AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW PUNJAB GOVERNOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAHORE 000219

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/23/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PK
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW PUNJAB GOVERNOR

CLASSIFIED BY: Bryan Hunt, Principal Officer, US Consulate
Lahore, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador paid a courtesy call on newly
appointed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer on June 13. Taseer
stated the lawyers' movement Long March had flopped, former
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was bent on confrontation with
President Musharraf, the majority of Pakistan People's Party
(PPP) members had no burning desire to force the President from
office as long as he continued to fade from the political
process and that the President's position had actually
strengthened in the last two days. End summary.


2. (C) Ambassador called on Taseer on June 13 in Lahore. She
was accompanied by Principal Officer and Poloff (notetaker).
Ambassador congratulated Taseer on his appointment. Taseer
stated that he was undertaking a much more active political role
on behalf of the PPP to rebuild the party's Punjab base and to
keep the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from cementing and
then expanding its own base there. He bluntly stated that there
were personal animosities between himself and the Sharif
brothers, Nawaz and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. In spite of
that he stated that all of them had come to a tacit agreement to
avoid public conflicts and accept each other's functional role
in Punjab province. As evidence, Taseer pointed out that he
swore in Shahbaz as Chief Minister June 8 in a dignified
ceremony.


3. (C) Taseer stated the lawyers movement Long March, which
reached Lahore on June 11 and departed on June 12 was a clear
flop. Taseer said Nawaz had tried to use this movement to his
party's political advantage but the disappointing turnout and
the lack of public enthusiasm demonstrated it was past its
prime. He said that Nawaz had put all of his political capital
on this issue. Taseer predicted Nawaz would find another issue
to confront the Presidency over since his track record showed
regular confrontation with his political rivals and Chiefs of
Army Staffs. He also criticized Nawaz for surrounding himself
with advisors who constantly advocated confrontational politics.


4. (C) Taseer said the PPP-PML-N coalition was not much more
than an understanding between PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari and
Nawaz at the moment. In his opinion Nawaz was not mentally
prepared to sit on the bench in the National Assembly and let
someone else be Prime Minister for five years. Although Zardari
was aware of this, Taseer said Zardari wanted to continue
working with Nawaz as long as possible to keep Musharraf
marginalized. If the PPP joins with Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim
League party in a coalition, Zardari believes Musharraf in
effect becomes the dominant political actor again.


5. (C) Taseer lamented the condition of the PPP position in the
Punjab Provincial Assembly. He said that all of the truly
effective PPP Punjabi leaders were sitting in the National
Assembly and that the sitting PPP provincial ministers were
ridiculous and ineffective leaders. He admitted that it was not
entirely appropriate for the Governor to be so politically
active on behalf of a political party but that there was no one
else to lead it.


6. (C) On Musharraf's future, Taseer said his position had
actually strengthened over the last two days since the Long
March had, in his words, flopped. He sarcastically credited
Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan for
continuing to lead a movement losing public support. Taseer
admitted that he personally liked and supported Musharraf but
that ever since he had removed his uniform last November his
power was naturally waning. Taseer said the vast majority of
the PPP supporters did not support confrontational politics with
Musharraf so long as he did not interfere in the political
process. He predicted Musharraf would go at the appropriate
time with dignity. He also stated that he had only spoken with
Musharraf twice since he was appointed governor and that he
never tried to order him around.


7. (C) Comment: Taseer has had a long personal animosity with
Nawaz but he does know him well; consequently, his
characterizations of him should be given due consideration. In
addition, Taseer possesses a sense of charisma, flair and even
substance which gives the PPP a provincial personality and
leader who can politically hold his own against the PML-N's
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The political race for the
Punjab is on. End comment.

HUNT