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Journalism of Courage
Attacks on Pakistani soil continue and on September 17, according to Dawn 8220;missiles were fired from US drones on a house in South Waziristan, killing six people and injuring three others8221; US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has defended American strikes on Pakistani soil. The Nation September 19 reports him saying that ,8220;The US would take whatever actions necessary in self-defence8230;8221;
John Negroponte however struck a more conciliatory note. Says Dawn September 19 8220;Unilateral actions cannot defeat militancy in Fata, said US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte who also indicated on Thursday that the US and Pakistan were working on a more collaborative approach to deal with this problem8221; Dawn adds that 8220;Mr Negroponte described America8217;s partnership with Pakistan as a very important relationship in a region where the US has very important interests 8230; 8221;
Ayesha Siddiqa states in Dawn that the statements of the army chief against US attacks should in no way mean that the US will stop its attacks: 8220;8230;US policymakers know that given Islamabad8217;s dependence on Washington there is nothing much it can do other than issue statements8230;8221;
Facing down the army
A report of the International Institute for Strategic Studies says that Zardari8217;s position may be threatened by the army. The Nation September 19 reports 8220;Asif Zardari must make fighting militancy in the border regions8230;But he faces a tough job to gain the trust of the Army, which could ultimately threaten his government, said the IISS in its annual review of global geopolitical security8221;.
Zardari countered allegations of being soft on Kashmir, during his meeting with Sardar Atiq Khan, Prime Minister of POK. The News September 19 reports, 8220; President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the government is committed to find a viable solution to the Kashmir cause and would not backtrack on the issue8221;
America the not-so-beautiful
Anti-Americanism in Pakistan is revealed by graffiti on the walls, reports The News September 19 8220;8230;most Pakistanis have developed hatred for the US and its president, George W. Bush8230;a majority of the walls of public toilets are inscribed with comments that betray anti-US and anti-Bush sentiments such as Yeh Bush Ka Ghar Hai This is Bush8217;s House8230;8221;
The anti-US feeling is also reflected in the opinion pieces in various papers.
Muzaffar Iqbal in The News September 19 writes 8220; What America is after is not the ragtag groups all lumped together in that catch-all phrase, Taliban8230;but the last resistance against its global hegemonic ambitions8230; 8220; Ayaz Amir writes, 8220; The Yanks may not be triumphant in Afghanistan but8230; they feel triumphant when they have to deal with our officials who have turned prostration into a superior art form.8221;
