CONTINUING ORDEAL OF MUNIR MALIK

C O N F I D E N T I A L KARACHI 000869 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PK SUBJECT: CONTINUING ORDEAL OF MUNIR MALIK Classified By: Kay Anske, Consul General, for 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir Malik has been released from detention and hopes to travel from hospital to the UK for treatment of renal failure. Malik alleges that he is suffering due to abuse he received while in jail; the government claims this is a pre-existing condition. His family claims the government deliberately delayed his passport renewal, further endangering Malik's health. End summary. ¶2. (U) Munir Malik, former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and one of the attorneys for former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was taken into custody on November 3, just after the imposition of the State of Emergency (SOE). He told CG December 9 that while in jail, he was subjected to various hardships that allegedly resulted in severe damage to his kidneys. The GOP claims this is related to a pre-existing condition. On November 25, he was ordered released from Attock Jail (in Punjab) and admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Services (PIMS) in Islamabad. He was recently transferred to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) in Karachi. ¶3. (SBU) Due to renal failure, Malik is undergoing frequent dialysis; Mrs. Malik told CG that the Maliks hoped to go the UK for treatment. However, Malik,s passport had to be extended/renewed before he could travel. According to Mrs. Malik, the Pakistan Passport Office required him to personally appear, despite his precarious medical condition. When he arrived at the Passport Office on December 12, he was made to wait for several hours and then told that nothing could be done as the computer was down. Mrs. Malik complained to the CG that the GoP was just dragging its feet, further endangering her husband,s life. They had hoped that the passport would be ready and that they could leave on December 14. The passport has now been extended and the Maliks have flight reservations for December 26. ¶4. (C) Comment: Malik has been interviewed on TV from his hospital bedside and December 8 published a lengthy article for a local newspaper alleging ill-treatment (but no torture as has been reported in some press articles) while in detention. In the past few months before the State of Emergency, Malik was noticeably intoxicated during meetings with visiting codels and Poloffs. He reported that both he and his family had been under pressure because of his involvement in defending the former Chief Justice. ANSKE