NYT Report is Direct Attack, Pak Army Spokesman.

[American Pakistani]

Pakistan army says New York Times report is a "direct attack"

(Reuters) - Reports in the New York Times criticizing the Pakistan army and the powerful intelligence agency is a "direct attack" on Pakistan's security, the army spokesman said on Saturday.

Major General Athar Abbas, the Pakistan army's chief spokesman, repeatedly criticized the Times' reporting and said it was part of a calculated plan by "unnamed officials" to "weaken the state."

"This is a direct attack on our security organization and intelligence agencies," he told Reuters in a rare on-the-record in-person interview. "We consider ISI as a strategic intelligence organization, the first line of our defense."

The U.S.-Pakistan relationship has been on a downward spiral since last year, but the decline accelerated after the killing of two Pakistanis by a CIA contractor in Lahore in January and the U.S. raid to kill Osama bin Laden, which Pakistan complains it was not told about and says was a breach of its sovereignty.

Abbas was responding specifically to a July 8 editorial that said there was evidence of complicity by the ISI intelligence agency in sheltering bin Laden, of ties to the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people and of involvement in the abduction and murder of Asia Times Online journalist Saleem Shahzad.

The ISI, or Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence, is Pakistan's powerful military intelligence service.

Long suspected of maintaining militant ties it nurtured in the 1980s and 1990s, the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden in a Pakistan garrison town raised concerns that Pakistan was playing a "double-game" with the Taliban and al Qaeda.

"This whole reporting through media, quoting unnamed officials, anonymous sources, is part of a design to undermine the authority and the power of the organization in order to weaken the state," Abbas said.

He declined to specify exactly who the unnamed officials were, although the New York Times specified they were American officials.

AGENCIES

The editorial called for the removal of ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha and said: "The United States needs to use its influence to hasten Mr. Pasha's departure. ... The ISI has become inimical to Pakistani and American interests."

It added: "It's not clear how high up the culpability for Mr. Shahzad's murder goes - or whether there are any officials left in the ISI or the army who have the power and desire to reform the spy agency."

Abbas said there had been unease because of the bin Laden raid. "We have taken certain measures, which we consider, are in the best national interest."

Pakistan has demanded the number of U.S. military personnel in Pakistan be slashed, and the United States has complied. Pakistan also wants to cut the number of U.S. intelligence officials.

"We have also ordered a number of them to be reduced, to go back, because we consider these as non-essential personnel in certain areas, and they've been asked to leave," he said.

The ISI and CIA, he said, which have worked together for decades, should "formalize" their relationship.

He said Pasha had "asked them that the relationship between the two intelligence agencies should be formalized. It should be documented. It should not be open-ended. It should not be left to the other side to interpret the way they want to."

He said the ISI wanted the United States to tell Pakistan about its intelligence operations and who it was sending into the country.

The cross-border exchanges of fire on the Afghan border are also a source of concern, Abbas said.

Afghan officials say nearly 800 rockets fired from Pakistan over the past month have killed 42 people, including children, wounded dozens more and destroyed 120 homes. There are Islamist insurgents on both sides of the porous and disputed border and it is extremely difficult to verify events.

"I think this report has been grossly inflated, exaggerated," Abbas said. "During firing engagement of fleeing militants, a few rounds must have gone across and may have caused casualties."

Pakistan has for months complained to Afghanistan and coalition forces fighting the Taliban there of allowing safe havens for Pakistani militants that have been driven across the border by Pakistani army operations.

"All the militants' leaders have gathered there, and are reorganizing their forces who cross over and attack our posts."

Pakistan has lost more than 55 security personnel in six major cross-border raids by militants based in Afghanistan in the last month.

(Writing and additional reporting by Chris Allbritton; Editing by Alison Williams)

 

[American Pakistani]

Pakistan army says New York Times report is a direct attack | Reuters

Courtesy: Reuters.

 

[my name is arya]

so what they are going to do ???

 

[American Pakistani]

Mods Please correct the thread title to "NYT Report is Direct Threat, Pak Army"

 

[Patrician]

so what they are going to do ???

They already did...they issued a statement.

 

[Pioneerfirst]

Such attacks will continue untill unless we dont change our behaviours

 

[Respect4Respect01]

why dont we realize, usa wants us against our army so it gets weaker.


Pakistan zindabad.

 

[Sugarcane]

Why they have issued so long statement in response. They can simply say F**K off to UST

 

[Meengla]

Every few days--looks like timed for the Monday editions-- NY Times comes up with damaging news for Pakistan quoting 'unnamed Obama officials'. Recently, there was an article which made huge news/headlines about Pakistani military officials working with militants. That was the headline. When you read that article there was not one reference to serving military officials but all were to retired officials--some of whom, like Hamid Gul--have been anti military (against Musharraf) policies.

Before OBL was killed, Americans used to say 'Do More'. Now they they have found to remove any pretense of diplomacy and use their media surrogates to repeat 'Do More'.

 

[v9s]

NYT and the Washington Post are the most reputed and widely read newspapers of the US. It's well known that the US govt/CIA uses both these papers to spread their propaganda....much like the ISI uses various urdu newspapers (Nawa-i-Waqt, etc) as their mouthpiece.

 

[DV RULES]

Why they have issued so long statement in response. They can simply say F**K off to UST

This is appropriate way to counter them, you can counter a media print only with legal case of violation or you can counter 2nd party interference only when you will open truth of their black crimes or show reality of some case similar to case discussed by 2nd party.

