram should arrest the culprits of the Samjhota Express and Rajiv Gandhi’s killers instead of blaming Pakistan of being incapable of coping with terrorists.

Talking to newsmen he said on Wednesday: “If we talk about the composite dialogue, they should not consider it our weakness at all.” Responding to a question, he said India threatens to attack Pakistan after every three months, adding, “We are a nuclear state and not so weak; rather, we know how to retaliate.

“I ask the Indian prime minister that if they have any information about more Mumbai-like attacks they should share it with Pakistan and we will look into it and would get back in 48 hours. But if India does not share anything then they would be responsible for any incident,” he said.

“I have time and again said there is Indian involvement in Balochistan and we have evidence, which could be shared with India, if they agree to come and sit with us.” Malik said: “We have not received the 7th dossier so far; however, we have arrested all the seven accused of Mumbai attacks.”

With the Americans refusing to take sides in any part of the conflict that doesn’t suit their own national interests, little incentive remains for the Pakistanis to construct a strategy that would leave them without options after American withdrawal.

As Pakistan was rocked by bomb blasts, from Lahore to Peshawar to Kohat, Hakimullah Mehsud, the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban, issued a statement threatening to dispatch Islamic militants to India once an Islamic state had been established in Pakistan. In his statement Hakimullah said: “We want an Islamic state, if we get that then we will go to the borders and fight the Indians.”

NEW YORK: While the Pakistani media and many politicians are going ballistic about how the Kerry- Lugar bill impairs Pakistan’s sovereignty do they have any idea how angry the Indians are?

According to Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna “New Delhi was concerned as former Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf had himself disclosed that his country had diverted some aid—which the US gives the South Asian nation as funding for the war on terror—to bolster defences against India.”

According to a former Indian intelligence chief, “Despite India’s constant protests regarding the misuse of American aid by Pakistan, US President Barack Obama recently urged “sustained and expanded” support for Pakistan at an international meeting. The objective ostensibly was to “strengthen” Pakistan to defeat terrorism.” Mr Obama said, “The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world. Above all, they threaten the security of the Pakistani people.” This, in spite of former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf’s candid admission that under his regime Pakistan had misused US military aid to arm itself against India.

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan are racing to complete the 330MW Kishanganga and the 960MW Neelam-Jhelum power projects, respectively, as the Indus Water Treaty does not permit for both projects to operate simultaneously.

The plans made available to Daily Times reveal the Indian project would divert the River Neelam to Wullar Lake, leaving very little water for the Pakistani project, which is a mere 70 kilometres downstream from the Indian Kishanganga project. According to the Indus Water Treaty, the project commissioned first would be accorded top priority. In the case of Pakistan, this would likely mean that the Neelam-Jhelum project would have to be abandoned, as the Kishanganga project would leave very little water for Pakistan to use.
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ISLAMABAD: September 10, 2009 was a milestone in the history of India-Pakistan relations. Just a day before the 8th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks a very important development in India-Pakistan relations took place in the federal capital. It was the first time the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, was the guest of the Indian high commissioner, Sharat Sabharwal, at an Iftar dinner at a local hotel. Gen Pasha was wearing a Jinnah style black Sherwani, which is the national dress of Pakistan.

Pasha was not the only top ISI official present at the dinner. Two other top ISI officials were also present with their staff. The ISI director-general and High Commissioner Sabharwal exchanged smiles while sitting on the same table in the presence of former National Assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan.
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Dawn, Pakistan, Monday, 27 Jul, 2009
THE ghosts of Kargil continue to haunt us, and will continue to do so, unless we get to know the truth. Surprisingly, nobody talks about it more than the two men responsible for the disaster — the prime minister and the army chief in 1999. We have heard their versions many times, and they keep repeating themselves. Pervez Musharraf says that Nawaz Sharif was “on board” all along and that he was briefed by the military high command beforehand. We have also seen some photographs showing the prime minister being briefed — with maps and all that — and Mr Sharif somewhere in Azad Kashmir. That proves nothing.
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Dawn, Pakistan,Thursday, 23 Jul, 2009
FOR quite some time now, Pakistani officials have been both hinting and asserting that there is an Indian hand behind the insurgency in Balochistan. India, it is alleged, has been using its growing influence in Kabul to channel weapons and funds to separatists in Balochistan, besides funding a training camp in Kandahar for the likes of the Baloch Republican Army. India’s Research and Analysis Wing also stands accused of masterminding other terrorist acts in Pakistan, including deadly assaults on the Sri Lankan cricket team and a police academy in Lahore. New Delhi for its part has insisted, and not without reason, that it be provided with concrete evidence of Indian involvement. This has now been done, with the reported handing over of a dossier detailing instances of Indian interference in Pakistan. The evidence apparently includes pictures of some senior Baloch separatist leaders conferring with Indian operatives as well as details of safe houses run by RAW in Afghanistan. Proof of India’s involvement in terror financing in Pakistan has also been provided, it is said, as have the names of Indian agents who crossed the border to link up with militants on this side of Wagah.
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Pakistan is yet to clear a pre- partition debt of Rs 300 crore to India, which has been carrying forward year after year in its Budget account as a "liability".

The Budget books refer to this Rs 300 crore as "amount due from Pakistan on account of share of pre-partition debt."
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The News International, Pakistan, Sunday, July 19, 2009
Responding to a question, the prime minister said the issue of Indian interference in Balochistan and other areas of Pakistan also figured during the talks and this was also reflected in the joint statement issued after the meeting. He said that he had mentioned about the information and evidence that Pakistan had in this connection.
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The News International, Pakistan, Friday, July 17, 2009
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Pakistan and India have agreed to de-link the composite dialogue between the two countries from terrorism. The dialogue process was stalled in November last in the wake of Mumbai attacks.

