MGPK01: SITREP 16, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: BHUTTO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004816

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2017
TAGS: AEMR AMGT CASC KFLO PGOV PINR PK PREL
SUBJECT: MGPK01: SITREP 16, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: BHUTTO
RELEASED; AMBASSADOR DEMARCHES ON ARREST CASES

REF: ISLAMABAD 4814

Classified By: DCM Peter Bodde, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: The GOP lifted the virtual house arrest on
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto.
Ambassador raised Amcit and civil society detainees cases
with Interior Minister. Lahore CG met separately with human
rights activist Asma Jahangir and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader
Liaqat Baloch. Restrictions on TV cable news channels
continue. Mission offices continue to operate normally, and
the Embassy's Marine Ball is scheduled for tonight. This is
the only sitrep for today. Unless events warrant a sitrep on
Sunday, November 11, post will resume sitreps on Monday,
November 12. End summary.


2. (U) The government of Pakistan yesterday lifted PPP leader
Benazir Bhutto's virtual house arrest. Media reports that PPP
activists and police were involved in "street clashes" in
various cities and that the government arrested an unknown
number of PPP members.


3. (C) Ambassador met with Minister of Interior Sherpao and
raised our concerns about Amcit Hashmat Dilwari; Sherpao
promised to try and get him released. (Islamabad CG is
awaiting permission for a prison visit.) Ambassador also
raised the cases of jailed Pakistani politicians and civil
society leaders, including Munir Malik (former president of
Supreme Court Bar Association),Ali Ahmed Kurd (senior lawyer
on the defense team for the former Chief Justice),Justice
Tariq Mahmud (an anti-government lawyer),five female PPP
leaders, and the 17 activists charged with sedition (reftel)
in Karachi. Sherpao promised to check into the cases. With
Musharraf's announcement that elections would be held before
February 15, Sherpao said that the GOP began what will be a
gradual process of rolling back the state of emergency. He
did not give any timetable. Ambassador emphasized the damage
that yesterday's house arrest of Benazir Bhutto and the
crackdown on civil society was doing to Pakistan's image in
the U.S. Sherpao said that the National Security Council
debated for two hours on whether to allow the PPP's
Rawalpindi rally to go forward but decided that the risk of a
suicide bombing was too great to allow it to proceed.

Lahore
--------------


3. (U) Lahore CG reports that targeted round-ups of political
opponents continues, but that life is proceeding normally for
most Pakistanis. Police continue to tolerate student
protests as long as they remain on campus.


4. (U) Local newspapers gave prominent coverage to Lahore
CG's November 9 meetings with human rights activist Asma
Jahangir and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Liaqat Baloch, both
of whom are still under house arrest. Baloch said the
religious parties block, Mutahaida Majlis Amal (MMA),decided
during its meeting to give Musharraf until November 15 to
resign from his post in the Army; otherwise, the MMA plans to
hold protests against Musharraf starting on November 16.

Peshawar
--------------


5. (U) Sporadic protests occurred across the Northwest
Frontier Province yesterday. In Peshawar, police
baton-charged and tear gassed protesters. The GOP yesterday
closed the main entry and exit points on the highway to
stymie protests, and stop PPP activists from traveling from
Peshawar to Rawalpindi. Peshawar Consulate RSO is not
expecting large protests today.


6. (U) Militants in Swat released between 45 and 60
paramilitary soldiers captured earlier in the week, according
to Pakistani press. The captured soldiers had publicly
complained that they were low on rations and had not been
receiving reinforcements.

Karachi
--------------


7. (U) PPP Sindh Provincial President, Qaim Ali Shah,

ISLAMABAD 00004816 002 OF 002


announced on November 9 that a "black day" protest will take
place throughout Sindh on Sunday, November 11. (Note: Sindh
is Benazir Bhutto's home and power base.)


8. (U) Although Karachi remains relatively calm today,
protesters shut down the National Highway and some stores for
at least two hours yesterday near Gadap Town, a PPP
stronghold in Karachi. People throughout the Sindh interior
protested yesterday against the arrest of Bhutto, and dozens
of activists were arrested in Mirpurkhas, Dadu, Badin, and
Naushahro Feroze.


9. (U) In Quetta, approximately 40 to 50 journalists
protested yesterday at the Quetta Press Club, but the
gathering was disbanded peaceful when the police arrived.

PATTERSON