AMBASSADOR PRESSES FOR PAKISTANI ACTION AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002532 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2020 TAGS: PREL PTER IN PK SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESSES FOR PAKISTANI ACTION AGAINST TERROR Classified By: Political Counselor Uzra Zeya. Reason: 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a December 17 conversation with Pakistani High Commissioner Shahid Malik, the Ambassador pressed for Pakistani government action to convict suspects implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks; action against suspected Mumbai mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) supremo Hafez Saeed; and dismantling of LeT infrastructure. Malik conceded that progress in Mumbai trials has been slow but "going down the right road." He said the GOP is developing a new criminal case against Saeed, but emphasized repeatedly that the government will have only one opportunity to try the LeT leader and must therefore build an "airtight" case against him. Malik said that al-Qaeda, LeT, and the Taliban are inter-related and are being dealt with by the Pakistani army "in a systematic way." In reply to Malik's repeated contention that "dialogue is key to progress" in Indo-Pak relations, the Ambassador stated that dialogue with action and results is the actual key. End Summary. Pak Must Act in Three Critical Areas -------------- ¶2. (C) Speaking to Malik by telephone, the Ambassador reviewed the outcome of the November 24 meeting in Washington between President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Singh and stressed the critical importance of Pakistani Government action in three areas: first, the conviction of suspects implicated in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks; second, action against alleged Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT leader Hafez Saeed; and third, the dismantling of LeT infrastructure. ¶3. (C) Initially evasive and complaining of the need for greater Indo-Pak dialogue ("talking about nothing is better than nothing at all"),Malik conceded that progress in the trials has been slow. He attributed this to factors such as recusals of presiding judges and the high level of security attendant to the trials, which are being conducted in a high-security prison. Nevertheless, the always-smooth Malik claimed that the trials are "going down the right road" and said that Indian External Affairs Minister Krishna told him the trials would play well in India once they got started. Building a "Foolproof" Case and "Rounding Up Usual Suspects" -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) With regard to the second item -- Pakistani action against LeT kingpin Hafez Saeed -- Malik stated that a case against Saeed is already pending before the Pakistani Supreme Court (Note: Malik was likely referring to an appeal of an August 3 lower court decision to dismiss Saeed's prosecution on procedural grounds. End Note). He shared that the GOP is "beginning" to build a new criminal case against Saeed, but emphasized repeatedly that the government will have only one opportunity to try Saeed and must therefore build an "airtight" and "foolproof" case against him. In reply to the Ambassador's observation that Interpol and the UN had already produced incriminating information against Saeed, Malik again stressed that "our own system" needs to make the case, adding that "we can't afford to put forward a half-baked case" that could be dismissed by the Supreme Court without recourse. Malik noted cryptically that Pakistani authorities were "rounding up the usual suspects" as part of their case-building efforts. He offered no response to the Ambassador's point that action against Saeed would do much to promote peace between India and Pakistan. ¶5. (C) Moving to the third item -- dismantling of LeT infrastructure - the Ambassador expressed appreciation for GOP action against terror in FATA and South Waziristan as a promising start. Listing al-Qaeda, LeT, and the Taliban by name, Malik said that all these groups are inter-related and inter-connected to elements that traverse the Af-Pak border. He stated the Pakistani army is "proceeding in a systematic way" to go after these and other "bad actors" who are spread across Pakistan. He offered that special courts have been set up to investigate and prosecute such elements. ¶6. (C) Looking at the way ahead, Malik returned to his mantra that increased Indo-Pak dialogue is sorely needed, particularly at the Foreign Secretary (FS) level. He praised NEW DELHI 00002532 002 OF 002 PM Singh for being "all out" for improved bilateral ties, and stated that the Pakistanis were heartened by high-level talks at Sharm al-Sheikh and New York. However, the GOP was disappointed that expectations of developing a bilateral "roadmap for peace" on the margins of the Commonwealth summit last month in Trinidad did not materialize. Malik suggested that a FS-level meeting might take place in Bhutan (NFI) in the next two months. In reply to Malik's contention that "dialogue is key to progress" in Indo-Pak relations, the Ambassador stated that dialogue with action and results is the actual key. ROEMER