PPP: "GIVE US TIME"

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FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5454
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 8252
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 7392
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2915
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 9126
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 4975
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 3662
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 000876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, PK 
SUBJECT: PPP: "GIVE US TIME" 
 
REF: ISLAMABAD 807 
 
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d) 
 

r />somehow be accomplished despite Musharraf's continuing

control over the Senate. "We are in no hurry; if the

deliberations in committee are prolonged, that is not a

problem for us. We cannot allow Chaudhry to return and try

to rule Pakistan by "suo moto" (legal fiat) again. It would

be a disaster."



4. (C) Rehman reported that she had been in constant

contact with the lawyers' movement and human rights advocates

like Asma Jehangir, "who agrees with us completely." PPP

activist Aitzaz Ahsan has now been convinced, asserted

Rehman, that he should back down on grand plans to organize a

"long march" of lawyers on Islamabad. He would be

confronting his own party, said Rehman, and playing into

Nawaz's hands.



5. (C) Asked if Nawaz would back out of a coalition if the

PPP does not yield on this issue, Rehman replied that Nawaz's

party wants return to government. Admitting the PPP had

little leverage on Nawaz, she asked about the Ambassador's

meeting with Nawaz (reftel) and whether the U.S. had a sense

of where Nawaz was going. Polcouns said Nawaz was

noncommittal on whether to appoint ministers to a coalition

government and appeared to be sticking to what he deemed "his

principles" on the judiciary. Rehman noted that in the past

Nawaz had been willing to compromise those principles,

especially on independence of the judiciary.



Working with Musharraf's Partners

--------------



6. (C) Rehman ruled out including Musharraf's Pakistan

Muslim League (PML) party in the PPP coalition. "Musharraf

has to understand that the people have clearly rejected his

party and his policies." Polcouns noted that there were

rumors that Musharraf might abandon his political allies, the

Chaudhrys, in order to make the party more acceptable as a

coalition partner with the PPP. Rehman responded that the

Chaudhrys were "increasingly irrelevant." The PML was



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"falling apart" and even PML General Secretary Mushahid

Hussain was putting out feelers on cooperation with the PPP.

Those abandoning the PML were, she regretted, "going home" to

Nawaz.



7. (C) Regarding an alliance with the Muttahida Quami

Movement (MQM) party at the national and provincial levels,

Rehman acknowledged there was deep opposition within the PPP

to working with MQM. But, Rehman cautioned, history has

shown that excluding MQM just leads to violence. "We have

worked with them in the past and need to find a way to do it

again. I know what they are: they killed my driver in the

May 12 demonstrations. But we cannot afford to open another

front in Karachi--we have too many other challenges." She

confirmed that the PPP has sent a delegation to talk with MQM

about joining the coalition.



PM: No Decisions Yet

--------------



8. (C) Refusing to be draw into a discussion of the PPP's

choice for Prime Minister, Rehman said it was an ongoing

topic of discussion. Implying she was discussing Amin

Faheem's candidacy, Rehman said only that the PPP would need

a "strong PM who can be tough in negotiating coalition

politics" and "someone willing to work hard into the night,

every night." On possible ministerial appointments, Rehman

said the PPP would insist on keeping the Foreign Ministry and

the Interior Ministry. If Nawaz wants the Finance Ministry,

"let him have it -- (former Finance Minister under Nawaz)

Ishaq Dar is very competent, and we can work with him."



9. (C) Asked if she thought Nawaz would run in a

by-election, Rehman replied "if he does, so will we." But

neither Zardari nor Nawaz, she predicted, would be PM

candidates "any time soon." Despite press reports that GOP

has withdrawn corruption cases against Zardari, Rehman said

this has not happened.



Silence from the Army

--------------



10. (C) Rehman said the PPP has not heard from Chief of

Army Staff General Kayani, but praised him for staying out of

the political fray. She hoped the military would not

intervene to protect Musharraf and will allow the PPP to make

key foreign policy and defense decisions.



Regional Negotiations

--------------



11. (C) Rehman said the PPP had convinced 14 of the

independent candidates to ally with the PPP: this included 12

from tribal areas who traditionally vote with the President.

She claimed the PPP continues to make inroads with

independents from Balochistan and is working to form a

provisional government there in opposition to the top vote

winner, the PML. She noted that despite press reports, the

PPP had not been consulted on Musharraf's February 27

decision to name a new governor of Balochistan, and "we are

not happy with the choice." She admitted Nawaz has the votes

to form a government in Punjab, and "he increasingly appears

concentrated on this goal." But, Rehman insisted, the PPP is

a national party and has to concentrate on keeping the

federation together.



Business Outreach

--------------



12. (C) Rehman said the PPP had been meeting with multiple

delegations from the Pakistani chambers of commerce. Given

our platform, she admitted, "we needed to convince

businessmen that we have no intentions of putting lots of new

taxes on them." She thought the delegations were pleased and

relieved with the PPP's answers to their questions about the

PPP's plans for the economy but did not elaborate.



13. (C) The PPP has also been working on outreach to

businessmen to push for increased trade with India.

Pakistanis need jobs, said Rehman, and there are enormous

opportunities to work with India. Pakistan is never going to

"solve" the big issues on Kashmir, she noted, but it is

possible to help the people in the northern area improve



ISLAMABAD 00000876 003 OF 003





their living conditions. There are so many Chinese goods in

the market that it is foolish to use the fear of a flood of

Indian products as an excuse to prevent the growth of trade.



Give Us Time

--------------



14. (C) The political reality, said Rehman, is that the PPP

wants Nawaz on board in the coalition. "We don't know

whether he will agree to participate with ministers, but he

is too powerful to have in opposition." "Give us time," she

urged, to bring him around so that the PPP can have a strong

majority in the next parliament. Without Nawaz, the PPP can

govern but with only a "slim majority." Rehman thought it

would take another two weeks to come to closure on the

coalition. It would be okay to start with a "shadow or

skeleton" cabinet at first if necessary. The real work of

coalition cooperation, Rehman indicated, would take place

behind the scenes through Zardari and Nawaz.



15. (C) Comment: Rehman is widely rumored to want the job

as Foreign Minister, so it is no surprise that she suggested

this portfolio remain in PPP hands. She and Zardari have

made no secret that the believe Faheem is weak and lazy, but

they do not appear to have found a suitable alternate

candidate yet. Rehman continues to believe the PPP can bring

Nawaz into the tent, but Nawaz is proving a tough negotiator,

and the PPP is struggling to find the right levers to make

this coalition a reality.

















PATTERSON