CODEL CASEY MEETS WITH KARACHI MAYOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000380

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER EINV PK
SUBJECT: CODEL CASEY MEETS WITH KARACHI MAYOR

Classified By: Kay Anske, Consul General, 1.4 b and
d.


1. (C) Summary: On May 27, U.S. Senator Robert
Casey and Consul General (CG) met with Karachi Nazim
(Mayor) Syed Mustafa Kamal in Karachi. Kamal, a
member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)
political party, forecast a growing threat to
Karachi from religious extremists and disagreed with
the peace deal between the GOP and taliban elements
in Swat. Kamal used the city,s IT Tower project as
an example of a successful public/private
partnership in Karachi. End summary.


2. (C) Karachi Nazim (Mayor) Syed Mustafa Kamal, a
member of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM)
political party, told Senator Robert Casey (D-PA)
and Consul General (CG) that Karachi, home to 18
million, is the largest single contributor to the
federal budget and that the city is a moderate force
in the face of rising extremism. He outlined his
accomplishments over the past two years, including
provision of potable water and sewage services to
most of the city,s inhabitants.

Public/Private Partnerships
--------------


3. (C) The Nazim touted the potential of Karachi
and cited the city,s future IT Tower project as an
example of the success of his public/private
partnership initiative. He said that, instead of
selling property to investors, the city government
had entered into a lease agreement with them that
gives the city a portion of the revenues from the
project. When completed, Kamal explained, the
building will contain a 10,000-seat call center and
provide employment for 30,000. According to him,
5,000 of the call center seats are already
subscribed.

&Thousands of Red Mosques8
--------------


4. (C) Kamal seemed focused on the threat posed to
the city by religious extremists, who he insisted
were, for the most part, not native Sindhis. He
said that, if &evil forces8 take over the city,
Pakistan would destabilize because Karachi was the
economic engine of the country. He pointed out that
Karachi has over 2,500 religious schools, with
student bodies largely made up of migrants from
Pakistan's northern areas and from Afghanistan.
Kamal added that the city has &thousands of Red
Mosques.8 (Comment: This is in reference to the
religious extremist Red Mosque in Islamabad that was
stormed by GOP forces in 2007. End comment.)


5. Many prominent MQM leaders, the Nazim included,
are on terrorist hit lists, he said. Extremists
abhor his political party, Kamal asserted, because
it is a moderating force. Expounding, he said much
of the political establishment opposes MQM because
it challenges Pakistan,s &status quo.8 MQM office
holders do not come from political dynasties or
otherwise well-connected families, yet the party
successfully contests elections. He cited his
middle-class roots as an example.

Peace Deal in North a Bad Idea
--------------


6. (C) Kamal cast doubt on the successful outcome
of recent GOP peace overtures with extremists
fighting in the &northern part of the country,8
apparently referencing the agreement with tribals in
Pakistan,s Swat district (not the proposed accord in
South Waziristan Agency). Kamal believed the treaty
was largely between the provincial government of the
Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and the taliban
and did not include other areas of the country. The
result, he said, would be a cessation of Pashtun-on-
Pashtun violence in NWFP, but an increase of
terrorist activity in other areas of the country -

KARACHI 00000380 002 OF 002


including Karachi. He cautioned that Pakistan
appears to be dividing along ethnic lines, with
Pashtuns supporting the Awami National Party (ANP);
Punjabis backing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N); and, Sindhis following the Pakistan
People,s Party (PPP).

Advice from the Nazim
--------------


7. (C) Asked what advice he would give the next
U.S. President, Kamal stressed the importance of
recognizing the difference between the U.S.,s
friends and foes, and learning more about South
Asia. Kamal concluded, "It is important to identify
moderate forces."


8. (U) CODEL Casey did not clear this cable.
Anske