MGPK01: SITREP 18, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: REACTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004821

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2017
TAGS: AEMR AMGT CASC KFLO PGOV PINR PK PREL
SUBJECT: MGPK01: SITREP 18, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: REACTIONS
TO MUSHARRAF'S PRESS CONFERENCE; MORE ARRESTS

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: Some opposition parties threatened to
boycott elections if they are held under a state of
emergency. All media covered the Secretary's Sunday talk
shows comments on Pakistan. The Attorney General predicted
the Supreme Court would begin hearing the case on Musharraf's
re-election on November 13 and hoped they would file a
verdict by the weekend. Protests continue throughout the
country, with several hundred mostly Pakistan People's Party
(PPP) members arrested in Karachi and Peshawar. Bhutto and
the PPP continue with plans for the "long march," scheduled
for November 13 from Lahore to Islamabad. The government in
Karachi seized a transmitter for a popular FM radio station.
Human rights advocate Jahangir spoke out against the proposed
amendment to the Army Act. Mission offices continue to
operate normally. End summary.


Various Official Reactions to Election Announcement/Army Act
Modification
--------------


2. (U) Speaking to the press, Benazir Bhutto said Musharraf's
announcement that elections would be held before January 9
was positive, but it alone will not defuse the current
political crisis in Pakistan. Citing the lack of a timetable
on when the emergency will end and the Army Act amendment,
Bhutto said it will be very difficult to hold transparent
elections. Bhutto avoided answering questions pertaining to
any possible boycott by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of
the upcoming elections, but she did urge all parts of society
to participate in her anticipated "long march" from Lahore to
Islamabad, scheduled for November 13.


3. (C) Because of the current state of emergency, three
political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League -
Nawaz (PML-N),Jamaat-i Islami (JI) and the Pakistan Tehrik-i
Insaaf (PTI),announced on November 9 in a press release
their plans to boycott the elections. In a separate
statement, the religious block of parties, Muttahida Majlis-i
Amal (MMA),said elections could not take place under the
emergency and demanded the immediate restoration of the
constitution.


4. (U) Former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry
rejected the allegations made against him by President
Musharraf in his November 10 press conference. Chaudhry
questioned the existence of any evidence against him and
charged Musharraf with not wanting an independent judiciary.


5. (U) Asma Jahangir, the Chairperson of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, condemned the change to the Army Act,
which now allows for civilians to be tried in military
tribunals. Still detained, Asma said that this change now
allowed for civilians to face unusually severe penalties for
crimes ranging from libel to murder and said the amendment
further demonstrated the GOP's lack of faith in the
judiciary. The GOP claims the amendment will only be used to
address the problem of the courts releasing suspected
terrorists who were detained without charge.



6. (C) The Attorney General told the press November 10 that
Musharraf's election eligibility case that was scheduled to
be heard by the Supreme Court today will not be heard until
November 14 because the bench does not have the necessary 11
justices at this time. However, the Court will hear the
initial opening of a challenge of the state of emergency,
filed by Tikka Iqbal Khan, the former Food Minister in
Punjab, with an eight-justice bench.

Consulate Reports
--------------


7. (U) Several PPP demonstrations took place on November 11,
including a "black day" in Sindh that resulted in
approximately 300 arrests; a PPP-led attempt to block the
national highway in Hyderbad; a demonstration in Dadu over
the Bhutto detention that resulted in 100 arrested and 4
wounded; and several others in Larkana, Nawabshah, Mithi,
Thatta, Khairpur, Shikarpur, and Nauhsarhro Feroze where many
arrests were made and tires were burned. Several people were

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reportedly injured when police used batons and tear gast to
prevent a rally at the Karachi Press Club.


8. (U) Consulate received reports that the government had
forcibly removed the broadcast transmitted for the Mast FM
103 Radio Network. To date, the very-popular station has not
received any official notice as to why this action took
place, but the station does have a contract with BBC Urdu
Services, through which FM 103 runs BBC news bulletins. (At
this time, BBC is still off the televised air due to the GOP
belief that it is broadcasting anti-government messages and
has not agreed to the new media Code of Conduct.)


9. (U) Peshawar: A bomb explosion at an internet cafe in
Peshawar's old city left one injured as militants continued
to drive their activities they deem to be "un-Islamic."


10. (U) On November 11, Small demonstrations were reported in
Khyber, Bajaur, and Bannu, and Shah Farman, the Northwest
Frontier Province (NWFP) leader of PTI, was reportedly placed
under house arrest following a small demonstration.


11. (U) Today, Peshawar lawyers plan to protest before the
High Court, PML-Q activists plan to gather at the Peshawar
Press Club to protest the suicide bombing on November 9 which
killed former NWFP provincial minister Pir Muhammad Khan, and
JI announced that they would be holding a rally in Peshawar
on November 13.


PATTERSON