Pakistan TV Show Focuses on Army Chief’s Warning Against Foreign Incursions

Karachi Geo News television in Urdu at 1600 GMT on 10 September relays live regularly scheduled “Today with Kamran Khan” programme. Noted Pakistani journalist Kamran Khan reviews, discusses and analyzes major day-to-day developments with government ministers and officials, opposition leaders, and prominent analysts in Geo TV’s flagship programme; Words and sentences within double slant lines are in English

Reception: Good

Duration: 60 minutes

Focus of today’s programme is on the statement by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of US joint chiefs of staff, that the revised strategy would combat militants safe havens in Pakistan and Pakistan Army Chief’s Gen Ishfaq Pervez Kayani’s statement that no foreign troops would be allowed to conduct operations inside Pakistan and country’s sovereignty would be defended at all cost

Segment I

Kamran Khan says within 24 hours of completion of process to install democratic government in Pakistan, Admiral Mike Mullen told the US Congress that “America is losing war in Afghanistan, but it could win this war” and to win this war a revised strategy is needed to target and destroy militants bases in Pakistan. Khan adds: American troops have attacked Pakistan’s tribal areas 5 times in last 1 week, which included a ground troops operation. Continuing, Khan says now the US military chief is openly stating that American troops would take action in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Continuing, Khan says: President Bush also expressed the increasing American concerns about Pakistan in an addressed at the National Defence University yesterday. Khan adds: Bush stated that same terrorists who have carried out attacks in Karachi and Islamabad are plotting new attacks against America and Europe and it is Pakistan’s responsibility to destroy the militants bases in its territory. Khan says: Bush also announced that America is sending additional troops to Afghanistan.

Kamran Khan establishes telephonic contact with retired Lt-Gen Mohammad Tariq, defence affairs analyst, to discuss the increasing US “pressure” on Pakistan and Mike Mullen’s “unreserved” declaration that military action would be taken in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Tariq says any “foreign aggression” would harm more than benefit the war on terror. Tariq adds: if America wants to win the war, it should first try to “win hearts of Pakistani people” so that there is no further anger against it and there are no additional problems for the new democratic government. Continuing, Tariq says it appears that America has not learned a lesson from Vietnam and is repeating the same mistake which the then Soviet Union committed in Afghanistan.

Khan asks whether it will be a “serious trial” for the Pakistan Army on how to respond to any breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Sidestepping the question, Tariq says: America’s strategy to increase military pressure on Pakistan will not be successful and it should understand that the Pakistan Army is now engaged in much more in number and much more longer in tribal areas than in even 1965 war [with India] and it is “expertly” and “determinedly” pursuing goals in accordance with the ground realities. Tariq does not believe that American troops would perform better than the Pakistan Army in tribal areas. Continuing, Tariq says: any American incursions would further fuel anger against America and create problems for the Pakistan Army. Tariq, however, adds that Pakistanis, especially tribal population, should also not provide a reason and ground to America, which is now like a “wounded animal,” to attack Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Kamran Khan says Pakistan Army is continuing its efforts to eliminate militancy in tribal areas and a “decisive” military operation continues in Bajaur in this connection and according to latest reports, 55 militants have been killed in the continuing Bajaur military operation. Khan adds: similar operation is continuing in Swat, but America is not “satisfied” and Mike Mullen has “unreservedly declared” that Pakistan’s tribal areas would be attacked.

Segment II

Kamran Khan says Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ishfaq Pervez Kayani in a “special statement” issued a short while ago has stated that “no external force would be allowed to carry out any //activity/ inside Pakistan’s territory” and “Pakistan’s armed forces would fully defend Pakistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and would give befitting rely to any attack.” Khan adds: Kayani’s warning has come “immediately” after the Mike Mullen’s statement that a revised strategy has been worked out to insure the victory in Afghan war under which Americans would act against militants bases in Pakistan. Continuing, Khan says Kayani stated that “//the rules of engagement with coalition forces are well-defined and within that the right to conduct operations against the militants inside own territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces//” and “// there is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operation on our side of the border.”

Kamran Khan establishes telephonic contact with retired Gen. Hamid Gul, former director general of Inter Services Intelligence and defence analyst, and asks him to comment on Kayani’s “very important and categorical” statement within 100 minute of Mike Mullen’s statement. Gul says even before Mullen’s statement, Bush in an address to the National Defence University stated that “// Pakistan is as much a battleground as Iraq and Afghanistan//”, meaning America has already declared Pakistan as its battleground. Gul says: “knowledgeable” observers knew that America’s target is Pakistan and it wants to do something “//dramatic//” before the US presidential elections. Gul says he has always stated that “// eventually this war had to be carried into Pakistan’s territory and on to Pakistan’s nuclear capability//,” but his warning was not heeded or paid attention. Gul adds: it is good that Kayani has issued a “timely” statement, but it is to be seen how this statement would influence American thinking. When asked what impact Kayani’s statement could have on American thinking, Gul says: America would realize that Pakistan has now decided to “look squarely” into its face. Gul also disagrees with Zardari’s statement at 9 September press conference that the US and ISAF forces are acting in region according to the UN mandate.

Khan says Kayani has made it clear that there is no agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct any operation inside Pakistan. Khan asks whether America would take any “risk” of taking action after Kayani’s “categorical warning.” Gul believes that America would continue attacks in the tribal areas because it sees a “gap” between Pakistan’s military leadership and political leadership on the issue. Gul adds: Defence Minister [Mukhtar Abbas] has already stated that there is “no remedy” to the situation. Continuing, Gul says: it looks like the “warning” is only from the armed forces and the political leadership is not on board. Gul believes that Pakistan’s political leadership and parliament should have first issued the warning. Continuing, Gul says the real issue is how Pakistan would face the situation without first putting its house in order.

Khan notes that Kayani’s statement today also referred to his recent meeting with the US military leadership on board USS Abraham Lincoln. Khan says Kayani tried to make the US military leadership realize that the attacks on Pakistan’s territory will prove “// counterproductive//.” Khan says Kayani’s statement also totally rejects any perception that the American attacks are continuing because of some “//tacit understanding//.” Gul says that Kayani’s statement has definitely rejected this perception, but the need now is to work out the response if America continued the attacks.

Khan establishes telephonic contact with Ikram Sehgal, prominent defense analyst, and asks him whether Kayani’s statement will force America to rethink its strategy. Sehgal says: America would definitely reflect on Kayani’s statement. Sehgal adds: Pakistan is a sovereign country and how any sovereign country could allow any intervention by any foreign forces. Continuing, Sehgal says: America should realize that Pakistan is its ally in war on terror and its soldiers have suffered much more casualties than its soldiers and 80 percent of arrests of Al-Qa’idah operatives have been done by Pakistan. Sehgal also agrees with Gul’s belief that the Pakistan government, rather than its armed forces, should have first issued the warning. Sehgal says he expects Zardari to issue a statement in line with Kayani’s statement within next few hours.

Kamran Khan says: it should be kept in mind that the US presidential elections are due in next few weeks and it is a “// life and death//” issue for the Republican Party and the Bush administration has to show some major achievement and it may have decided to make Pakistan “sacrificial goat” in this connection, but Pakistan’s 170 million people, its armed forces, political leadership and parliament will act as an “impregnable wall” and would face the American challenge.

Originally published by Geo TV, Karachi, in Urdu 1600 10 Sep 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring South Asia. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.