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Foreign Media Builds Theme- ‘Pak and its agencies supporting Terrorists’

1.     A glance at foreign media in first four days of Feb after leak of a NATO report appeared in BBC  ;:

a.      BBC, In quotes: Excerpts from Nato report on Taliban: A secret Nato report seen by the BBC suggests the Taliban in Afghanistan are being directly helped by the Pakistani security service (ISI).

b.      BBC, Pakistan helping Afghan Taliban – Nato

c.      Reuters, Taliban vows to retake Afghanistan: report, The Taliban, backed by Pakistan, remains confident despite a decade of NATO efforts that it will retake control of Afghanistan, NATO said in a new classified report that raises more questions about Afghanistan's future as foreign forces withdraw

d.      CNN, (Canada):Pakistan ties to Taliban raised in report, By Nick Paton Walsh

e.      CNN, (Canada):Secret NATO Taliban report revives Pakistan fears, By Nick Paton Walsh,

f.       Financial Times, (UK):Pakistan rejects Taliban ‘blame games ’By Matthew Green,

g.      Financial Times, (UK):US report says Pakistan backing Taliban, By Matthew Green,

h.      New York Times, (US): NATO Plays Down Report of Collaboration Between Taliban and Pakistan, By Rod Nordland And Declan Walsh: A spokesman for the NATO-led coalition on Wednesday confirmed the existence of a report that summarizes the views of Taliban detainees, who claim that they are winning the war thanks to cooperation from some Afghan government officials and soldiers and who say their movement is controlled by Pakistan’s intelligence service.

i.        Telegraph, (UK): Pakistan security services 'intimately involved' with assisting Afghan Taliban, Chris Irvine.

j.        Telegraph, (UK): Taliban intact and getting Pakistan backing, Nato report reveals, Ben Farmer, and Rob Crilly

k.      The Guardian, (UK):Taliban believe they will take over from US and Nato in Afghanistan – report, Julian Borger

l.        Washington Post, (US)/ AP, (US):Afghan Taliban deny they’re ready to talk peace as NATO report shows insurgents confident

m.     Washington Post, (US): NATO report: Pakistan spy service still aiding Taliban in Afghan war, By Richard Leiby.

2.      Media and facts negating above and showing other side of the picture:

a.      BBC News, (UK): Pakistan dismisses Nato report on Afghan Taliban links: Speaking alongside her Afghan counterpart in Kabul, Hina Rabbani Khar said allegations in the report were "old wine in an even older bottle".

b.      Telegraph, (UK): Leaked Nato report proves American anger at Pakistan, Rob Crilly: The report tells us a little about the state of the Taliban. The leak tells us a lot about American anger at Pakistan.

c.      Telegraph, (UK):Pakistan rejects Nato report that it supports Taliban

d.      The Guardian, (UK): Nato prediction of Taliban victory in Afghanistan is immensely damaging, Simon Tisdall

e.      Voice of America, (US): Pakistan Dismisses Allegations of Afghan Taliban Support

f.       Washington Post, (US)/ AP, (US):Taliban deny ‘baseless’ reports of direct talks with Afghan government

• ·         Few examples of militants attack on Pak Army/ISI and its installments:

a.      Guardian (UK) Pakistan militants launch deadly attack on Rawalpindi mosque by Declan Walsh, 4 December 2009 : Suicide attackers have swarmed through a Pakistani mosque frequented by senior army officers, shooting randomly, killing worshippers at close range and exploding bombs in a frenzied attack that killed at least 40 people. The bloody assault jolted even violence-weary Pakistanis because it occurred during Friday prayers in Rawalpindi, the country's most heavily guarded city. The army confirmed two serving generals and four other officers were among the dead.

b.      BBC: Pakistan spy agency office attacked in Multan, 8 December 2009:A gun and bomb attack on an office of Pakistan's main intelligence agency in the central city of Multan has killed at least 12 people including 7 security personel, police say. More than 25 others were injured when suicide attackers opened fire.The violence came a day after bombings killed about 60 in Lahore and Peshawar. More than 400 people have been killed during a string of attacks mounted by Islamist militants in recent weeks. They coincide with an army offensive targeting the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan in the country's north-west.

c.      BBC: Bombers hit Pakistan spy agency, 13 November 2009: A suicide car bomb attack on Pakistan's main intelligence agency in the city of Peshawar has killed at least 12 people and injured 40, officials say. The Peshawar blast destroyed the three-storey building of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

d.      BBC: Audacious militant tactics stun Pakistan, by Syed Shoaib Hasan,15 October 2009: It is perhaps the sheer audacity of the attacks on security installations in Lahore – and in Rawalpindi just days earlier – that has taken the authorities by surprise.

4.      Analysis: Like past once again Pakistan and its army/Intelligence agencies have become the target of foreign media. They have once again started blaming Pak for its ties with Terrorists on the base of a secret NATO report ignoring all the sacrifices and contributions Pak made since 9/11. Pakistan has arrested scores of al-Qaeda affiliates, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. The ISI and the Pakistani military have worked effectively with the United States to pursue the remnants of al-Qaeda. Following 9/11, Pakistan also stationed about hundred thousand troops in the troubled province of Waziristan near the Afghan border. A huge number of Pakistani soldiers died in clashes with militants. According to South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a terrorism database, 2,654 civilians were killed in terrorist violence from January 2010 to May 2011, as compared to around 1,600 civilian deaths from 2003 to 2006. And there were seventy-six suicide attacks in Pakistan in 2009 as compared to only two in 2003.

• All the critisim against Pak Army& ISI by the foreign media raises a question that: If Pak Army/ISI would have been supporting Terrorists then why would they target Pak Army/ISI in an extremely brutal manner. Let me conclude by quoting a para from Foreign Policy of 3 Feb2012 and leaving a study base to find more, “ Krasner fails to mention the conclusion Mullen reached in his statement.  Mullen recognized that the U.S. has a variety of objectives in Pakistan and the region, and that by focusing too intensely on short term interests, the U.S. will end up short-changing itself over the long haul: "We must also move beyond counter-terrorism to address long-term foundations of Pakistan's success – to help the Pakistanis find realistic and productive ways to achieve their aspirations of prosperity and security."  Mullen concludes, "Isolating the people of Pakistan from the world right now would be counter-productive."

Nancy Birdsall is the founding president of the Center for Global Development, a Washington, DC based think tank.

• The American is a great society having space for intellectuals like Nancy to put across their view but its tragic that the present decision makers seems to be in hold of others which are not inline with American culture of freedom,liberty and rule of law . For details READ "World Criticize As Obama Defends Drone Use In Pak"http://www.mediapoint.pk/obama-defends-drone-use/

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