How William Burns Was Unanimously Censored By India’s Free Media

[BanglaBhoot]

This is why most Indians, and other international watchers, are unaware that the Indian government, one of the staunchest allies of the Bush-Cheney administration, has been caught red handed training and supporting terrorists inside Afghanistan to be used primarily against innocent civilians in Pakistan under the guise of Islamic terrorists.

By AHMED QURAISHI

Saturday, 25 July 2009.

Ahmed Quraishi-Pakistan/Middle East politics, Iraq war, lebanon war, India Pakistan relations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—More than a month after the visit of US Under Secretary of State William Burns to New Delhi, I described in my column this week in Pakistan’s The News International [‘Forget AfPak, Resolve AfKash To Win In Afghanistan’] how no Indian official publicly contradicted Mr. Burns when he asked New Delhi to trim down or close some of its consulates in Afghanistan after they have been found involved in terrorism inside Pakistan.

I had no idea I was breaking news to a large segment of the Indian public opinion. It turns out very few people in India know this.

What Mr. Burns said is important because it paved the way four weeks later for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Gilani to have a frank talk with his Indian counterpart in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, where Mr. Gilani leveled with Mr. Manmohan Singh about India’s role in spreading terror in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The Indians agreed to quietly look into the matter and consented to let Pakistan mention that the two sides discussed ‘threats in Balochistan’, which was a face saver for the Indians. The alternative would have been embarrassing. Islamabad planned to go public with the evidence on Indian terror links.

The Indian government did get into trouble over this with its critics back home. But it successfully kept the lid on an equally embarrassing situation when Mr. Burns visited New Delhi in the second week of June.

It turns out India’s free media practiced a near complete blackout on Mr. Burns’ demand for India to trim or shut down some of its ‘consulates’ in Afghanistan that have been found breeding terrorism on Afghan soil. A couple of Indian news outlets [TV, online] covered Mr. Burns surprising request but the next day almost none of the major Indian newspapers and television news channels mentioned it.

Mr. Burns was effectively censored and selectively presented by the Indian media. This highly unusual occurrence in the world’s largest democracy went unnoticed. A careful search on the Internet of how the Indian print and televised media reported Mr. Burns’ visit between 10-13 June will confirm this fact.

The result is that most Indian analysts and commentators are unaware of what their government and some of its spy outfits have been accused of. When The News published my column this week, I was inundated with emails from India questioning the veracity of the information on Mr. Burns’ trip. The commonest charge was that this is a Pakistani propaganda.

To set the record straight, it appears that while the Indian government could not do much about the embarrassing joint statement, it did a good job of hiding the embarrassing request Mr. Burns made during his stay in the Indian capital.

For the benefit of our angry and suspicious Indian friends, these are quick references that corroborate the story that the Indian media chose to unanimously ignore during Mr. Burns’ visit:

Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd., which owns and runs the Indian Web news magazine Organiser.com, reported the following in its edition for the week ending on July 26, written by Mr. M. V. Kamath:

“Shri [William] Burns was even more brash. He asked India to close down the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan because of Pakistani complaint that India is “fomenting trouble” through that Consulate in the North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan? Can India ask the US to tell Pakistan to shift its capital from Islamabad to Karachi because Islamabad is causing trouble in Jammu & Kashmir? Who is Shri Burns to advise us where we should set up our Consulates?”

Similarly, under the colorful title, US to Delhi: Shut down Indian “Consulates” in Afghanistan– aftermath of RAW bombing of Peshawar hotel, the interactive Web news magazine Zimbio.com wrote this:

“Senior US diplomat William Burns gave Indian officials a terse and cryptic directive on Thursday. ”Shut down Indian Consulates in Afghanistan, reduce presence in Kabul and stop sending mercenaries across the Durand Line.” This message was supplemented with a letter from President Barack Obama to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.”

The Indian Embassy in Washington confirmed on its website that Mr. Burns “also handed over a letter from President Barack Obama to Prime Minister Singh” but did not elaborate on the contents beyond the diplomatic line that “The letter underscored President Obama’s “commitment to broadening and deepening relations with India.”

In another rare instance, a South Indian news website NewKerala.com reported on June 11 under the headline, ‘India being asked to close down or prune its Consulate in Jalalabad’:

“New Delhi, Jun 11 : The United States is asking India to 'close or prune down' its Consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan following allegations by Pakistan that it (Indian consulate) is 'creating trouble' in the border areas of NWFP and Balochistan, sources said here today.”

Most importantly, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, which is known as a strong advocate of closer ties with India even at the expense of putting Kashmir on the backburner, had this to say in an editorial on India’s now proven terror links:

“New Delhi for its part has insisted … that it be provided with concrete evidence of Indian involvement. This has now been done, with the reported handing over of a dossier detailing instances of Indian interference in Pakistan. The evidence apparently includes pictures of some senior Baloch separatist leaders conferring with Indian operatives as well as details of safe houses run by RAW in Afghanistan. Proof of India’s involvement in terror financing in Pakistan has also been provided, it is said, as have the names of Indian agents who crossed the border to link up with militants on this side of Wagah.”

