VZCZCXRO1687
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #5390/01 3631156
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291156Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4088
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 7956
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2549
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 8511
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 4447
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 3077
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 005390 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PK PREL AEMR ASEC AMGT CASC PINR MARR
KFLO 
SUBJECT: MGPK02: SITREP 4: BHUTTO'S FUNERAL FOLLOWED BY 
NIGHT OF WIDESPREAD UNREST 
 
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 5380 
     ¶B. ISLAMABAD 5359 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  Countrywide protests, violence and 
widespread arson followed the December 28 afternoon interment 
of Benazir Bhutto. Today has brought greater calm in many 
areas with most businesses closed and light traffic on the 
streets, but unrest continues in some cities, especially 
Karachi. The official three day mourning period for Bhutto 
concludes tomorrow, December 30, and mourners continue to 
descend on Larkana, the site of her ancestral home and family 
mausoleum.  A memorial service is scheduled for 1000 December 
29 near Larkana.  Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Vice Chairman 
Faheem told Ambassador there will be a PPP meeting tomorrow 
to decide the way forward on elections; personally, he 
supports having elections proceed as scheduled on January 8. 
(Note: The PPP's election decision will be taken a day 
earlier than we have reported and briefed.)  Embassy and 
Consulates Lahore and Peshawar are operating normally; 
Consulate Karachi continues on reduced staffing.  END SUMMARY. 
 
GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO MAINTAIN ORDER 
 
¶2. (U) Pakistan continues to grieve the death of Benazir 
Bhutto and many are venting their anger in public 
demonstrations often devolving into vandalism and arson.  The 
government continues to respond to the public's outrage in a 
steady and low-key manner, providing additional 
law-enforcement and military support as needed.  Chief of 
Army Staff Kayani and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Majid condemned Bhutto's assassination and made public 
statements offering condolences to her family and friends. 
 
INITIAL RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION 
 
¶3. (U) The Ambassador attended a December 29 briefing of the 
diplomatic corps at which the Interior Ministry presented the 
initial findings of the investigation into the December 27 
assassination of Bhutto. (septel)  The government's 
announcement that Bhutto died, not from a bullet wound, but 
from striking her head on part of her vehicle in the midst of 
the attack, has received constant press coverage. 
 
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS 
 
¶4. (U) The government decided December 28 to convene a 
conference of all the political parties for consultations on 
general elections scheduled for January.  The date for such a 
conference not yet known. 
 
¶5. (U) PPP President Makhdoom Amin Faheem told the Ambassador 
that PPP leadership would hold a party meeting tomorrow, 
December 29, in Larkana following the 10 am morning memorial 
service for Bhutto.  Faheem said his personal recommendation 
would be to hold elections as scheduled on January 8.  This 
decision will be taken a day earlier than we anticipated and 
have previously reported. 
 
¶6. (U) Nawaz Sharif announced that if the government went 
forward with elections in January, it would destroy both the 
government and the country.  He called for a new caretaker 
government with no involvement by President Musharraf.  Nawaz 
visited Larkana today to pay a condolence call on the family. 
 
¶7. (U) The Punjab government denied permission to Aitzaz 
Ahsan, currently under house detention, to attend Bhutto's 
funeral.  CG Lahore spoke with Ahsan today and reported that 
the GOP is blocking Ahsan's access to international and land 
phone service.  Ahsan confirmed that he is not a candidate to 
replace Bhutto as the PPP's leader; as a Punjabi, he would 
not be an appropriate leader for this Sindh-based political 
party. 
 
PROTESTS 
 
¶8. (U) In Karachi, the Army has deployed in two 
neighborhoods, the Malir and Bin Qasim (where Port Qasim is 
located), areas just east of the airport which are considered 
PPP strongholds.  Many parts of the town are silent, but CG 
Karachi reports continuing sporadic violence in some areas, 
and adds that about 20 people were killed and at least 80 
 
ISLAMABAD 00005390  002 OF 002 
 
 
wounded in past 36 hours.  Businesses remain closed following 
wide-spread arson and vandalism.  At least 600 vehicles have 
been burned and more than 20 buildings, including Karachi's 
Edhi Center, headquarters for Pakistan's largest welfare 
organization. 
 
¶9. (U) CG Karachi is on reduced staffing and providing 
safehaven to local employees unable to return home due to 
unrest in the streets. 
 
LARKANA 
 
¶10. (U) CG Karachi reports that many mourners in Larkana went 
on a rampage after Bhutto's burial, torching stores, 
government buildings, a train station and numerous vehicles. 
Mourners chanted anti-Musharraf and anti-U.S. slogans. 
Grieving crowds continue to control the road between Larkana 
and Shikarpur, but people continue to arrive to pay their 
respects, many on foot because roads are either closed or 
impassable.  Sunday, December 30 marks the third and final 
day of the official mourning period for Bhutto. 
 
SINDH PROVINCE 
 
¶11. (U) The Army has taken control of the streets in many 
cities in Sindh, including Sukkur, Larkana, Badin, and 
Hyderabad.  Domestic flights, train service and bus 
transportation remain suspended throughout the Sindh 
province.  Fuel for vehicles is in short supply as stations 
remain closed and tankers are unable to travel the roads. 
Basic goods, including food, are also in increasingly short 
supply as blockaded roads and attacks on trucks have halted 
shipping for the time being. 
 
¶12. (U) In Sukkur, roughly 100 government buildings and more 
than 20 other buildings were burned.  In Ghotki, the 
telephone exchange and circuit house were burned.  According 
to Pakistan Telecom Company Ltd, the damage to the telephone 
exchange has resulted in difficulties with international 
calls. 
 
PESHAWAR 
 
¶13. (U) CG Peshawar reports relative calm today.  A 
demonstration blocked roads this morning but there were no 
further reports of vandalism or violence.  Police are out in 
force, especially at major intersections.  Very few 
businesses are open (just small kiosks) and traffic is light. 
 
LAHORE 
 
¶14. (U) Although there were also overnight reports of 
vandalism and arson throughout cities in the Punjab, CG 
Lahore reports that Lahore is also calm today.  Businesses 
are closed and there is little traffic. 
 
AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES 
 
¶15. (U) Embassy and Consulates issued a warden's message at 
midnight December 29 cautioning American citizens to avoid 
travel to Pakistan during the official mourning period for 
Benazir Bhutto, which ends tomorrow December 30.  Also, the 
Mission has received no reports of injuries or deaths of 
American citizens.  Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior has 
advised foreign nationals to restrict their movements and 
avoid large gatherings. 
 
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES 
 
¶16. (U) According to media reports, India has put its border 
forces on a "high state of vigil" and suspended cross-border 
bus and train links for at least a day. 
 
¶17. (U) President Karzai has ordered Afghanistan's flag to be 
flown at half-mast in honor of Bhutto.  The flag will remain 
at half-mast until 0930 December 30.  Karzai met with Bhutto 
hours before her death and called her death "an immense loss 
for Pakistan and the Muslim world." 
PATTERSON