“It should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.” This has been asserted in the joint statement issued here at Martim Hotel after three hours of talks between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh.

Singh’s attention drawn to Indian hand in Balochistan insurgency; Delhi ready to discuss all issues, reviewing Pak dossier on Mumbai attacks; both countries to share information on terror threat.
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Dawn, Pakistan, Sunday, 12 Jul, 2009
Lastly, it is widely recognised that unless India has peaceful, friendly and prosperous neighbours its ambitions to become a global economic power could be thwarted. As the biggest country in South Asia, it is in India’s self-interest to promote regional stability, expand cooperation in trade, investment, access to technology etc. and to remove irritants in relations with others, and be ready to resolve outstanding disputes. The arrogant and patronising attitude towards its neighbouring countries has to give way to more understanding and empathy.

India’s economic aspirations to become a rich country within a generation are ambitious. The challenges facing the country are multiple but peace with its neighbours and prosperity in these countries are essential to achieving this goal.
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The News International, Pakistan, Sunday, July 12, 2009
The complexity of the relationship between America and the countries of the sub-continent almost defies analysis. As a nation we are heavily dependent on American aid and support in a host of ways from military to civil, from equipment and intelligence to governance and livestock breeding. Karachi was recently plastered with signs in Urdu and English erected by a political party saying ‘Go America, go’. A poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org in the last week reveals that there has been a significant shift in public opinion opposed to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda but that Pakistanis do not trust president Obama and his administration. Seventy per cent of those polled were sympathetic to government actions in Swat and elsewhere but a large majority was opposed to the US-led war in Afghanistan. We mostly welcome the aid – indeed it is a truism that we would find it difficult to survive without it – but have little trust in the motives of the hand that delivers it.

The most recent wrinkle in the love/hate relationship between the superpower and the suppliant concerns the reshaping of Americas relationship with India – and Pakistan. The normally torpid realms of foreign affairs where matters and change proceed at a slow crawl, are – comparatively speaking – moving at a brisk trot. America is casting off the skin of the Bush era and a new skin with a slightly – but not radically – different pattern is emerging. America needs both countries to be ‘on side’ but for widely differing (yet interlocking) reasons. India is an emerging regional superpower which America sees as a counterweight to a bullish China. Pakistan and Afghanistan are of crucial strategic importance to America and both have deep inherent instabilities as well as an assortment of wars and insurgencies being fought within their collective borders. India is currently concerned that American aid will be turned from ploughshare into sword. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, has moved swiftly to counteract Indian fears that the aid that is coming to Pakistan will be diverted into the hands of extremists or used to boost our military assets in such a way as to threaten India. Blake said … “The new focus in terms of our relationship with Pakistan is to dramatically increase economic assistance to Pakistan to help that country overcome some of its economic challenges and to extend the writ of the government to other parts of Pakistan. And all of those things should be very much in India’s interest as well.”
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The News International, Pakistan, Monnday, June 29, 2009
WASHINGTON: The United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert O Blake has said the US will support dialogue between India and Pakistan to promote regional stability.

Briefing the US Congress he, however, made it clear that the US will leave it to both the countries to chalk out their own course of action in this regard. “India and Pakistan face common challenge and we will support continuing dialogue to find joint solutions to counter terrorism and to promote regional stability,” he said.
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The News International, Pakistan, Sunday, June 28, 2009
NEW DELHI: India Army chief General Deepak Kapoor claimed on Saturday that India had never been a threat to Pakistan.

“India has never been a threat to Pakistan. India will be happy to see stability in Pakistan,” Kapoor said in Hyderabad when asked by media persons about call to India to reduce its forces on borders with Pakistan enabling it to deploy more troops on its western borders to fight Taliban.
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The News International, Pakistan, Saturday, June 27, 2009
ISLAMABAD: The meeting in Trieste on the sidelines of the G-8 Outreach Meeting on Afghanistan, took place in a cordial atmosphere, says a press release issued from the office of the Foreign Office spokesman here.

Reciprocating the sentiment, the Indian foreign minister said India, too, had very positive sentiments for Pakistan. Qureshi expressed the need for constructive engagement and sustained dialogue to address common challenges and to resolve the outstanding issues, irritants and disputes, including problems of water, menace of regional and global terrorism and the unresolved dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the process of dialogue between the leadership of the two countries will continue with the meeting between the prime ministers in Sharm el Sheikh.
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Daily Times, Pakistan, Thursday, June 25, 2009
insight: Ejaz Haider
If and when India and Pakistan go into yet another round of talks, they are likely to talk-talk without really walking the talk. India doesn’t have any incentive to go beyond this and Pakistan will settle for nothing less than something substantive. These are conflicting goals

The meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and India’s Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and the decision to let the foreign secretaries meet has rekindled hopes that the two states may resume the dialogue that got stalled after the Mumbai attacks.
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The News International, Pakistan, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
MUMBAI: An Indian court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for 22 Pakistani nationals accused of masterminding last year’s deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks, including the founder of a militant group recently freed by a Pakistani court.

Among those sought for arrest were Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India blames for the launching attacks — and Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, two leaders of the group.
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The News International, Pakistan, Tuesday, June 23, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Hectic efforts are continuing for setting up a date and venue for a meeting between Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and his Indian counterpart Shivshankar Menon before the six-day Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, starting on July 11.
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