 

[DV RULES]

There are many rumor allegedly based over material taken by US in OBL operation in Abbotabad and this material is now generally used against Pakistan's security forces and intelligence agencies, there is no evidence either US shared investigation with ISI or they jointly investigate that stuff but if not then US itself save no rights bringing artificial reports allegedly linked with OBL stuff and if they stressed that they are true then without giving access ISI to investigated stuff their claims keep no importance.

 

[newdelhinsa]

Agnostic muslim.

You are trying to defend who has already lost a case but since every organization always has the scope to improvise therefore one should criticize them if its due and expect them not to repeat again. Your should come up clean by saying that there is nothing good in your assertions but mere propaganda. You have became a propagandist only. You are hell bent on raising doubts on NYT with some superfluous claims. On the other hand you are not accepting the fact that agencies in Pakistan has always been arm twisting free media. You have refused to underscore in any of your devils advocate like arguments that Pakistan is dangerous place for journalists. The journalist killed has attested himself that his life is in danger because of threats made to him by ISI before his death.

Pakistani are overreacting, are surprised because of the direct attack NYT has made on your ISI and are trying to dig more and more state vs state conspiracy theories.
But for any rational mind its very simple to understand that NYT is not speaking behalf of USA but for the fraternity. This is what all news organizations are supposed to do when their counterparts are killed in any part of this earth. Go figure out.

Thanks

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Brig Imtiaz says CIA sponsored campaign against Army, ISI
​

our special correspondent
Monday, July 11, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The CIA sponsored unabated media campaign smacks of maliciousness and absurdity and is meant to target Pakistan’s state organs, particularly the leadership of the military and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), former Chief of Intelligence Bureau Brig (R) Imtiaz Ahmed has said.

In a statement made available to this correspondent he said the Washington Post, New York Times and “WikiLeaks”, which he called a CIA ploy, have embarked upon abuse of media Code of Ethics which can gravely undercut already strained Pak-US relations and can gravely impinge upon the peace of South Asia, and international community on the whole.

Imtiaz said that America had since drawn strategic plan for South Asia and Middle East with well defined objectives to contain China, prop up bulwark against Iran, gain access to Arab oil reserves and natural resources of Central Asian states and provide effective foothold to India in Afghanistan. “Recently scenarios in Libya, Egypt and Yemen, are a reflection of US game plan set for the Middle East,” the former spy master said, adding that in her strategic pursuits, America sees Pakistan endowed with geo-political formidable strength as a blockade in her “time frame”, synchronized with Afghanistan exit plan.

He said that America-India strong nexus thus assumes weakening of Pakistan from within as an imperative for their successful drive in the region. CIA and RAW collaborated media campaign has thus been unleashed to attack Pakistan’s internal stability and fiber of nationhood, he said.

Imtiaz said that state sponsored subversive machinations are being unleashed to alienate the undaunted faith of the people of Pakistan in the national security institutions, articulate political chaos, aggravation of economic stagnation, germination of divisive trends in the nation.

Lately, he said, CIA and RAW have integrated the cultural religious fiber of our society which also was visible in the recent function held in US Embassy in Islamabad for propagation of homosexuality.

“Their eyes are all set to push Pakistan into a pliable status by convincing the international community to believe that nuclear assets of Pakistan are not in safe hands,” he said. Imtiaz strongly reiterated that Pakistan’s armed forces and ISI provided an impregnable fortress of defiance against the Indo-US multidimensional offensive aimed at Pakistan, and thus the present leadership of these two institutions has become the prime target of state sponsored media campaign.

“We possess the national resilience to thwart the external offensive but we need to internally show the political will, national maturity and vision to rise above self,” he said. He added that particular political leadership obsessed with political motives as well as self conceit and a very small section media infested with perceptual distortions of late have become vulnerable to intangible criticism rather ridicule of state security institutions.

These internal trends, Imtiaz said, are providing cherished space to foreign subversive onslaught. He stated that certainly above 90 percent people of Pakistan stand behind their armed forces and its vibrant media can play precious role to show the light to others.

He said that in the past American media took the defeat of America in Vietnam to their people and consequently the US had to withdraw from Vietnam. Today, America lost war in Afghanistan but it is being shown by her media as victory to their people.

“We must rise above self as a nation in this hour of ‘great test’ and the political force in power must show political will to steer the country through the ‘storm’ with objectivity, statesmanship and economic prudence. Inertia at official level must be shed off and strong diplomatic rebuff with ground objective measures, are needed in Pakistan’s best interests,” Imtiaz recommended.

Brig Imtiaz says CIA sponsored campaign against Army, ISI

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Agonist muslim.

You are trying to defend who has already lost a case but since every organization always has the scope to improvise therefore one should criticize them if its due and expect them not to repeat again. Your should come up clean by saying that there is nothing good in your assertions but mere propaganda. You have became a propagandist only. You are hell bent on raising doubts on NYT with some superfluous claims. On the other hand you are not accepting the fact that agencies in Pakistan has always been arm twisting free media. You have refused to underscore in any of your devils advocate like arguments that Pakistan is dangerous place for journalists. The journalist killed has attested himself that his life is in danger because of threats made to him by ISI before his death.

Pakistani are overreacting, are surprised because of the direct attack NYT has made on your ISI and are trying to dig more and more state vs state conspiracy theories.
But for any rational mind its very simple to understand that NYT is not speaking behalf of USA but for the fraternity. This is what all news organizations are supposed to do when their counterparts are killed in any part of this earth. Go figure out.

Thanks

When the NYT/US Establishment can actually provide credible evidence to support its inane claims, then and only then can their claims not be considered a smear campaign/propaganda against the ISI/PA, at the behest of the US Establishment.

So long as all we have is the US media regurgitating the statements of US officials, without independent verification, without credible evidence and without giving equal weight to the opposing POV, my position is completely valid.