Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISLAMABAD2617
2007-06-12 12:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:
SCENESETTER FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S VISIT TO PAKISTAN
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 002617
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FROM THE CHARGE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017
TAGS: ASEC, PGOV, PHUM, PK, PREL
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S VISIT TO
PAKISTAN
***********************
* Missing Section 001 *
***********************
ISLAMABAD 00002617 002 OF 003
6. (C) Most of Musharraf's advisors are recommending he
either instruct his legal team to stop fighting the multiple
procedural motions against the reference and accept defeat
graciously or completely withdraw the reference. Doing so
would be tantamount to admitting filing the reference was a
mistake -- something difficult for Musharraf to acknowledge
publicly. Nevertheless, few observers believe Musharraf will
win the procedural motions. Musharraf can either lose now
and prevent further political damage, or he can lose months
from now, after the Supreme Court finishes deliberating the
petitions.
MUSHARRAF'S LEGACY
7. (C) The political problems of the last two months have
distracted both domestic and international audiences from
Musharraf's significant accomplishments since 1999. Your
message to him should be that it is not too late to turn
attention back to the vision he set for Pakistan when he came
to power, but that he must act quickly to put the Chief
Justice controversy behind him.
8. (C) Musharraf's legacy includes:
--He is the first leader of Pakistan in decades to say "no"
to extremism and to roll back the Islamization began under
Zulfikar ali Bhutto and accelerated through the Zia ul Haq
years. The passage of the Women's Protection Bill in
November 2006 was an important indicator that the country is
indeed changing direction.
--Thanks in large part to Musharraf's leadership, Pakistan is
closer to an agreement with India on territorial and border
issues than perhaps ever in its history. Significantly,
Musharraf has brought the Pakistani public along with his
proposals on Kashmir and other contentious issues.
--Musharraf has made enormous progress on nuclear material
security and security of the nuclear arsenal. More needs to
be done, especially on nuclear material security, but he is
the first leader in Pakistan's history to pay adequate
attention to these issues.
--Thanks in significant part to sound policies, Pakistan is
experiencing an economic boom. A smaller percentage of the
population lives below the poverty line than in decades.
--Since Musharraf came to office, press freedom has
blossomed. The government's attempts to clamp down on the
media in early June were sensational in large part because
they were so contrary to Musharraf's previous record.
--The opposition political parties, the legal establishment,
and a whole range of NGOs, including human rights NGOs,
operate relatively freely.
HOW TO PROTECT THIS LEGACY
9. (C) Our message to Musharraf and his government
continues to be:
--Fighting al Qaeda and countering the Taliban is in the best
long-term interests of Pakistan.
--Progress toward democracy must continue unabated and must
be visibly apparent to observers.
--Protection of press freedoms and freedom of assembly is
centrally important, especially given the current levels of
international press scrutiny.
ISLAMABAD 00002617 003 OF 003
--Pakistan must deal robustly with law and order issues,
including fighting terrorism and extremism; countering
corruption at all levels of government; and effectively
combating Pakistan's gun culture.
10. (C) We look forward to welcoming you.
BODDE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FROM THE CHARGE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017
TAGS: ASEC, PGOV, PHUM, PK, PREL
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S VISIT TO
PAKISTAN
***********************
* Missing Section 001 *
***********************
ISLAMABAD 00002617 002 OF 003
6. (C) Most of Musharraf's advisors are recommending he
either instruct his legal team to stop fighting the multiple
procedural motions against the reference and accept defeat
graciously or completely withdraw the reference. Doing so
would be tantamount to admitting filing the reference was a
mistake -- something difficult for Musharraf to acknowledge
publicly. Nevertheless, few observers believe Musharraf will
win the procedural motions. Musharraf can either lose now
and prevent further political damage, or he can lose months
from now, after the Supreme Court finishes deliberating the
petitions.
MUSHARRAF'S LEGACY
7. (C) The political problems of the last two months have
distracted both domestic and international audiences from
Musharraf's significant accomplishments since 1999. Your
message to him should be that it is not too late to turn
attention back to the vision he set for Pakistan when he came
to power, but that he must act quickly to put the Chief
Justice controversy behind him.
8. (C) Musharraf's legacy includes:
--He is the first leader of Pakistan in decades to say "no"
to extremism and to roll back the Islamization began under
Zulfikar ali Bhutto and accelerated through the Zia ul Haq
years. The passage of the Women's Protection Bill in
November 2006 was an important indicator that the country is
indeed changing direction.
--Thanks in large part to Musharraf's leadership, Pakistan is
closer to an agreement with India on territorial and border
issues than perhaps ever in its history. Significantly,
Musharraf has brought the Pakistani public along with his
proposals on Kashmir and other contentious issues.
--Musharraf has made enormous progress on nuclear material
security and security of the nuclear arsenal. More needs to
be done, especially on nuclear material security, but he is
the first leader in Pakistan's history to pay adequate
attention to these issues.
--Thanks in significant part to sound policies, Pakistan is
experiencing an economic boom. A smaller percentage of the
population lives below the poverty line than in decades.
--Since Musharraf came to office, press freedom has
blossomed. The government's attempts to clamp down on the
media in early June were sensational in large part because
they were so contrary to Musharraf's previous record.
--The opposition political parties, the legal establishment,
and a whole range of NGOs, including human rights NGOs,
operate relatively freely.
HOW TO PROTECT THIS LEGACY
9. (C) Our message to Musharraf and his government
continues to be:
--Fighting al Qaeda and countering the Taliban is in the best
long-term interests of Pakistan.
--Progress toward democracy must continue unabated and must
be visibly apparent to observers.
--Protection of press freedoms and freedom of assembly is
centrally important, especially given the current levels of
international press scrutiny.
ISLAMABAD 00002617 003 OF 003
--Pakistan must deal robustly with law and order issues,
including fighting terrorism and extremism; countering
corruption at all levels of government; and effectively
combating Pakistan's gun culture.
10. (C) We look forward to welcoming you.
BODDE