CHIEF JUSTICE SUSPENSION PROTESTS SET ON "SIMMER"

S E C R E T ISLAMABAD 001362 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/25/2017 TAGS: PGOV PK SUBJECT: CHIEF JUSTICE SUSPENSION PROTESTS SET ON "SIMMER" - PPP HEAVYWEIGHTS QUIETLY SEEK DIALOGUE REF: ISLAMABAD 1329 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy called for further demonstrations on March 26 to protest Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's suspension. Turnout was highest in Lahore (septel),where approximately 1,200 Pakistan People's Party, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, and Jamaat-e-Islami representatives protested peacefully. (Note: The Mutahida Majlis-e-Amam coalition of religious parties, of which Jamaat-e-Islami is a member, declared its support for the Alliance's call for protests. End Note.) Islamabad turnout was low: approximately 50 protesters staged a three-hour sit-in at Melody Market. Numbers in Karachi and Peshawar were similarly low. ¶2. (C) As the Alliance's senior coalition partner, the Pakistan People's Party is participating in the protests, but their hearts do not appear to be in it, keeping the numbers of protesters relatively low. Part of the reason may be the arrest of many party workers. The media reported that Punjab police arrested over 200 opposition leaders and workers over the weekend. Others, one Pakistan People's Party official said, are "in hiding" so as not to be arrested. ¶3. (S-NF) More fundamentally, People's Party leadership is still taking a wait-and-see approach to the Chief Justice controversy. Pakistan People's Party ex-Senator Abdullah Riar brought together National Security Advisor Tariq Aziz and Justice Chaudhry's lead counsel (and People's Party member) Aitzaz Ahsan for an exploratory meeting over the weekend. The result of the meeting, Riar said, was a basic exchange of positions. On March 26, Riar told POLOFF that Aitzaz's position was a non-starter, since he was asking the government to withdraw the reference against Justice Chaudhry. The parties left the meeting willing to talk again, however. ¶4. (S-NF) Comment: The Pakistan People's Party has two reasons to distance itself from the Chief Justice controversy. The publicly discussed reason is that they do not want to hand a victory to the religious parties. More privately, however, they may see the controversy as a way to advance their political agenda. Through its quiet diplomacy and restraining its street power, the Pakistan People's Party may be positioning itself for a potential electoral deal with the Musharraf government. End Comment. CROCKER