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.