ISLAMABAD POLICE CHIEF SUSPENDED ON SUPREME COURT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 004235 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2017 TAGS: PGOV PK SUBJECT: ISLAMABAD POLICE CHIEF SUSPENDED ON SUPREME COURT ORDERS REF: ISLAMABAD 4209 Classified By: A/DCM Candace Putnam, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Responding to the violence used to quell lawyers' protests in Islamabad September 29, the Supreme Court ordered the arrest and suspension of the Islamabad Police Inspector and two of his deputies. GOP Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah responded by suspending Islamabad's Police Inspector General Marwat Ali Shah, Police Senior Superintendent Naeem Khan, and Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Ali. An Interior Ministry official privately told Embassy that the suspension was just a "formality." Both PM Aziz and Information Minister Durrani promised investigations over the incident. ¶2. (U) The media provided emotional front-page coverage of the September 29 clashes between police and several hundred lawyers/human rights activities who were protesting the Election Commission's approval of Musharraf's presidential nomination (reftel). The Court noted that several lawyers, as well as journalists covering the event, were injured by televised baton-wielding police, and the bandaged victims appeared today in the Court. ¶3. (C) Comment: Following accusations from opposition and civil society groups that it had caved in to Musharraf by dismissing the cases against him, the Court opted for a public reproach to the GOP over how it handled this demonstration. Rather than challenging the Chief Justice, the GOP agreed to what appears to be a face-saving gesture for the Court. End Summary PATTERSON