Indian Army chief threatened us: Pak media

Pakistan's English newspapers are indignant over General Deepak Kapoor's remark that all options are open to India. The comment has
been perceived

as a renewed threat of war to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Observer has reacted strongly to General Kapoor's remarks. "His statement warrants most serious consideration and appropriate response. General Deepak Kapoor who was clad in star-studded uniform gave a clear threat that 'all options were open to India'. His outburst was very calculated and well rehearsed on the basis of briefing given to him by the Indian government. He gave the impression of being diplomatic while uttering every word yet in our view the thrust of the press conference was on threat to Pakistan. Creating a hype of war is part of Indian strategy of coercion and intimidation," said the report.

The Observer added, "Ahead of schedule delivery of first of three Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) this week by Israel to India with dozens of technicians and electronic war fare advisors is a proof that New Delhi has not closed the option of adventurism."

The News writes, "Just as it seemed things are settling down on the Pakistan-India front, someone or the other on the Indian side acts to hike up the tensions once more. First, it was the Indian foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, who said that Islamabad was being evasive in its response to the 26/11 dossier. A day after that it was the Indian army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, who said that Pakistani troops had moved to the border with India and that 'all options were open'."

The News editorial concludes from the remarks that "there is an element of growing frustration in the Indian response. We must hope that soon the apparent confusion in the Indian capital will give way to a more rational and, even more important, consistent approach to the whole issue."

In an opinion piece in the Dawn, Cyril Almeida points to the futility of the Pakistan government's "action" on terror. The author quotes from a New York Times report of PM Gilani's first meeting in Washington with President Bush.

"Gilani wanted to tell Bush that he had sent forces into the tribal areas to clean out a major madrassa where hard-line ideology and intolerance were part of the daily curriculum. The one he decided to target was run by the Haqqani faction of Islamic militants.

"Though Gilani never knew it, Bush was aware of this in advance. The National Security Agency had picked up intercepts indicating that a Pakistani unit warned the leadership of the school about what was coming before carrying out its raid. 'They must have called 1-800-HAQQANI,' said one person who was familiar with the intercepted conversation. According to another, the account of the warning sent to the school was almost comic. 'It was something like, "Hey, we're going to hit your place in a few days, so if anyone important is there, you might want to tell them to scram," Almeida quotes.

"When the 'attack' on the madrassa came, the Pakistani forces grabbed a few guns and hauled away a few teenagers. Sure enough, a few days later Gilani showed up in the Oval Office and conveyed the wonderful news to Bush: the great crackdown on the madrassas had begun. The officials in the room — Bush; his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley; and others - did not want to confront Gilani with the evidence that the school had been warned. Indeed, Gilani may not even have been aware that his gift was a charade: Bush and Hadley may well have known more about the military's actions than the prime minister himself," quotes the author from the NYT.