MUMBAI BLASTS: BROAD CONDEMNATION IN PAKISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 013519 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2016 TAGS: PGOV PTER PK IN PREL SUBJECT: MUMBAI BLASTS: BROAD CONDEMNATION IN PAKISTAN ISLAMABAD 00013519 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Derived from DSCG 05-01, d ¶1. (C) Summary. Pakistani leaders and politicians have been unanimous in their condemnation of the July 11 Mumbai bombing, with the Foreign Ministry issuing a strong statement within hours of the attack that cited both President Musharraf and the Prime Minister Aziz. On July 13, President Musharraf offered Pakistani assistance in the investigation into the attacks. An ill-advised formulation by Foreign Minister Kasuri, associating the attack with the need for progress in the peace process, has unfortunately overshadowed these statements. The MFA remains hopeful, perhaps unrealistically so, that the attack will not unduly rock the bilateral relationship. There are no outward indications of apprehension in the Pakistani military. End Summary. Government Condemns Blasts -------------- ¶2. (U) GOP officials were quick to condemn the Mumbai blasts. Within three hours of the attack, the MFA had issued a statement saying: "Pakistan strongly condemns the series of bomb blasts on commuter trains in Mumbai, India. This despicable act of terrorism has resulted in the loss of a large number of precious lives. The President and Prime Minister of Pakistan have also strongly condemned this terrorist attack and have expressed condolences over the loss of innocent lives. Terrorism is a bane of our times and it must be condemned, rejected and countered effectively and comprehensively." ¶3. (U) Unfortunately, this admirably clear statement was quickly buried when Foreign Minister Kasuri made remarks that linked the blasts to the lack of progress in resolving "regional disputes." Kasuri, who was visiting Washington, gave an interview with Reuters on the day of the attack as reports of rising casualties were coming in. Told that the number had risen to 135, Kasuri termed it "horrific. Absolutely horrendous....One hundred and thirty five is terrible and of course we strongly condemn this." When Kasuri was subsequently asked whether to expect Pak-Indian talks to produce further confidence building measures, he responded that it was a question of political will and leadership, which was especially necessary in the wake of incidents like the Mumbai blasts. He then went on to speculate that resolution of disputes would "improve the atmosphere against this climate of uncertainty and terrorism...because negative forces will be denied all motives, and will not be able to recruit people to their cause. So I think the Mumbai incident -- however tragic it may be, and it is undoubtedly very tragic -- underlines the need for the two countries to work together to control this environment, but they can only do so if they resolve their disputes." ¶4. (U) In the wake of strong negative reaction in India to these remarks, the GOP has issued further strong condemnations of the attack as well as clarifications intended to deny that Kasuri had made any linkage between the attacks and bilateral disputes. On July 12, the Foreign Ministry issued a press release saying that Kasuri's remarks were misreported and that his denunciations of the bombings had been emphatic and unequivocal. Kasuri himself, as he prepared to leave Washington, blamed the bombings on "those who oppose the peace process," and complained that it was "unfair" for India to "attribute all acts of lawlessness and violence to Pakistan." ¶5. (U) President Musharraf, in televised remarks on July 13, said "whosoever has done this cannot be pardoned at all," and added "I assure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Pakistan government and I myself are with him in any investigation he wants to carry out." ISLAMABAD 00013519 002.2 OF 003 MFA Hopeful Blasts Won't Derail Peace Initiatives -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) MFA DG for South Asia, Jalil Abbas Jilani on July 14, praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement following the blast as "remarkable" and quoted Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil as saying that terrorists were the enemies of peace and should not be allowed to delay the peace process. It was a "very mature" statement, Jilani said. He remained hopeful that the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan (the conclusion of third round of the Composite Dialogue) would take place as scheduled on July 21-22 -- but the MFA had received mixed signals. On the one hand, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary had held a good telephonic planning session on July 12, but on the other, Pakistan's mission in New Delhi had been rebuffed on July 12 when trying to gain the MEA's consent to formally issue the dates for the talks. There was also considerable speculation in the Indian media that the talks would be postponed. Jilani explained that this was the context for the MFA spokesperson's remarks on July 12: "If India feels that these talks should be postponed to a later date, we can go along with that ...We understand the big tragedy. We will wait for India's convenience." Indian Diplomats Angered by Kasuri Comments -------------- ¶7. (C) At a diplomatic function July 12, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner was openly outraged by Kasuri's linkage of the bombings with bilateral disputes. In the presence of numerous guests, he termed it "stupid" and "not at all helpful." At the same time, he appeared to appreciate the condolences offered by numerous eminent Pakistanis at the event. In a separate bilateral meeting with Polcouns, the Indian High Commission Political Counselor acknowledged that official contacts were continuing in preparation for next week's Composite Dialogue talks. He noted that virtually every significant Pakistani political figure -- both in and out of government -- had condemned the attacks. The Press and the Political Parties -------------- ¶8. (U) The Mumbai attacks have received extensive and sympathetic coverage in the Pakistani media, though in some papers (particularly the Urdu papers) there has been a tendency to see the blasts as evidence that the two countries need to work harder to resolve their differences. Both English and Urdu papers commend India for its restraint following the attacks. ¶9. (U) Political leaders from almost every party have condemned the attacks both privately and publicly. The first off the block was the MQM, which issued a statement on July 11 from Altaf Hussain calling the bombing a "cowardly act of open terrorism." (Note: the MQM is a party that represents the interests of Urdu-speaking immigrants from India.) The Pakistan People's Party and the Awami National Party have also made strong statements. JUI(F) leader, Maulana Fazlur Rahman condemned the attacks during a TV program, and sent a condolence letter to the Indian High Commission. Jamiaat Islami (JI) leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad has not issued any public statement, to our knowledge, though a lesser JI official has told us that indeed JI condemns the bombing. The Military -------------- ¶10. (C) We have not sounded out Pakistani military leaders, but DAO reports that outward appearances suggest the military, like the MFA, is not unduly alarmed about serious ISLAMABAD 00013519 003.2 OF 003 fallout in the bilateral relationship. There are no indications that anyone in the security establishment anticipates the kinds of tensions that followed the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. We have observed no unusual activity at Chaklala airbase. Vice Chief of Army staff Ehsan is scheduled to visit the UK over the weekend. The Deputy DGMO, BG Nasser, was planning to visit Afghanistan, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Adm. Tahir is in Bahrain. CROCKER