Pak press continues to be gaged during military regime

ISLAMABAD, Apr 8: The military regime’s image of "hands-off-the-press" has been tarnished as attacks on the journalistic fraternity were increasing with the administration completely turning a blind-eye to such problems.

"The Friday Times" in its editorial remarked that the military regime of Pakistan, like the Nawaz Sharif’s administration, had lost the support and sympathy of key countries when it tried to gag journalists.

"In fact, he (Gen Pervez Musharraf) is quick to flaunt press freedom as a key element of his novel return-to -democracy agenda," the paper commented and said "but a degree of disquiet, even alarm and fear, is in the air."

Citing several examples of atrocities on journalists including day-light killing of some scribes or hounding a few of them, the paper asked "who are these people and how are they able to roam the streets of Islamabad".

Commenting on the role of the administration, the paper said "last November, three employees of a daily paper in Karachi died in an inexplicable bomb explosion in their office. Words of sympathy and solace apart, the (military) regime remains totally disinterested in investigating the incident, tracking down the culprits and determining the motives."

The Friday Times said "it is, however, the sacking of the Frontier Post in Peshawar by zealots some months ago that has tarred the painstakingly contrived press-friendly image of the (military) regime."

It said the Pakistan Television could not hide its glee at the desperate plight of the paper and its journalists. And the Peshawar administration seemed to freeze in its track at the sight of gutting printing machines but swept the streets in search of the blaspheming journalists.

The paper said even a gruesome murder of a Sindhi scribe was witnessed besides banning of a newspaper in the Northern areas (area of Jammu and Kashmir illegally annexed by Pakistan) and hounding its editor during the military regime.

"The journalist community is buzzing with speculations but no one is naming names, explaining motives or investigating the facts in print," the paper said, adding "this does not bode well for the regime."

"In time, the world will wake up to the plight of the local press and Gen Musharraf will lose the key to his showcase of democracy," The Paper said.

In a word of caution, the editorial commented "restrain the rouge elements, Gen (Musharraf), before they stir a hornets’ nest and harm you irretrievably." (PTI)

US, China make progress on return of spy plane crew

WASHINGTON, Apr 8: US and Chinese diplomats were making progress in "sensitive" negotiations on a formula to secure the release of 24 American military personnel held in China for a week, the White House said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer played down a fresh demand that the United States apologize for the collision between a navy reconnaissance plane and a Chinese jet fighter over the south China sea.

"The response is that the United States is going to continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the men and women," he said. "There’s still a series of ongoing diplomatic meetings in Beijing and the conversations continue."

Senior administration officials said the two sides were negotiating the wording of a joint letter that would express regret for the loss of the Chinese fighter pilot and set up a mechanism for the two sides to exchange views on the incident, but would not include a US apology.

Drafts of the document were being exchanged in the hope that diplomats eventually could present President George W Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin with a final version that would meet the approval of both leaders, the officials said.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Colin Powell released by the Chinese news agency Xinhua on Saturday, Vice Premier Qian Qichen said Beijing was "dissatisfied" with Bush’s expression of regret for the apparent loss of the Chinese pilot’s life, adding an apology was of "the utmost importance" in resolving the dispute over the spy plane and its crew.

Fleischer reiterated the Bush administration’s regrets over the missing chinese pilot and said there was "no change" in the US position. He declined to reject Qian’s demand publicly.

After an hour-long third meeting with crew members held on Hainan Island following last Sunday’s mid-air collision, Brig. Gen Neal Sealock, defense attache at the US Embassy in Beijing, reported them to be "in very good spirits."

"He also reports that all the e-mails, the toiletries, the razors, the T-shirts that have been given to Chinese officials to deliver ... Have been getting through," Fleischer said. The crew members were delighted to get an update on baseball scores and the masters golf tournament, he added.

US officials met alone with crew members. Bush, who is spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains, was briefed on the visit and updated throughout the day on the talks.

Asked if Bush believed progress was being made on Saturday, Fleischer said: "That’s still a fair assessment ... The talks remain sensitive."

Administration officials preferred to focus on the behind-the-scenes effort to win the release of the crew and did not portray Qian’s letter a major setback.

"The President’s effort remains the same, to secure the release of the men and women, that’s what all these sensitive diplomatic talks are aimed at," Fleischer said.

The renewed Chinese demand for an apology also failed to dampen a cautious optimism sparked by Bush’s statement on Friday that there had been progress. But, late yesterday, it remained unclear if a resolution was in sight.

"I think we’re hopeful that we’ll see the crew members returned soon and safely," National Security Council spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said.

Earlier this week, Powell said the United States had nothing to apologize for.

"We did not do anything wrong," he told reporters. "Our airplane was in international airspace. An accident took place and the pilot ... Safely got the plane on the ground."

But Qian said the United States should take responsibility and offer an explanation for an incident that has roiled already prickly relations over US arms sales to Taiwan, human rights and other issues.

Countryman said Bush had received a letter in which the wife of the missing Chinese pilot accused the President of cowardice and defaming her husband Wang Wei. The spokeswoman declined to characterize Bush’s reaction.

After a pentagon and CIA briefing on Friday, Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who heads the armed services committee, revealed the possibility of a joint letter to resolve the week-old impasse.

"We’re moving toward a letter that will contain exchanges of views, first at the level of the Ambassador and the Foreign Minister, but that letter is being reviewed both by our President and the President of China, so it will reflect a common understanding," he said.

Warner told reporters that "the question of an apology is not in any way to be incorporated in the letter."

He said US and Chinese experts may "sit down and assess the facts" of how the two planes collided over the South China sea. One vehicle for that could be the military maritime consultation agreement, a 1998 pact created as a way for the US and Chinese militaries to discuss their sea operations. (REUTERS)

| home | state | national | business | editorial | advertisement | sports
| international | weather | mailbag | suggestions | search | subscribe | send mail |