Pakistan

Media watch: Merkel's statements

Media discusses Chancellor Merkel comments about Pakistan and terrorism, suggests possible reasons for such remarks.

Ali Syed December 14, 2010

Media watch is a daily round-up of key articles featured on news websites, hand-picked by The Express Tribune web staff.

Merkel’s hard line

The implication, unstated but there in the subtext, is that we are for whatever reason a state that sponsors or supports terrorism, and there can be no other interpretation of Merkel’s statement. There can be few more serious openly made accusations at a time when global sensitivities to terrorism allegedly originating in the Islamic world, are at an all-time high. Rightly then, the Foreign Office has summoned envoys of both the countries to explain and to lodge some kind of a protest.

Merkel’s cheek

They all feel pained at what happened in Mumbai, though they are neither bothered about the leads that show Hindu terrorist hand behind the incident, nor the atrocities that the Indians are perpetrating on the beleaguered Kashmiris who have lost over 80,000 of their kith and kin in the struggle for their legitimate rights. The role of the mastermind that they along with the US had played in bringing into being the terrorist menace stands whitewashed by the blitzkrieg of propaganda.

In introspection

A section of the establishment and media maintain that with India offering the industrialised West the largest market in the region, this leads the US and Europe to close ranks with New Delhi over the issue. There are others who condemn Foreign Office for its supposed failure to project the country’s policies more effectively. Why can’t these countries be made to realize that Pakistan has made more sacrifices that any one of them in the fight terrorism, they ask?

COMMENTS (3)

Kamal | 13 years ago | Reply Mr G khan...Nobody is fool in this world...India did not stop Mujbir Rehman to become PM of Pakistan after winning the election.What led to Bangladesh separation was the neglect from West Pakistan and not Indian forces.Do'nt distort fact..whom your trying to fool??ur own countrymen??India might have taken advantage of the situation,but who created the situation?? learn from history and do'nt do the same in Baloochistan...

M.Srinath | 13 years ago | Reply Please do not blame the diplomats for the Merkelspeak. They are as professional as any. But no amount of apple-polishing can hide the rot that has set in the fruit. True many Pakistani lives perished in the blood-letting by the fiendish Jehadis. Strangely we hear only a few muffled voices questioning the Establishment (Army's) wisdom in protecting their " strategic assets ". The game of bluff and bluster cannot last forever. Under the global spotlight, you can only run but not hide. Don't blame diplomats.

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G.Khan | 13 years ago | Reply India Is a STATE who sponsors Terrorism against its neighbors. Two examples I would like to quote and that is on the record. No one can deny. 1) Training of Mukti Bahni and then Full fledged invasion of East Bengal. (Against Pakistan) 2) TAMIL TIGERS were trained by Indians who fought a long war against Sri Lankan Govt.( Against Sri Lanka) India is doing the same in Baluchistan from Afghanistan against Pakistan. These two facts support the third. They have previous such undeniable record. Now let's see why Germany, France or US do not want to see Indian atrocities against it's minorities within India Itself, whether it is their record against Sikh's Genocide of 1984 and demolition of Golden temple., Or Gujarat Massacre of Muslims, Or Christian's demolition of churches , Demolition of Babri Mosque or Kashmiri Holocaust and the list is long.... So, why they can not see it. Answer is they do not want to see it because that’s exactly what they are doing to the rest of the world whether it is Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, Somalia, terrorism against Sudan or US terrorist activities in Yemen. They are all Terrorists of International standing. They will condemn that, they want for their own survival, Project India as counterweight China in maintaining Their own Western Hegemony in Central Asia in general and against Muslims of the region in particular. Because their bread and Butter comes from the looted Wealth of these Muslim nations and they want a cop in the region for which India is presenting itself. This is the reason they don't see Indian Atrocities in Kashmir, or against any minorities. However, I think the humiliating defeat of the US in Afghanistan will determine the Indian tone in the region because US will have to tone itself down whether it wants it or not. With that the EU's language and verbs and adjectives will also change because defeat at ground changes the manners as well. India will do the same when it will see its masters retreating which they are going to in a very near future because they can not anymore sustain that high cost of continued war for 9 years. That's how Soviets retreated. History is going to repeat itself. Indian own voice will be lowered, Chidambaram will jump less, Anthony will change his own language immediately. All Muslim nations must do is that recognize these enemies and Unite against them. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian nations need to sit down along with China and formulate a mechanism for security of the region. No outside Power can provide such security. Two superpowers have tried and they both failed. Solution must come from the immediate neighbors only.

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