HEAVY-HANDED IMPLEMENTATION OF PAKISTAN STATE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 004701 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPAO PK SUBJECT: HEAVY-HANDED IMPLEMENTATION OF PAKISTAN STATE OF EMERGENCY: ARRESTS AND MEDIA CRACKDOWN REF: ISLAMABAD 4694 Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary and Action Request: Post is concerned that the Pakistani government has used excessive force and no judgment in its implementation of the state of emergency and the Provision Constitutional Order (PCO). On Monday, November 5, we recommend a call from a seventh floor principal to Pakistani Ambassador Durrani and a call to President Musharraf to protest these actions. Ambassador and DCM have protested to senior Pakistani officials. ¶2. (C) The GOP,s ham-handed implementation, particularly the media crackdown and arrests of civil society and human rights figures seem destined to create concerns in western countries, and Post believes the USG should issue public and private condemnations to deter further restrictions of civil liberties. Issues of concern include the continued blocking of international and local private TV news channels and attacks on the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and its members. This cable reports on actions against the media and civil society groups. Septel reports on post,s outreach to the opposition political parties to express concern about arrests of party workers, and to reiterate our commitment to elections on schedule. End summary. Lawyers/Human Rights Activists Arrested -------------- ¶3. (C) Post has reports that as many as 80 anti-government lawyers, including prominent Pakistan Peoples, Party attorney Aitzaz Ahsan, have been arrested. Ahsan was arrested at home the night of November 3 and was transferred to the Adiala Jail. He is to be held for 30 days on charges of posing a threat to public order. His associate reported that he saw Ahsan and the seven former Supreme Court justices in jail, and all are fine, despite incidences of intimidation. Approximately 80 other lawyers were also arrested, and bar association officials are still seeking an exact count. Ahsan argued the case against Musharraf in the Supreme Court and, while formerly a PPP stalwart, has fallen out with Benazir in pursuit of his own political ambitions. ¶4. (C) Approximately 100 lawyers held a demonstration in front of the Marriott Hotel on November 4. This likely was as close as the group could get to the Supreme Court, which has been blocked off by police. By all reports, the demonstration is peaceful. Lawyers, associations across the country are planning a series of ad-hoc protests the morning of November 5; they remain unsure if they will be supported by the opposition political parties. (See septel report on party reactions.) However, PPP activists are reportedly being released. ¶5. (C) The November 4 meeting of the Human Rights Commission in Lahore was raided by a large police force wielding tear gas and batons. Ambassador spoke with internationally-known human rights activist Asma Jehangir, who said that she was under house arrest in Lahore. Grounds for detention include meetings with elements of civil society and instigating them to defy the lawful order of the government, credible information that Jehangir will deliver "inflammatory" speeches, and activities prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order. Her 90-day detention order was issued by the Government of the Punjab Home Department, and she is entitled to appeal this order. Jehangir is free to receive visitors (including the BBC) and is corresponding by e-mail. The Ambassador raised her case at the November 4 MFA convocation of the diplomatic community to explain the state of emergency (reftel). ¶6. (C) Ambassador also called NSA advisor Tariq Aziz and then Punjab Chief Minister Chaudry Pervaiz Elahi to raise the house arrest of Asma Jehangir and the police raid on an executive meeting of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Lahore, where reportedly 70 human rights activists were arrested, including the elderly director. (Comment: We understand the director may have already been released, but we are trying to confirm. End comment.) The Chief Minister, who had spent November 4 campaigning in his home district of Gujarat, professed no knowledge of either incident and ISLAMABAD 00004701 002 OF 003 promised the Ambassador that he would take action to release Jehangir and to prevent any further police actions against civil society organizations. Post will follow up to see if this occurs. Government Continues to Block Private TV News -------------- ¶7. (U) As the announcement of the state of emergency occurred, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ordered all cable operators to shut down transmission of all national and international private news channels by 1800 on Saturday, November 2. Only state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) remained on the air. The GEO TV website was inaccessible Saturday night, but was available again Sunday morning. ¶8. (U) The Daily Times reported a group from PEMRA broke into the offices of a local radio station in Karachi. Karachi-based Business Recorder Editor-and AAJ TV Director Wamiq Zuberi informed us that his operations were being targeted. AAJ TV was blocked from beaming to satellite, and police surrounded Business Recorder/AAJ offices in Islamabad and attempted to seize a broadcasting van. The Ambassador spoke with Zuberi on Sunday morning to convey our concern and support. She then raised his situation at the MFA briefing. ¶9. (SBU) PEMRA also shut down the APTN feed point which supplies all the international broadcast news organizations for filing their stories. The international news organizations are working furiously to set up their own satellite uplinks. PEMRA is also threatening Pakistani networks, and their correspondents are meeting contacts offsite. All major English and Urdu-language papers published normally on Sunday, after halting their editions to cover President Musharraf,s speech early Sunday morning. ¶10. (U) Shortly after the declaration of the SOE and the occupation of the AAJ offices, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement calling for President Musharraf to uphold his stated principles of free and open media in Pakistan and to end the authoritarian controls. The CPJ Asia program coordinator noted that the Pakistani people needed to receive news from an outlet other than official government news services. New PEMRA Order -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The GOP promulgated a series of amendments to the Press, Newspaper, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance and the 2002 Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance to forbid publication or broadcast of terrorists or terrorist attacks; "incidents of violence and conflict;" any statements by media personnel "prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan or the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan;" any defamation or ridicule of government or military figures; or any material likely to incite violence. Provisions of the new Ordinance permit the government to "by reason of necessity or in the public interest" to seize equipment or shut media for up to 30 days. Pakistani holders of media licenses are also prohibited from entering into an agreement with a foreign broadcaster to sell or provide air time to a foreign broadcaster without permission. Maximum punishment for violation of the broadcast ordinance is three years in prison and/or a fine of Rs 10 million (USD 167,000). ¶12. (C) Comment: Ambassador and DCM over the past few days repeatedly expressed our concern to the GOP that any imposition of a state of emergency must not include draconian measures to limit media freedom or involve the arrests of civil society figures. Our concern was that the effort would not be "surgical" but would be badly implemented, with no political sense and excessive force. We are seeking a meeting with President Musharraf to again relay these concerns and will continue to press for resumption of civil liberties, but will also demarche the Minister of Information to protest the restrictions imposed on the media. End comment. ISLAMABAD 00004701 003 OF 003 PATTERSON