Mr. Jawed Naqvi, a respected Indian journalist and a long time correspondent for Pakistan’s Dawn, reported on June 11 that the “United News of India quoted unnamed sources as saying that the US had asked India to “close or prune down” its consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan.”

And the list goes on. You will not, however, find any mainstream Indian news outlet covering this important aspect of Mr. Burns’ visit. And it is fair to say there was an undeclared moratorium on this issue that the Indian media faithfully enforced. The American and the British media were equally selective in covering this aspect that appeared to tarnish India’s carefully crafted image. In Pakistan’s case, the Am-Brit media has shown willingness to publish alarmist stories that lack credibility.

Why the free media in the world’s largest democracy practiced what appears to be government-inspired censorship?

For Pakistanis there is nothing new in this. The Indian mainstream media dares not veer off the official line on Kashmir when the Pakistani media in comparison has and continues to give space to views on Kashmir that sharply diverge from the official line.

Even the Track II diplomacy delegations coming from India over the past five years consisting of independent activists and professionals showed a strange synchronization in what they said when asked about key issues. The Pakistani delegations visiting India have always shown diversity in views and hardly any unanimity on vital matters.

The case of Mr. William Burns confirms the existence of a mechanism in India where the mainstream media does follow a uniform official code on some issues. When a senior Indian nuclear scientist was kidnapped and murdered in May, the Indian media slapped a blackout. Interestingly, despite the event’s nuclear security implications, even the Am-Brit media completely ignored it.

It is unusual that privately-held media in such established and self professed democracies such as the United States, Britain and India so faithfully mimics the national security priorities of their political-military establishments.

Even more stunning is how each one of them respects the security considerations of the other two. This the only logical explanation for how the Indian and the Am-Brit media, for example, covered the story of the Indian nuclear security breach.

© 2007-2009. All rights reserved. The News International & AhmedQuraishi.com & PakNationalists

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any mediumwithout royalty provided this notice is preserved.

 

[Salahadin]

This article is so true

 

[rubyjackass]

This is DAWN's report on that day written by Javed Naqwi, Delhi correspondent.
Apparently he quoted local sources which AFAI can tell are the same that provided news to dna india or news kerala(or these papers them selves because of the similar wordings). I have never seen a newspaper quote UNI so far. All generally quote PTI.
There was no public word about 'closure' which partly explains why serious Indian newspapers gave no word of it.

US would have protested publicly if Indian consulates are creating any trouble. It is only as a part of steps to improve relations with Pak that this issue seems to have been mentioned. Not that anyone has evidence.

As of now I see only speculations and chest beatings, not even a serious word in public from US, let alone evidence.

US wants India to trim mission in Jalalabad, act on Kashmir
By Jawed Naqvi
Friday, 12 Jun, 2009 | 08:31 AM PST
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NEW DELHI, June 11: Senior US diplomat William Burns gave Indian officials a wish-list on Thursday that aims to revive India-Pakistan peace talks, assures New Delhi of its vital role in Washington’s strategy in the region, and retrieves the hope for Kashmiri people to shape their own destiny.

Local reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that the visiting US Under-Secretary of State also asked his interlocutors to trim India’s consulate in Jalalabad, which Pakistan sees as a distraction in the military campaign against Muslim extremists on the Afghan border.

Mr Burns told a news conference after discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the “pace, scope and character” of the India-Pakistan dialogue, suspended since the Mumbai terror attacks, be decided by the leaders of the two countries.

“The US has always welcomed dialogue between India and Pakistan. But it is also obvious that pace, scope and character of that dialogue is something Indian and Pakistani leaders have to decide. And how and when to approach that dialogue is also something for them to decide,” he said.

Mr Burns, the highest ranking US official to visit India after the recent elections, handed over a letter from President Barack Obama to Dr Singh but declined to disclose its contents.

In reply to a question on Kashmir, he said: “It remains our view that resolution of the Kashmir issue has to take into account wishes of Kashmiri people.”

On Mumbai terror attacks, the US official said Pakistan had a special responsibility to bring the perpetrators to justice and take “concrete steps” to ensure there is “no repeat” of it. United News of India quoted unnamed sources as saying that the US had asked India to “close or prune down” its consulate in Jalalabad in Afghanistan following allegations by Pakistan that it was “creating trouble” in the border areas of NWFP and Balochistan.

UNI said Pakistan had alleged that the Indian consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar were “fomenting trouble” in NWFP and Balochistan bordering Afghanistan by providing financial and material support to fugitives in the two border provinces. “Pakistan, however, has not supported its allegations with evidence,” UNI said.

The sources said besides asking India to resume talks with Pakistan, the US was also trying to convey to Indian authorities its views on closing or pruning the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad.

Mr Burns made his comments on Kashmir a day after Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq proposed a five-point Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) to push forward a process to resolve the Kashmir issue.

He impressed upon the Government of India to take immediate steps to make the atmosphere conducive on the ground.

