THE POLITICS OF UNREST IN PESHAWAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000079

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/16/2016
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL CASC PK
SUBJECT: THE POLITICS OF UNREST IN PESHAWAR

CLASSIFIED BY: Gautam Rana, Political Officer, U.S. Consulate ,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary. The anti-cartoon protests in Peshawar and the
Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) on February 15 resulted in
three deaths (including a child),60 injured, and widespread
looting and destruction of businesses. The extensive rioting
appears to have been ignited by religious fervor fueled by the
main religious parties in the province, augmented by political
motivations to undermine the government of President Pervez
Musharraf as well as business rivalries and opportunistic
looting. The size of the demonstrations and the extent of the
damage has shaken up the populace, a segment of which is ready
to blame Afghan refugees as the culprit. End comment.

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Damage
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2. (U) The damage in Peshawar on February 15 was widespread,
with the South Korean transport group Sammi-Daewoo, Norwegian
telecommunication giant Telenor and the U.S. fast food franchise
KFC suffering the most vicious attacks. The KFC and sixteen
Daewoo buses were set ablaze, and the Telenor office completely
ransacked. The mob also attacked and looted three movie
theaters, several banks, many stores, gas stations, and private
vehicles.


3. (SBU) Local newspapers estimate a total of 40 to 70 thousand
protestors participated in various events throughout the day,
and economic losses total in the tens of millions of rupees.
Observers reported that some of the looting was led by Afghan
refugees who entered the town from the surrounding refugee
colonies. In some locations, police responded with tear gas and
baton charges, and over 300 people were arrested. "It was the
worst agitation in the history of Peshawar," said the Senior
Superintendent of Police.

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Motives
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4. (C) The ostensible reason for the protests was the European
publication of the blasphemous cartoons. The Mutihida
Majlis-e-Amal (MMA),the six party religious coalition that
governs the NWFP, the Traders Grand Alliance, and various
student groups had called for the demonstrations to protest the
cartoons and generally denounce western influences. Elements of
Shabab-e-Milli, the sister organization of the Jamiaat-e-Islami
(JI) mainly comprised of religiously motivated students,
appeared to be targeting the cable companies, and were
enthusiastically cutting the cables leading into the residential
colonies, dumping them on the road and setting them ablaze. This
occurred in several areas of the cantonment district and other
parts of the city. In general, the ferocity and agility of the
youthful members of the mob -- in the vanguard of the protestors
-- indicated that these individuals had been selected and tasked
to damage public and private property, possibly for monetary or
other gain.


5. (C) NWFP politicians also declared the protests had a
political foundation. JI leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed announced to
the media that these agitations would continue until the ousting
of the current national government. He stated the protests
were not only against the European cartoons, but against the
"the rule of General Musharraf." NWFP Senior Minister (and JI)
Sirajul Haq declared the protests took place because the federal
government had not properly "represented" the views of the
people, and accordingly, the people had the right to
demonstrate. Peshawar nazim (JUI-F mayor) Ghulam Ali also
publicly backed the demonstrators. However, Chief Minister Akram
Khan Durrani (JUI-F) denounced the looters, while condemning the
cartoons. He defended police actions to maintain law and order,
and announced schools will be closed for the next seven days.


6. (C) Business rivalries also played a part in the
demonstrations. The sixteen Daewoo buses were burned by
"so-called transporter protestors," armed thugs who traded
gunfire with the police. The police ultimately beat back the

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rioters by baton-charging and tear-gassing them. Post contacts
have noted the superior service and quality of the Daewoo buses,
a point not lost on local bus operators who had reportedly been
losing market share to their Korean competitors and now squared
accounts.

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Comment
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7. (C) The extensive rioting has shocked Peshawaris. While it
is too early to predict the political fall-out, more protests
leading up to the March 3 nationwide strike are likely.
Nonetheless, we are skeptical about the chance of additional
outbreaks of violence because most of the city's soft targets
are gone. The blame game for the looting and destruction has
just begun, and one possible target is Afghan refugees. Though
only a small portion of the looters, anti-Afghan resentment is
strong in Peshawar, and their presence among the demonstrators
has angered city residents. End comment.
SPANGLER