VZCZCXRO1595
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKP #0861/01 3480626
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 140626Z DEC 07
FM AMCONSUL KARACHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0214
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3831
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0207
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 2420
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4294

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000861 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL PK
SUBJECT: MQM LEADERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ELECTIONS, 
RELATIONSHIP WITH PPP 
 
Classified By: Kay Anske, Consul General, reasons 1.4 (c), (d) 
 
 ¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leaders 
discussed their election plans at a meeting with the Consul 
General (CG) at their party headquarters on December 13, 
¶2007.  The MQM sees itself as a national party and will field 
candidates throughout Pakistan.  Party leaders have been in 
close contact with the Pakistan People,s Party (PPP) and 
feel that the relationship between the two parties is 
improving.  The Deputy Convener said he expected the 
elections to be peaceful but is concerned that the Jamaat 
Islami (JI) and the Awami National Party (ANP) may try to 
disrupt the process.  MQM leaders appear confident about 
their election prospects and the party is likely to maintain 
its political control over Karachi.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Deputy Convener Dr. 
Farooq Sattar and other party leaders met with the Consul 
General (CG) at the party headquarters in Karachi, on 
December 13, 2007.  Dr. Sattar described the party,s 
political platform and election strategy.  Their manifesto, 
titled &Empowerment for All,8 will be released later on 
December 13 and focuses on the Three Ps of Peace, Progress, 
and Prosperity.  Their manifesto is consistent with their 
rhetoric and has sections on provincial autonomy and agrarian 
reforms along with education, health, and development. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The party is trying to move beyond its traditional 
strongholds in urban Sindh and will field candidates across 
the nation.  They have 122 National Assembly candidates and 
226 Provincial Assembly with the majority from Sindh and 
Punjab.  Dr. Sattar said the MQM is making solid progress in 
Punjab and claimed that Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) 
President Chaudhry Shujaat called him on December 12 to 
complain about growing MQM influence in the province. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Dr. Sattar said the MQM has been in contact with the 
other political parties, especially the Pakistan People,s 
Party (PPP).  Altaf Hussain called Benazir Bhutto on October 
19 to offer condolences for the suicide blast during her 
return rally.  That conversation led to a rapprochement and 
the parties have been involved in unpublicized high level 
communication.  While Benazir and Altaf have not spoken 
again, their close advisors in London have been in contact, 
said Sattar.  Because of this communication, the PPP is now 
willing to deal with the MQM as a moderate national party 
instead of a regional adversary. 
 
¶5.  (C)  The MQM has reached out to other political parties 
to a lesser extent.  The Head of the Media Wing, Haider Abbas 
Rizvi, said that they are happy to engage with all political 
parties and have offered to form a committee with the other 
parties to monitor the elections and deal with complaints. 
If such committees were formed at the district level, he 
said, they could resolve difficulties and promote fair 
elections. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Dr. Sattar said they have not been in contact with 
the Jamaat Islami (JI), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), 
or the Awami National Party (ANP).  He also said that part of 
the reason the JI is boycotting the elections is because 
people have grown weary of their religious ideology.  Because 
of the boycott, the MQM is concerned that the JI might try to 
disrupt the elections.  They are also concerned about 
violence from the ANP.  Dr. Sattar said that ANP leader Shahi 
Syed is trying to exploit the ethnic fault line between 
Karachi,s Pakhtoons and Mohajirs.  These communities have a 
long history of violence that was exacerbated during 
Karachi,s May 12 violence when close to fifty people were 
killed and the MQM was accused of targeting ANP supporters. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The MQM leaders were confident in their electoral 
prospects.  Members of their Central Committee stressed their 
organizational strengths and large number of party workers 
and supporters.  They hope to station two volunteer polling 
agents at each polling booth at each polling station in Sindh 
and will rely on their workers to get people out to vote. 
The party is organized vertically through the district, town, 
and street level and those in charge at each level will 
facilitate the voters. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Dr. Sattar said their workers will also help 
maintain the peace and that they have been instructed not to 
respond to any provocations.  Along with international 
observers and the media, their workers will also promote free 
and fair elections.  While it is unlikely all polling 
stations will be free from fraud, Dr. Sattar stressed that 
the losing parties should accept the results and not falsely 
claim the election was rigged. 
 
KARACHI 00000861  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C)  COMMENT:  The leaders, electoral optimism is well 
founded.  The MQM is the best-organized party in Karachi and 
is best able to bring its supporters out to the polls.  If 
the JI boycotts the elections, the MQM could sweep the 
elections in the city.  However, a boycott could result in JI 
supporters interfering with the electoral process and lead to 
violence between these bitter rivals.  There is also a real 
possibility of violence between the ANP and the MQM. 
Pakhtoons and Mohajirs have a violent history in Karachi and 
the ANP holds the MQM responsible for the deaths of their 
party workers on May 12. 
ANSKE