Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISLAMABAD3761
2007-08-28 12:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:
USG SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL PROCESS
how-toVZCZCXRO1991 PP RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHIL #3761 2401249 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 281249Z AUG 07 FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1380 INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 7465 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1643 RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 7188 RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 3267 RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 1703 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003761
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PK
SUBJECT: USG SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL PROCESS
Ref: Islamabad 2944
UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 003761
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PK
SUBJECT: USG SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL PROCESS
Ref: Islamabad 2944
1. (SBU) Summary. Post has been working with political parties,
NGOs, donors and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure
Pakistan's upcoming elections are free, fair and credible. We are
pleased that the Pakistan Supreme Court decided to act upon a
petition filed by the Pakistan People's Party to expand the voter
list. However, the methodology chosen by the ECP to implement the
court order will corrupt the draft voter list completed to date with
USAID assistance. Therefore, we have decided not to agree to the
ECP's request for $4.3 million to implement its flawed methodology.
End Summary.
2. (SBU) On August 16, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on a
petition filed by the Pakistan People's Party complaining that the
2007 draft voter list of 52 million names was short by an estimated
20 million names. The Court directed the ECP to expand the voter
list within 30 days without requiring the use of certified identity
documents.
3. (SBU) The ECP has chosen to implement the court order as they
believe it was intended; this involves adding names from the flawed
but larger (72 million name) 2002 list to the credible 2007 draft
voter list. There will be no requirement to check for authenticated
documents before adding names to the list.
4. (SBU) Under a contract with IFES, USAID funded computerization
of the draft 2007 voter list; that work is nearly complete. During
the Court proceedings, the GOP indicated that USAID would also fund
the cost of this voter list expansion.
After the verdict, we received a request for approximately $4.3
million to support the ECP's flawed voter list expansion project.
Post is concerned that this process will corrupt the current
credible 2007 list; therefore, we have advised the ECP that USAID
support for computerizing the draft voter list will end when the
initial contract work is completed.
5. (SBU) The U.S. will continue to fund, bilaterally and through a
multi-donor basket of activities, programs to provide voter
education, domestic election monitoring, training for political
party agents, an international observer mission, projects targeted
at increasing the participation of women and rural voters, and
post-election complaint adjudication.
6. (SBU) In total, we believe our efforts will contribute to
making Pakistan's upcoming elections more free and fair than they
were in 2002. We do not want to undermine the credible work the
ECP has performed to date, and we will continue to work with them in
other avenues as they struggle to implement a difficult Court order
to expand the voter list.
PATTERSON
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PK
SUBJECT: USG SUPPORT FOR PAKISTAN'S ELECTORAL PROCESS
Ref: Islamabad 2944
1. (SBU) Summary. Post has been working with political parties,
NGOs, donors and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure
Pakistan's upcoming elections are free, fair and credible. We are
pleased that the Pakistan Supreme Court decided to act upon a
petition filed by the Pakistan People's Party to expand the voter
list. However, the methodology chosen by the ECP to implement the
court order will corrupt the draft voter list completed to date with
USAID assistance. Therefore, we have decided not to agree to the
ECP's request for $4.3 million to implement its flawed methodology.
End Summary.
2. (SBU) On August 16, the Supreme Court issued a ruling on a
petition filed by the Pakistan People's Party complaining that the
2007 draft voter list of 52 million names was short by an estimated
20 million names. The Court directed the ECP to expand the voter
list within 30 days without requiring the use of certified identity
documents.
3. (SBU) The ECP has chosen to implement the court order as they
believe it was intended; this involves adding names from the flawed
but larger (72 million name) 2002 list to the credible 2007 draft
voter list. There will be no requirement to check for authenticated
documents before adding names to the list.
4. (SBU) Under a contract with IFES, USAID funded computerization
of the draft 2007 voter list; that work is nearly complete. During
the Court proceedings, the GOP indicated that USAID would also fund
the cost of this voter list expansion.
After the verdict, we received a request for approximately $4.3
million to support the ECP's flawed voter list expansion project.
Post is concerned that this process will corrupt the current
credible 2007 list; therefore, we have advised the ECP that USAID
support for computerizing the draft voter list will end when the
initial contract work is completed.
5. (SBU) The U.S. will continue to fund, bilaterally and through a
multi-donor basket of activities, programs to provide voter
education, domestic election monitoring, training for political
party agents, an international observer mission, projects targeted
at increasing the participation of women and rural voters, and
post-election complaint adjudication.
6. (SBU) In total, we believe our efforts will contribute to
making Pakistan's upcoming elections more free and fair than they
were in 2002. We do not want to undermine the credible work the
ECP has performed to date, and we will continue to work with them in
other avenues as they struggle to implement a difficult Court order
to expand the voter list.
PATTERSON