The Mirwaiz said no process of peace and reconciliation could be possible unless “draconian” laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Acts and Disturbed Areas Act were withdrawn and demilitarisation started.

“Demilitarisation should start step-by-step,” he said.

He suggested a mechanism be put in place that would help remove hurdles between different parties to this conflict, to enhance mutual partnership in tourism, business and other areas.

“Free movement and free trade within different parts of Jammu and Kashmir state should be started as a confidence-building measure,” said the cleric, under house arrest for 11 days now.

A response was visible to his petition. Visiting Jammu and Kashmir against the backdrop of heightened tension over the rape and murder of two Kashmiri women in Shopian, Home Minister Chidambaram on Thursday said a strategy should be worked out for “gradual substitution” of federal paramilitary forces by the state police for security and law and order duties.

Mr Chidambaram asked the state government and the security agencies, including the army, to “sit together (and) work out a strategy for gradual substitution of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by the local police in the essential duties that should ordinarily be performed by the state police,” reports said.

Speaking at the Unified Command Headquarters meeting, chaired jointly by him and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the home minister also made it clear that the field officers and soldiers should not transgress their code of conduct while performing duties.

Mr Chidambaram said: “The Centre is solidly behind the state government in its endeavour to create a stable and secure environment in the state that will be the pre-requisite for development.” Mr Chidambaram, who arrived in Srinagar on Thursday, reviewed the security situation. The Valley has been witnessing protests over the rape and murder of two women in Shopian, 50 km from Srinagar.

This whining is not new. It was there even before the consulates opened. What is new is the upbeat drama and wails. The more people like Burns try to appease, the worse cry babies Pak diplomats are going to become. Three birds at one shot, domestic reconciliation, discredit Baloch movements and annoying India.

India opens two more consulates in Afghanistan
By IANS
Monday,16 December 2002, 13:30 hrs


Print
Forward
NEW DELHI: India opened two more consulates in Afghanistan Monday ahead of a meeting of neighbouring countries in Kabul to sign a declaration of non-interference.

Officials said the new consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar in southeastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, started functioning Monday, taking the total number of Indian consulates in the country to four, besides the embassy in Kabul.


New Delhi, which was among the first countries to reopen its embassy in Kabul after the fall of the Taliban regime last year, had set up consulates in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif during External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha's visit to Afghanistan in August.

The consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar, which was the headquarters of Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Omar, were closed down after the fundamentalist militia seized control of most of Afghanistan in 1996.

Pakistan had conveyed its concerns about India's decision to reopen these two consulates to the United States, which in turn conveyed it to New Delhi, saying Islamabad considered these areas as under its sphere of influence.

India however rejected these concerns, saying its role in Afghanistan was only assisting in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged nation, unlike Islamabad's "interference" in the internal affairs of that country during the Taliban regime.

The opening of the consulates comes ahead of the December 22 meeting in Kabul of Afghanistan's neighbours to sign a declaration of non-interference in the internal affairs of the country.

Pakistan and Iran and three Central Asian neighbours -Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - will be the signatories to the declaration on the first anniversary of the government of President Hamid Karzai in power.

"This is a good development. It is important for Afghanistan to have good relations with all its neighbouring countries," a senior Indian official said, adding India would attend the meeting as an observer..

The decision to sign such a declaration was taken during the Bonn meeting on Afghanistan in November 2001 in the context of the country's past experience

Besides India, the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised countries and some major Islamic countries would also attend the meeting.

 

[sensenreason]

Quote start - "For Pakistanis there is nothing new in this. The Indian mainstream media dares not veer off the official line on Kashmir when the Pakistani media in comparison has and continues to give space to views on Kashmir that sharply diverge from the official line.

Even the Track II diplomacy delegations coming from India over the past five years consisting of independent activists and professionals showed a strange synchronization in what they said when asked about key issues. The Pakistani delegations visiting India have always shown diversity in views and hardly any unanimity on vital matters." - Quote End

Can someone show some examples where the Pakistani media has shown divergence from the GOP?

Assuming the article is accurate, the reason divergent views are welcome in Pakistan is because the people are unanimous in their support for the Kasmiri cause (the key policy plank) and the defence forces and trust them as they are one's who hold power...it serves them well to get criticised once in a while and also get a few politicians riled in the media....

On the other hand, in India the people are utterly divided in their views and the media tries to be the nationalistic banner holder by taking positions and views it considers are in Indian national interest...

In India, the media has been used and abused by certain pressure groups to further their interests and positions/views. The fact is the GOI is under media glare and pressure rather than the other way around...eg: criticism of GOI by 24 hr channels on all issues...and this divergence is claer from the recent public fiasco of the India-Pak joint statement...it is under media pressure/reporting that GOI has back tracked...so the media puts pressure and is no way controlled by GOI as it has been suggested..........

In Pakistan, the situation is more ambiguous and media is used to peovide people a feeling of 'freedom'/democracy which for most of its history have eluded pakistan...

This is what I think is the reality...