Urdu press slams Pakistan

MUMBAI: The Urdu press has strongly criticised the Pakistani government, including president Asif Ali Zardari, for dithering on acting against the terror outfits operating from Pakistani soil. Urdu dailies, ever since 10 Pak-trained terrorists created mayhem in Mumbai on November 26, have constantly demanded that the terror camps of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) being run as Jamaat-ud-Dawa by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, be made accountable for the attacks.
In his front-page piece, titled `Pakistan dramebaazi band kare' (Pakistan must stop this drama), in Urdu Times (December 6), Farooque Ansari lambasted Zardari for his doublespeak."Despite the plethora of proofs that LeT is involved in the terror attacks, Zardari is dithering from taking action against LeT's head Hafiz Saeed,'' wrote Ansari. He also said that, by not cracking down on its rogue elements, Pakistan would be harming Indian Muslims too.
Urdu commentators are aghast at the way the Pakistani government is trying to sweep the issue under the carpet. "If the Lashkar is really involved, as evidence shows, Pakistan must stop playing dirty and act against the terror outfit,'' wrote Syed Mansoor Agha in Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (December 5). Hyderabad-based Munsif daily, through its editorial (December 8), wanted Pakistan to act against the masterminds of 26/11. "The action must be swift and fast,'' the daily said.
Popular Urdu columnist Hasan Kamal reiterated the Indian investigating agencies' belief that the Mumbai attack had the imprint of al-Qaida. "The al-Qaida also wants Pak forces away from Waziristan so that it can get some relief,'' wrote Kamal in a piece for the Inquilab (December 7).
mohammed.wajihuddin@timesgroup.com