VZCZCXRO1558
PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKP #0091 0380919
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 070919Z FEB 08
FM AMCONSUL KARACHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0275
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 3938
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 2442
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4324

C O N F I D E N T I A L KARACHI 000091 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PK
SUBJECT: PASHTUN POLITICAL LEADER KILLED IN KARACHI 
 
Classified By: Kay Anske, Consul General, reasons 1.4(b), (d) 
 
 ¶1.  (C)  Summary:  On February 6, gunmen killed the Sindh 
Deputy President of the Awami National Party (ANP), Fazlur 
Rehman Akakhel.  Almost immediately after, Pashtuns in 
Karachi took to the streets, creating mayhem in certain 
neighborhoods and traffic jams everywhere.  In a separate 
incident, the Karachi President of the Punjab-Pakhtun Ittehad 
Party (PPI) was shot and killed the same day.  The police 
responded quickly to quell the violence.  Pashtuns, (aka 
Pathan) long-time political rivals Muttahida Quami Movement 
(MQM) are assumed to be the killers.  There is no evidence 
that Al Qaeda or the Taliban are involved.  The closer we get 
to elections on February 18, we expect to see more 
Pashtun-MQM rivalry in Karachi and Sindh.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  In the late afternoon of Wednesday, February 6, 
gunmen killed the Deputy President for the Awami National 
Party (ANP) in Sindh, Fazlur Rehman Akakhel.  The ANP is the 
party for Pashtuns, of whom there are more than 2 million in 
Karachi, making this the largest Pashtun community outside of 
Peshawar. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Akakhel was in his vehicle in the Sohrab Goth 
(Pashtun dominated) area of Karachi when a gunman on a 
motorcycle rode by and shot Akakhel dead.  As soon as the 
word spread of Akakhel,s murder, stores began to close.  The 
result was traffic jams and gridlock in many parts of the 
city, even those that saw no violence. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Violence did indeed flare in those Karachi 
neighborhoods with large Pashtun populations.  It included 
aerial firing of weapons, and some vehicles and motorcycles 
were stoned or burned.  In one shooting incident, three 
persons were shot by a mob; two of them later died. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Unlike in December after Bhutto,s death, the police 
responded quickly to quell the violence and reportedly used 
tear gas on the mobs to make them disperse.  As a result, the 
violence was much less than it could have been. 
 
¶6.  (C)  In a separate incident, at almost the same time, 
Zakir Khan, Karachi President of the Punjab-Pakhtun Ittehad 
Party (PPI), was shot and killed in Baldia Town (in the west 
part of the city).  The method was similar ) men on 
motorcycles. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Earlier on Wednesday, in an unrelated meeting, the 
Nazim (Mayor) of Karachi told the Consul General that 
Pashtuns and other tribal groups from the northern areas of 
Pakistan were moving in large numbers to Karachi.  He claimed 
these people have stashed arms and ammunition in the city, 
and had put MQM leaders and workers on a hit list.  According 
to the Nazim, the Pashtuns had already submitted a request to 
their religious leaders for a fatwa against the MQM.  As soon 
as the fatwa is given, the Pashtuns would start killing MQM 
leaders.  The rumor mill in Karachi is also saying that the 
MQM has advised its workers to have a week,s supply of food 
and weapons and ammunition (for protection purposes) in case 
of violence before, during and after the election. 
 
¶8.  (C)  Comment:  The economically powerfully Pashtun 
community in Karachi and the politically powerful MQM have 
been feuding in Karachi since the 1980s.  The MQM have 
managed to keep the ANP * indeed any Pashtun * out of 
political office in Karachi and Sindh despite the Pashtuns 
significant population in Karachi.  Many observers believe 
that these latest killings were the work of MQM, a reminder 
to the ANP of who is in charge of politics in Sindh. 
 
¶9.  (C)  Comment continued:  At the same time, the MQM are 
very aware that the Pashtuns control virtually all means of 
transport in Karachi and can easily block the main routes in 
and out of the city.  The Nazim,s comments to the Consul 
General * no matter how far-fetched they may seem - reflect 
the level of hostility between the two groups, particularly 
leading up to the February 18 elections.  End comment. 
ANSKE