‘Cool it, military tells Pak media persons

This is evidence, if further evidence is needed as to who controls the tap of anti-US hysteria in Pakistan?

This is the eye catching heading for a despatch by Ansar Abbasi in The News International, the English daily from the Jung stable in Pakistan, which is having a running battle with President Zardari and his coalition government.  The message that is sought to be conveyed is two-fold. One the media should cool down the anti-US frenzy. Second Pakistan military is not ‘abandoning’ the United States notwithstanding the public spat with Washington in the wake of Operation Geronimo at Abbottabad.  In plain words, Senator John Kerry’s air dash to Islamabad has succeeded in its delicate mission of massaging the bruised GHQ egos. 

Ansar Abbasi in his despatch categorically says, “Whether or not it follows the will of the people, as has been unanimously reflected through a resolution by parliament, is not yet clear but the civil and military leadership has assured John Kerry that Pakistan would continue cooperating with the US in its controversial war on terror.  if the latter accedes to its request. Tell us or do jointly- is what John Kerry was told”.

As a corollary, the civilian and military leadership are now engaged in ‘managing’ the media to bring down the ‘temperature’ and to help ‘cool down the USA vs. Pakistan escalation’.  

Consider these facts highlighted by the News International.

1.      While the May 2 has shaken every Pakistani and gave birth to a sense of insecurity, in their background briefings the media is being told: “Many are exaggerating the crisis as well.”

2.      They (those who are in charge) believe that the people are emotional and thus not realising the consequences and that such a hostile environment against the US would lead the country to a possible warpath with the US.

3.      What would be the price of such a hostile relationship between Pakistan and the US is frightening for our leadership, which believes that if the people got the hint of such consequences, they would not push the country to such a situation.

In their back ground briefings, the military top commanders reportedly told the media that nothing had bothered them in life more than the Abbottabad fiasco, both because of its potential consequences for Pakistan, and due to the damage caused to the reputation of the Pakistan Armed Forces. They are unwilling to field the question:  why there should be an independent assessment of the policy on the war on terror.  “Yet, a major concern of the military commanders is that the media should not try to divide and expose further divisions in the country and institutions….”, the News International despatch says.   

This is evidence, if further evidence is needed as to who controls the tap of anti-US hysteria in Pakistan?

A day earlier on May 18, the News International carried a very detailed account of who and how was feeding distorted ‘information’ to the Pak media ‘to score points with Washington’.

Two illustrations will suffice. When Senator John Kerry was holding a series of meetings with the top Pakistani authorities the media was told that Washington had tendered a “formal apology” over Monday’s drone strike in North Waziristan. The other story that was fed was about the return of 375 US officials including Washington’s covert operatives after the May 2 incident.

Foreign Office spokesman Ms Tehmina Janjua said she has no knowledge of any apology tendered by Washington to Pakistan. And, according to the CNN, Senator Kerry told Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and other officials in Islamabad, that the United States need not apologise to Pakistan for the raid but that it was in both countries’ best interest to mend the frayed relationship.

Reaction of the US embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez in Islamabad was cryptic. “We have seen reports that quote an unnamed source in Islamabad. We have no additional information on this.”