MUSHARRAF NAMES CARETAKER CABINET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 004890

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV PK PREL PINR AEMR KFLO CASC
SUBJECT: MUSHARRAF NAMES CARETAKER CABINET

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 4830

B. ISLAMABAD 4365

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


1. (C) Summary: As expected and provided for under the
constitution, Musharraf named a caretaker cabinet when the
National Assembly's term ended on November 15. Caretaker
governments will be named for the provinces beginning
November 20. These caretaker governments will serve until
new assemblies are elected, scheduled for early January 2008.
Under the caretaker system, Musharraf continues as
President, and the current Armed Forces leadership remains in
place. Please see para 9 for bios of key new officials. End
summary.

Caretaker Cabinet
--------------


2. (C) The Pakistan Constitution requires that, upon
dissolution of the National Assembly, the president appoints
a caretaker government (ref B). According to the
Constitution, "The caretaker Prime Minister is not eligible
to contest the immediately following election. Upon
dissolution of the four Provincial Assemblies the governors
may, with the previous approval of the President, also
appoint caretaker provincial cabinets. The caretaker Chief
Ministers are not eligible to contest the immediately
following election."


3. (C) Under the Constitution, the president has
discretionary power to appoint a caretaker government, and
there are no requirements that its members have any specific
qualifications or be non-partisan. In fact, most of
Pakistan's caretaker governments have been decidedly and
disastrously partisan. While there is an historical pretext
for a technocratic caretaker government, the current highly
charged political atmosphere indicates we are unlikely to see
that kind of government this time.


4. (U) On November 16, President Musharraf named 24 caretaker
cabinet ministers, plus a caretaker prime minister (listed
below). The Caretaker Prime Minister is Mohammed Mian Soomro
(ref A),who will also retain his current job as Chairman of
the Senate. He replaces Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. In the
coming days, Musharraf is expected to announce caretakers for
the rest of Pakistan's 38 federal ministries.

Prime Minister: Mohammed Mian Soomro
Foreign Affairs Minister: Inamul Haq
Defense Minister: Saleem Abbas Jilani
Finance/Revenue Minister: Salman Shah
Trade/Commerce Minister: Shahzada Alam Mannoo
Interior Minister: General (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan
Information Minister: Nisar Memon
Law/Justice Minister: Syed Afzal Haider
Kashmir Affairs Minister: Abbas Sarfaraz
Minority Affairs Minister: Raja Tri Deve Roy
Women/Social Development Minister: Shahida Jamil
Human Rights Minister: Ansar Burney
Information Tech Minister: Abdullah Riar
Culture/Sports Minister: Sakindar Jogezai
Tourism/Youth Minister: Muhammad Ali Saif
Environment Minister: Wajid H. Bokhari
Labor Minister: Nisar Ghuman
Science/Technology Minister: Shamas Lakha
Food/Livestock Minister: Prince Isa Khan
Ports/Shipping Minister: Faheem Ansari
Communications Minister: Habibur Rahman
Petroleum/Natural Resources Minister: Ehsanullah Khan
Housing/Works Minister: Lala Nisar Ahmed Khan
Religious Affairs Minister: Khawaja Ataullah
Industries/Production Minister: Salman Taseer

Elections
--------------


5. (U) For the first time in Pakistan's history, the National
Assembly completed its full, five-year term on November 15.
In this regard, Pakistan's Constitution, though currently in
abeyance, was followed. Musharraf's November 11 commitment

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to hold parliamentary elections by January 9, 2008, is also
in keeping with the 60-day window prescribed by the
Constitution. National and provincial elections will be
scheduled for the same day, and we expect Pakistan's Election
Commission (ECP) to announce a date certain sometime next
week.

The Presidency
--------------


6. (U) Musharraf's term as President should have likewise
expired on November 15; however, a president remains in
office until a successor is elected and sworn in. Musharraf
is waiting for the reconstituted Supreme Court to confirm
that he was eligible to stand for the election he won on
October 6. Musharraf has stated that he will resign as Chief
of Army Staff (COAS) and take the presidential oath of office
as a civilian as soon as the Court rules on his case. We
expect the Court to take up this case next week.


7. (U) Pakistan's Armed Forces continue to report to the
President.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) Although an unusual procedure, naming a caretaker
government is normal for Pakistan, and it allows the country
to move forward to scheduled parliamentary elections in
January 2008. Given Musharraf's November 3 decision to
impose a state of emergency and suspend the Constitution, the
GOP hopes that this step of naming a caretaker government
will indicate that the political situation is on the road
back to normalcy. Because Musharraf did not consult, as
promised, with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir
Bhutto in advance of the composition of the caretaker
government, we expect her and other opposition leaders to
criticize the composition of this cabinet.

Short Bios
--------------


9. (C) Below are short bios for key caretaker cabinet members.

Prime Minister, Muhammad Mian Soomro (ref A). Soomro is
currently Chairman of Pakistan's Senate. He is a
self-effacing member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League
(PML). Soomro represents an established Sindh feudal family.
Appointed by Musharraf, Soomro was Governor of Sindh
2000-2002. He entered the Senate in 2003, and was re-elected
in 2006 to a six-year term. Previously, he worked as an
international banker with a number of institutions, including
Bank of America. He was born on August 19, 1960, and has a
bachelors from Forman Christian College and a masters from
Punjab University. He also studied operations management at
Northrop University.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Inamul Haq. Haq served as
Pakistan's UN PermRep 1999-2000. He joined the diplomatic
corps in 1965. Before his tenure at the UN, he served at
numerous posts, including as Ambassador to Turkey, 1992-1996,
and China, 1997-1999. He has also served abroad in Nigeria,
Portugal, and Saudi Arabia. Haq was born in November 1940.
He holds a masters in English Language and Literature.

Defense Minister, Saleem Abbas Jilani. Jilani served as
Defense Secretary 1989-1996.

Finance Minister, Salman Shah. Shah is already a close
Embassy contact and has been de facto finance minister since
Shaukat Aziz became prime minister in 2004. Shah has advised
PM Aziz on finance, revenue, economic affairs and statistics.
He was a key player in the GOP's economic reforms program,
begun in late 1999. He previously served as Chairman of the
Privatization Commission of Pakistan and has been a board
member of the State Bank of Pakistan, Bank of Punjab,
Foundation University and Pakistan International Airlines.
He earned his PhD in Finance from Indiana University Kelley
School of Business Administration.

Trade/Commerce Minister, Shahzada Alam Mannoo. Mannoo hails

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from one the oldest industrialist families on the
sub-continent and started in his father's Calcutta rubber
business in 1940. Mannoo migrated to Pakistan in 1971.
Today, he is Chairman of the Mannoo Group, one of Pakistan's
largest industrial conglomerates, including a car assembly
plant and sugar mills. He stays active in various chambers
of commerce throughout the country and previously headed the
powerful All Pakistan Textile Manufacturers Association.

Interior Minister, General (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan. Khan
served as Defense Secretary 2001-2005.

Information Minister, Nisar Memon. Memon served as caretaker
Information Minister in 1993, and as Information Minister and
Frontier Regions Minister under Musharraf. He is a respected
businessman from Sindh, who sits on the boards of PSO, ALICO
and CALCORP. Memon was elected in 2003 as a PML Senator and
re-elected in 2006 to a six-year term. He earned his masters
of science from Karachi University.

PATTERSON