LAWYERS, POLITICAL PARTIES PROTEST CHIEF JUSTICE'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001293

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PHUM PREL PK
SUBJECT: LAWYERS, POLITICAL PARTIES PROTEST CHIEF JUSTICE'S
SUSPENSION

REF: ISLAMABAD 1280 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Peter Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d
)


1. (SBU) On March 21, lawyers and political party members
took to the streets once again to protest the suspension of
Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Except for a report that
police in Quetta injured several demonstrators, protests
nationwide were peaceful.

Islamabad: A group of 300-400 protesters braved heavy morning
rains to march from The Blue Area (Islamabad's business
district) to the Supreme Court. The weather cleared by midday
and approximately 2,500 to 3,000 eventually gathered in front
of the Supreme Court. The protest, which was peaceful,
dispersed by late afternoon. Protesters included lawyers as
well as representatives from both secular political parties
-- Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N),Pakistan People's
Party (PPP),and Former cricketer Imran Khan's micro party
Tehrik-e-Insaf -- and the religious political party coalition
Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). PPP and MMA protesters
exchanged public barbs at one another during the protests.
The MMA criticized the PPP for distancing itself from the
rest of the opposition, while the PPP fired back at the MMA
for supporting President Musharraf in passing the 17th
amendment to the constitution, which legitimized Musharraf's
1999 takeover.

Lahore: The various Punjab Bar associations called a protest
on The Mall (the main street in Lahore's Central Business
District). Approximately 1,000 marched toward The Mall to the
Punjab High Court building. By midday, 2,000 - 3,000 lawyers
had gathered to protest in front of the Punjab High Court.
Police contacts report that everything was calm, although
lawyers blocked traffic and shut down the city's central
business district. Police were under strict instructions from
the city and provincial governments not to confront the
lawers and to allow them access to protest on The Mall,
unlike in previous days. Religious party Jamiat-e-Islami (JI)
officials "greeted" the lawyers along the march route, but
did not mobilize their members for the protest. Crowds
dispersed by mid-afternoon without incident.

Peshawar: There were no visible demonstrations of
significant size since March 19. There have been small
gatherings of several students or local residents, including
a small group assembled outside Bala Hissar Fort on March 21,
but they have not fomented wider protests. In NWFP, the
nationwide strike of courts will likely empty courtrooms on
March 22, but post does not expect further demonstrations.

Karachi: Approximately 250 lawyers attended protest meetings
and rallies at the city courts in Karachi. The Sindh High
Court and Karachi Bar Association cancelled their plans to
stage a rally/sit-in at the Chief Minister's residence, so
street protests in Karachi were limited to scattered JI
demonstrations at approximately 70 crossroads around Karachi.

Quetta: Lawyers in Quetta hoisted black flags at the Pakistan
Bar Council headquarters, boycotted court proceedings, and
protested in the streets. Turnout numbers were limited (media
reports estimated 200),as lawyers in Quetta are divided on
the issue of whether to support Justice Chaudhry. (Note: Some
blame Chaudhry, who is from Balochistan, for brokering deals
with the military and not taking notice of security
operations or the killing of prominent tribal leader Nawab

ISLAMABAD 00001293 002 OF 002


Akbar Bugti in August 2006. End Note.) Police used teargas
against the demonstrators, which reportedly injured two
lawyers. Representatives from both PPP and MMA joined the
lawyers in their demonstration.


2. (U) Also on March 21, the news media published the
reference against Justice Chaudhry, dated March 9 (available
online at http://www.dawn.com/2007/03/21/nat2.htm). The
alleged misconduct, which the reference says Prime Minister
Aziz received from several sources, includes the Chief
Justice:

- Using his position to secure several government jobs for
his son for which his son was not qualified.
- Securing the use of official vehicles beyond his authorized
entitlement of one 1600cc car.
- Making unprecedented requests for police motorcade
protection.
- Demanding that senior bureaucrats meet him on arrival in
provincial capitals.
- Demanding the use of planes and helicopters for domestic
travel.
- Changing two verdicts after orally announcing them -- one
variance allegedly involved an amount of 55 million rupees
(approximately USD 900,000).
- Accepting accomodation from a litigant before the Supreme
Court


3. (C) Comment: In spite of early rain and the cancellation
of the Supreme Judicial Council hearing (rescheduled for
April 3),lawyers' associations and political parties still
managed to generate a good turnout. The allegations against
Justice Chaudhry -- the bulk of which refer to his attempts
to secure a government job for his son -- are no surprise
(see Islamabad 637). Many of the accusations involve behavior
typical of Pakistani officials. Indeed, Justice Chaudhry's
attorneys have told us that they will not deny the
allegations, but instead point out that the justices on the
Supreme Judicial Council do the same things. One of the day's
good news stories is the lack of violence from either
demonstrators or police. End Comment.
CROCKER