MGPK01: SITREP 10, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: POLICE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004766 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PK AEMR AMGT CASC KFLO PINR SUBJECT: MGPK01: SITREP 10, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: POLICE TEAR GAS PPP MARCH; MORE INTIMIDATION AND ARRESTS REF: ISLAMABAD 4761 Classified By: DCM Peter Bodde for reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Police used tear gas to break up a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) parliamentarians march to the National Assembly. Earlier, PPP leader Benazir Bhutto issued defiant statements at a press conference and PPP supporters clashed with police in front of PPP headquarters. DCM met with presidential advisor Aziz to repeat the USG message on elections, the uniform and civil rights; he highlighted the Aitzaz Ahsan case that is of interest to several U.S. Senators. Interior Minister Sherpao assured DCM that Ahsan was being well treated and could receive a visit from his wife. Small demonstrations and arrests took place across the country; plans are underway for more organized protests by various lawyer, civil society, and student groups. Ambassador has a 1900 meeting scheduled with Bhutto. End summary. ¶2. (C) DCM met with presidential advisor Tariq Aziz to again raise USG core concerns about setting a date for elections and Musharraf's resignation as Chief of Army Staff. He also repeated USG demands that curbs on the media be lifted immediately and complained about excessive use of force by the police against demonstrators. He raised the case of lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, held incommunicado since November 3; we understand several U.S. Senators are interested in this case. In a separate meeting, Interior Minister Sherpao assured DCM that Ahsan was being well-treated, was receiving his medicine and could be visited by his wife as soon as possible. Protests -------------- ¶3. (U) Islamabad. Led by PPP Vice President Amin Fahim, along with PPP parliamentarians and up to 300 supporters, marched from PPP HQ to the National Assembly building. They clashed with police who used tear gas to break up the march; there are reports that 45 PPP members have been arrested. Earlier, Bhutto was defiant during a press conference where she stressed the need for Musharraf to schedule elections and resign as Chief of Army Staff. She warned if Musharraf did not take off his uniform by November 9, she would lead a protest march November 13 from Lahore to Islamabad. Earlier in the day, several hundred PPP supporters clashed with police in front of the party's headquarters. RSO/Islamabad described the police response as "heavy." 4 (U) Rawalpindi. The Punjab provincial government and Rawalpindi police officials denied the PPP's petition to hold its November 9 campaign rally. Officials said that demonstrations are banned under Musharaf's state of emergency and a threat of suicide attack exists in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A PPP spokesman told press that the rally will be held as planned at Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi. ¶5. (U) Karachi. CG Karachi reports that a protest took place at the Quetta court area today where 16 lawyers were arrested for protesting the emergency rule and chanting anti-Musharraf slogans. An advocate at the Sindh High Court reports that the majority of the lawyers at the Sindh and Balochistan High Courts and City Courts staged a strike today. ¶6. (U) Civil society organizations (CSO),non-governmental organizations (NGO),and political activists in Karachi held a meeting at the offices of the Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research (PILER) in order to mobilize the participants for a demonstration against the imposition of emergency and the PCO. ¶7. (U) Lahore. Approximately 500 students protested at the Lahore University Management while the police monitored the situation. The police agreed that it could take place on campus, but said they would not tolerate it if the demonstration went into the surrounding neighborhoods. ¶8. (U) Peshawar. Jamaat-i Islami (JI) party announced today that is will hold protest rallies in Peshawar on November 8; in Swat, Dir, Malakand, and Buner districts on November 9; and in Abbotabad, Mansehra, Battagram, and Kohistan districts ISLAMABAD 00004766 002 OF 002 on November 10. In addition, the Awami National Party (ANP) is calling for "anti-emergency" rallies on November 9 in the NWFP. 9, (U) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, now in hiding, released a video calling for protests against President Musharraf and the imposition of emergency. Intimidation and Arrests -------------- ¶10. (U) High level party members of both the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) and the Jamaat-i Islami (JI) were arrested in Peshawar today. ¶11. (U) The Executive Director of the Commission for Peace and Human Development in Lahore issued an unconfirmed report that the numbers of arrested persons has exceeded the space available in Lahore jails. Because of this, an abandoned factory in the city's industrial area was converted into a "sub-jail" and currently holding approximately 450 people. The Home Department was forced to also declare seven other locations in Lahore as sub-jails, including homes of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Asma Jahangir, and Munawwar Hussan. The police reportedly also plan to shift some 300 prisoners to Bahawalpur as well to accommodate the growing numbers. PATTERSON