International journalists prepare to leave Pakistan

International journalists prepare to leave Pakistan

by Muhammad Najeeb, Indo-Asian News Service

Islamabad, Sep 29 (IANS) Most international journalists who came to Pakistan in the hope of covering the U.S. retaliatory strike on Osama bid Laden¿s bases in Afghanistan are preparing to pack their bags and leave, as they feel nothing was going to happen immediately.

"I think there would be no attack at least for two/three weeks," an American journalist said here. During informal discussions in hotel lobbies in Islamabad, packed with American and other international journalists, it is clear that nobody thinks anymore that the strikes are imminent.

Islamabad for the last many days has become the centre of world attention with all major media organisation setting their bases in local hotels. But many of them are planning to leave.

A Swiss journalist said her office has asked her to come back and that she had received "information" that the U.S. has deferred the strikes.

A Belgian journalist said the U.S. might hit "selected" targets inside Afghanistan instead of going for "full-fledged" war. "A Pakistani official has told me there would be no strikes."

"My organization doesn¿t allow me to stay here further," says a correspondent for a German newspaper. He said his boss was continuously asking for "exclusive" stories but he has nothing to report except for what the electronic media and Pakistani newspapers are saying.

Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar has reportedly said the U.S. has postponed the attack.

Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted him as saying his intelligence people informed him that the U.S. was now trying out other options as they have failed to come up with evidence against bin Laden, prime suspect in the attacks.

One journalist said now the U.S. was working on installing a "broad-based" government in Afghanistan. "They first want to get rid of Taliban before going for Osama," he said.

But people here are taking the fact that foreign journalists are leaving as a positive sign -- they think America has changed its mind about attacking Afghanistan.

Since naming bin Laden "prime suspect" in the devastating attacks with hijacked planes, people of Islamabad had been living on the edge.

"It¿s good the media people are leaving. It would certainly ease our tension. They must be leaving after instructions from their governments," a hotel employee said.

He said he has worked very closely with the foreign journalists and they were of the view that nothing would happen at least for the next 15 days.

All major American, European, Australian and Asian media organisations sent their journalists to Islamabad. Some of them are CNN, BBC, CBS News, ZDF German TV, NBC, Australian Broadcasting, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AP, AFP, Washington Post, ITN Asia Bureau, New York Times and Japan TV.

The hotel employee alleged: "Some journalists staying in Islamabad are from intelligence agencies and have come here in garb of media persons."

He said "reservations in the name of White House Band" and in the name of officials of intelligence agencies of some countries have also been made.

Almost all hotels in Islamabad are enjoying 100 percent occupancy as an information ministry official said more than 900 journalists from world¿s major media centres are in Pakistan, most of them in Islamabad. Some have also established their bases in Pakistan¿s Peshawar and Quetta
cities.
A number of journalists taking advantage of their presence in Peshawar are also visiting refugee camps. The last time the city saw such a large foreign media corps was in August 1998 when the U.S. had struck some parts of Afghanistan.