Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ISLAMABAD4869
2007-11-15 12:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

MGPK01: SITREP 21, AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD: IMRAN KHAN

Tags:  AEMR AMGT CASC KFLO PGOV PINR PK PREL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7116
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #4869/01 3191230
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151230Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3217
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 7769
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2240
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 8048
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 4063
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 2592
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
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)

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