MGPK01: SITREP 21, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: IMRAN KHAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 004869 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017 TAGS: AEMR AMGT CASC KFLO PGOV PINR PK PREL SUBJECT: MGPK01: SITREP 21, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: IMRAN KHAN DETAINED, BHUTTO AND CG LAHORE TALK POLITICS, TV STATIONS RESUME BROADCAST REF: ISLAMABAD 4837 Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: CNN, BBC and some local private TV news channels are back on the air. CG Lahore met with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto, still under house arrest, in Lahore today. The PPP announced it would try again to launch the "long march" from Lahore to Islamabad; the first convoy had dwindled last night to ten cars. Imran Khan, leader of Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf party has been re-arrested with the help of students affiliated with a religious party. Top Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz officials claimed that Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have agreed to join forces in an anti-Musharraf campaign. The Director General of Military Operations briefed the diplomatic corps on current Army operations in Swat and said that polling in the Northwest Frontier Province would be possible, but was "unlikely" in most of the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. The National Assembly's term ends today; we expect an announcement of a caretaker government today or tomorrow. Musharraf's current presidential term also ends today. The Attorney General expects the Supreme Court to take up and complete its review of Musharraf's case "by the end of next week," paving the way for the President to re-take his oath of office as a civilian. Mission operations continued normally. End summary. ¶2. (U) Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was re-arrested by police on November 13 after escaping earlier from police custody. Imran and his party claim that the leader was manhandled during the arrest by students from Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT),a party affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami (JI),and PTI has called for protests, to lash out against the treatment. ¶4. (U) Officials of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) claimed today that Bhutto and currently exiled Nawaz Sharif have agreed to join forces against President Musharraf. The PPP would not comment on the report; if true, this alliance would bring together two of the largest opposition parties in Pakistan. ¶5. (U) Local press reported on the decision by Harvard University Law School to award former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry the Harvard Law Medal of Freedom for his contributions to freedom, justice, and equality in Pakistan. The school hopes that Chaudhry, who has been under house arrest since November 3, will be able to attend the awards ceremony once the state of emergency is lifted. In a letter to the Supreme Court registrar, Chaudhry claims that an order has been issued in recent days to have him moved to Quetta or elsewhere for detainment. ¶6. (C) Director General of Military Operations General Pasha November 15 briefed 15 the diplomatic corps regarding the Army's operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and surrounding areas, such as Swat. He said that the Army's focus on North and South Waziristan would be maintained. Concerning the recently Army-led initiative in Swat, Pasha informed that peace should be reinstated "within weeks." He predicted that polling would be possible throughout the Frontier Province (NWFP),but "unlikely" in most of FATA. ¶7. (U) Peshawar: Police released Awami National Party (ANP) leaders and disbanded an ANP rally in Karak shortly after it started on November 14. ANP also announced that it will hold NWFP protests on November 16. The Khyber Union of Journalists began its three-day demonstration on November 14 before the Peshawar Press Club; so far, no violence has been reported. Student rallies were reported at the University of Peshawar on November 14, and the lawyer boycott and protest camp continues at Peshawar High Court and other districts throughout the NWFP. ¶8. (U) Lahore: Consul General Lahore met with Benazir Bhutto and other PPP members, still under house arrest, to discuss elections and the next steps politically for Pakistan. The PPP Lahore Chapter Secretary plans to lead another "Long March" from Shahdara on the outskirts of Lahore despite warnings by local police that they would be arrested. This ISLAMABAD 00004869 002 OF 002 announcement comes one day after the police arrested hundreds of PPP members who tried to continue with the first relatively unsuccessful "Long March from Lahore to Islamabad. As of last night, the long march had dwindled to ten cars. 9.(U) Karachi: The Karachi Union of Journalists staged a peaceful five-hour hunger strike on November 14 at the Press Club, and no arrests or injuries were reported. In Lyari and Larkana, violent PPP protests continued in which armed men fired in the air, forced area shops to close, and were dispersed by police batons and tear gas. The PPP Sindh president announced that these protests would continue until Bhutto is released. Smaller rallies were held in Jacobabad, Thatta, Badin, and Ranipur where scattered reports indicated that police used batons and arrests to disperse the crowd. The ARY One World Bureau Chief and a journalist from the Urdu newspaper "Awam" were arrested by the Frontier Corps in Quetta on November 14 and moved to an unidentified location. ¶10. (U) The National Assembly will complete, for the first time in Pakistani history, its full five year term today. We expect the caretaker government to be announced today or tomorrow. Musharraf's current term as President also ends today; under Pakistani law, an incumbent president remains in office until a successor is sworn in. The Attorney General believes the Supreme Court will take up and complete the case against Musharraf "by the end of next week," paving the way for Musharraf to resign as Chief of Army Staff and re-take the presidential oath of office as a civilian. ¶11. (U) DAWN, CNN, BBC, Sky News, and FOX are back on the air. It is not confirmed whether these stations have agreed to the new, strenuous Code of Conduct that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority announced would be required prior to allowing allegedly anti-government channels to be broadcasted. PATTERSON