LONG MARCH ROUND UP AS OF 1930 LOCAL TIME, MARCH 15

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000554 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PK SUBJECT: LONG MARCH ROUND UP AS OF 1930 LOCAL TIME, MARCH 15 REF: ISLAMABAD 553 ISLAMABAD 00000554 001.3 OF 002 Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Nawaz Sharif has reached the center of Lahore and is leading a crowd of 25,000-50,000 supporters towards the Ravi River heading to Islamabad. The police have largely given up fighting the protesters and are actively helping them to remove barriers from the road to Islamabad. The Ambassador spoke with President Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif, and conveyed USG concern about the Sharif brother's security. She also urged both Zardari and Shahbaz Sharif to move forward on reconciliation, including action on the proposed judicial review of the Supreme Court decision disqualifying the Sharifs. End summary. ¶2. (C) As of 1900 local time, Nawaz Sharif has arrived at the Mall in Lahore, the center of the city. He has stopped to pray with supporters at the famous Data Darbar Shrine before he moves to the Lahore High Court. Nawaz Sharif may address the crowd at the Lahore High Court. His caravan and supporters are moving towards the Ravi Road and the entrance to the GT Road that leads to Islamabad. The rally is gathering supporters steadily and Consulate Lahore reports over 125,000 supporters. Other than his stop at the shrine, Nawaz has remained in his armored car. ¶3. (C) PML-N has obtained cranes and is clearing blockades from the Ravi toll plaza to allow the marchers onto the GT road to Islamabad. The police are openly assisting protesters in removing barriers, and are no longer manning any security posts. The police have withdrawn all their pickets from the GT road. Some protestors have already started moving through the toll plaza towards Islamabad. In addition to the police, several Lahore officials have resigned their posts and openly joined the Long March, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations Amjad Saleemi, Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hai Gilani, and the District Coordination Officer of Lahore Sajjad Bhutta. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador spoke with President Asif Ali Zardari who seemed extremely calm about the situation. The Ambassador conveyed to the President that she had been in regular contact with the Minister of Information Rehman Malik and everyone involved agreed that the security of the Sharif brothers was the highest priority. She urged Zardari to begin urgently the reconciliation process. The Ambassador noted the olive branch presented to the Sharifs on March 14. (i.e. the offer to review the Supreme Court decision.) She said we were urging the Sharifs to respond to the proposal. President Zardari said that the events over the next couple of days had to play out. Repeating what he had said the night before, Zardari said that he was ready for senior people in the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to sit down with PML-N leaders. ¶5. (C) In the late afternoon, the Ambassador spoke with PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif, who is currently "hiding" in Rawalpindi. The Ambassador conveyed USG concern for his and Nawaz Sharif's physical security. Shahbaz assured the Ambassador that he was in a safe place and had his own security detail. Furthermore, he said that Prime Minister Gilani had called him on March 14 to discuss a reconciliation process. Shahbaz was clear that he was willing to sit down with Gilani to start the reconciliation process but former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had to be restored. The Ambassador recommended that the Sharif brothers respond to Zardari's olive branch of the legal review petition of the Supreme Court decision on the Sharif eligibility. (See reftel) Shahbaz Sharif responded that they did not trust Zardari and were fearful that he could influence the decision of the court. Shahbaz said that he fully intended to participate in the long march on March 16, and he hoped to maintain his own security. ¶6. (SBU) Jamaati Islami (JI) leader Liaquat Baloch is leading a separate JI procession up the GT road from Mansoora (JI headquarters). Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan is also leading protestors from Lahore to Islamabad. ¶7. (C) RSO Islamabad reports that the road in front of the ISLAMABAD 00000554 002.2 OF 002 Secretariat police station has been blocked in front of the Saudi and Shamas gates. All US Embassy vehicles and diplomats are being asked to use special routes to enter the diplomatic enclave. Police have started placing shipping containers in front of the Serena hotel to block the road from Rawalpindi. PATTERSON