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