ANP LIKELY TO ABSTAIN ON NATIONAL RECONCILIATION ORDINANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PESHAWAR 000211 E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV MOPS PTER PREL SUBJECT: ANP LIKELY TO ABSTAIN ON NATIONAL RECONCILIATION ORDINANCE CLASSIFIED BY: Candace Putnam, Principal Officer, U.S. Consulate Peshawar. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Awami National Party leader Asfundyar Wali Khan indicated to PO October 22 that his party likely will abstain in the upcoming parliamentary vote on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) that provides President Zardari and other politicians immunity from prosecution on corruption charges. The previous day, Asfundyar's deputy, Afrasiab Khattak, reported that ISI had approached the party to urge it to oppose the NRO, a step he warned would mean fracturing the coalition government. Khattak believed ISI lobbying signaled the start of a long-rumored campaign by the Pakistani Army to oust President Zardari. The "softening up" phase of the attack, said Khattak, included the media campaign against the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill, the short-lived threat by FATA parliamentarians to support the opposition, and the latest corruption allegations against the Attorney General. The Army was using Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhy to launch the "pincer" phase of the attack, claimed Khattak, by forcing a parliamentary vote on the NRO. ¶2. (C) Asfundyar indicated he had been trying to convince Chief of Army Staff General Kayani not to go down this road, because replacing Zardari would solve nothing and the Pakistani People's Party (PPP) had no one of stature in the wings to take over. Further, it was not clear how Zardari would react; Asfundyar claimed to have had long discussions urging Zardari not take precipitous action, presumably meaning an attempt to fire Kayani as has been rumored. Of the names being circulated to replace Zardari, which included Aitzaz Ahsan and Amin Fahim, Khattak felt that PPP Senator Reza Rabbani was the most likely choice. Prime Minister Gilani would go along with anyone the Army chose, claimed Khattak. There would be no violence and no coup, predicted Khattak, just the appropriate whisper in Zardari's ear that it was time to go. ¶3. (C) Asfundyar reported that the Army was making "a proper campaign" in South Waziristan. The long advance warning, however, had allowed TTP leaders like Hakimullah and Qari Hussain to flee to Mir Ali, North Wazirstan. Khattak, who is well-known for his anti-Army/ISI views, questioned the true intent of the Pakistani Army and speculated that the plan might be to eliminate TTP leader Waliur Rehman, leaving Siraj Haqqani's man Hakimullah in charge. However, Asfundyar believed that sooner or later the Pakistani military would have to take the battle to North Waziristan. ¶4. (C) On the Afghan election, Khattak predicted that President Karzai would win and lamented what he called unnecessary efforts to fix the first round of voting. Asfundyar commented that the USG position was causing confusion among the Pashtuns-we were urging the Uzbeks be wiped out in Waziristan but were perceived to be backing Abdullah Abdullah, the alleged Northern Alliance candidate in the Afghan election. End summary. Army Campaign to Oust Zardari -------------- ¶5. (C) PO met October 22 with Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfundyar Wali Khan and on October 21 with ANP deputy Afrasiab Khattak to brief him on USG efforts to provide equipment and training for the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) police and assure them that the ongoing USAID restructuring would not reduce USG support for development work in NWFP or FATA . Army Campaign Against Zardari -------------- ¶6. (C) Asfundyar indicated that ANP would hold meetings to consider its decision but likely would abstain from voting on the NRO. He said there would be many missing parliamentarians on voting day and predicted that Zardari would pass the measure by buying what he needed from the PPP, Muttahida Quami Movement, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam parties. However, he admitted that Zardari faced problems in the Senate. ¶7. (C) Khattak, who dramatically asked to move to the garden away from "ISI ears," reported that ISI had approached ANP Senator Zahid Khan last week to urge that the party vote against the NRO. In his view, this was proof the long-rumored Amry campaign to oust Zardari with the help of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had begun; Chaudhry's Supreme Court recently ruled that the parliament must vote on the NRO. ¶8. (C) Khattak believed that the "softening up" stage of the attack included the well-orchestrated campaign against the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill, recent corruption allegations against Attorney General Khosa, and the FATA parliamentarian's short-lived threat to move to the opposition benches. The "pincer" move would be the NRO vote. Khattak also indicated the party would abstain; "otherwise, we are in direct opposition to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and we break the coalition." ¶9. (C) According to Khattak, there were several names being circulated as possible replacements for Zardari. He dismissed chances for Aitzaz Ahsan or Amin Fahim but suggested that the Army would support PPP Senator Reza Rabbani. He was not sure if Rabbani would agree to take the position, however. Khattak predicted that PM Gilani would support whoever the Army chose. The transition would not be violent, said Khattak; all the Army will have to do is whisper in Zardari's ear that it is time to go. ¶10. (C) Asfundyar indicated he had tried to dissuade Chief of Army Staff Kayani from going down this road arguing that removing Zardari would solve nothing and create more problems. "The PPP has no one of stature who can take Zardari's place." Further, Zardari might fight back by making a unwise, precipitous decision (presumably to fire Kayani as as been rumored). Asfundyar claimed he had had long conversations with Zardari warning him against such action. A "Proper Campaign" or "Nothing New"? -------------- -------------- ¶11. (C) Asfundyar said he believed the Army was making a "proper campaign" in South Waziristan like it had in Swat. At a recent meeting with the Army and key political leaders, Asfundyar said he argued that the presumption the Army could not fight in the snow should be turned around; deep snows would force the militants to hole up for the winter while the military made use of helicopters to find and destroy their positions. Today's good news was that the Army finally destroyed the homes of Hakimullah and Qari Hussain in Kotkai. He cautioned, however, that arrangements for neutrality with the Wazirs of North Waziristan would not hold and worried that the Army's arrangement did not address the Pakhtunwali code of offering refuge. The advance warning of the campaign already had allowed militants like Hakimullah and Qari Hussain to flee. ¶12. (C) Khattak, who is well-known for his anti-military/ISI views, gave events a more sinister interpretation. He questioned whether the ISI had abandoned its strategy of doing deals with militants and speculated that the Army's plan might be to surround and kill TTP leader Waliur Rehman, thus eliminating Hakimullah's rival and leaving Siraj Haqqani with even greater power. Khattak repeated his views that the West has been hoodwinked by the Pakistani military. "You need to understand that their determination to control the government in Kabul is equal to their determination to build and keep nuclear weapons. They acquired nuclear weapons despite international opposition, and they believe they can beat you on establishing their hegemony in Afghanistan too." Karzai Will Win -------------- ¶13. (C) Khattak claimed to have urged President Karzai over lunch last month to stick with the U.S. despite his frustration, as the U.S. was the only friend Pashtuns have in the region. Karzai will win the election run-off, predicted Khattak. Like Zulfakir Ali Bhutto in Pakistan, said Khattak, Karzai blew what was a sure victory by stupid meddling in the first round of voting. Asfundyar commented that the USG position was causing confusion among the Pashtuns-we were urging the Uzbeks be wiped out in Waziristan but were perceived to be backing Abdullah Abdullah, the alleged Northern Alliance candidate in the Afghan election. ¶14. (C) Comment: This is far from the first rumor about a possible Army conspiracy against Zardari, and it is no surprise that Pakistani politicians are seeking ways to avoid a vote on the controversial NRO. The (unconfirmed) report that Hakimullah and Qari Hussain have moved to safer ground under the protection of Siraj Haqqani reflects ongoing concern about the Army's shaky neutrality agreements with the Wazirs of North Waziristan. End comment. PUTNAM