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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
08LAHORE208	2008-05-16 14:30	2011-08-30 01:44	CONFIDENTIAL	Consulate Lahore

VZCZCXRO6299
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHLH #0208 1371430
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O P 161430Z MAY 08
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3699
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 4425
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0250
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0073
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0620
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1851
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 1534
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4824

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAHORE 000208 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/16/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: PML-N BLASTS APPOINTMENT OF NEW PUNJAB GOVERNOR 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Antone C. Greubel, A/PO, US Consulate Lahore, 
Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1.  (C) Summary: On May 14 President Pervez Musharraf, with at 
least the tacit agreement of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) 
leader Asif Zardari, nominated Salman Taseer, media mogul and 
former caretaker Federal Minister for Production and Industries, 
as Governor of Punjab province.  The Pakistan Muslim 
League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership reacted angrily to his 
appointment and labeled it a conspiracy being hatched in the 
presidency.  Although political power is focused on the Chief 
Minister, the Governor's office is highly visible and 
prestigious.  Nawaz Sharif is apparently taking this appointment 
as a personal affront.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Salman Taseer is scheduled to be sworn in as Governor of 
Punjab province on May 16.  Outgoing Governor Lt. General 
(retired) Khalid Maqbook submitted his resignation May 15. 
Taseer is a PPP party stalwart, businessman and media baron.  He 
was last elected to office in 1988 as a Member of the Punjab 
Provincial Assembly but lost races for the National Assembly in 
1993 and 1997.  He served on the PPP Central Executive Committee 
and as the Central Information Secretary.  After Musharraf came 
to power in 1999, Taseer was largely politically inactive until 
he was appointed to the caretaker government in November 2007. 
 
¶3. (C) Taseer is a prominent businessman who owns several 
companies involved in accounting, management consultancy, 
securities, shopping malls and hotels, but is primarily known 
for his media holdings which include two major English language 
newspapers, The Daily Times and the Friday Times, and the Urdu 
language newspaper Aaj Kal.  He also owns television news 
channel Business Plus.  These media are generally balanced in 
their reporting despite Taseer's PPP allegiance and his strong 
enmity against Nawaz. 
 
¶4.  (C) The President has the constitutional power to appoint 
provincial Governors.  Because of the fragile political 
situation, however, any gubernatorial appointment was bound to 
be controversial.  According to Chaudhry Muhammad Zakra Ashraf, 
prominent businessman and senior PPP leader, former Prime 
Minister Nawaz Sharif originally insisted on nominating the next 
governor but PPP Leader Asif Zardari strongly objected since the 
PML-N held the Chief Minister's position.  Zakra stated all 
three players had reached a tacit understanding last month that 
Zardari would nominate his own candidate but it would be someone 
palatable to Nawaz and Musharraf. 
 
¶5. (C) PML-N's Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, one of Nawaz's closest 
advisors, held a May 15 press conference blasting Taseer's 
appointment.  He claimed Taseer's nomination "is part of a 
conspiracy being hatched in the presidency."  PPP leaders 
replied that the PML-N had been taken into confidence and were 
now objecting to Taseer's nomination for no tangible reason. 
 
¶6. (C) Khawaja Asif, a PML-N leader who resigned this week as 
Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, told A/PO that 
Taseer has had serious differences with Nawaz Sharif since the 
1980s and has been using "filthy" language against Sharif and 
his family.  He added that Zardari had called him to say the PPP 
supported the President's appointment of Taseer as governor and 
Zardari never attempted to call Nawaz to gauge his opinion. 
 
¶7. (C) Comment: PML-N is casting this as a slap at Nawaz hatched 
up largely by Musharraf, with the compliance of PPP's Zardari. 
However, Taseer has strong, long-term ties to PPP and it is 
unlikely Zardari was a passive actor in the decision on the 
Punjab governorship.  Instead, this should be seen as another 
strong signal from Zardari to Nawaz that there is a cost to pay 
for withdrawing from the federal cabinet.  End Comment. 
 
¶8. (U) This cable was cleared with Embassy Islamabad. 
 
GREUBEL

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Viewing cable 08LAHORE208, PML-N BLASTS APPOINTMENT OF NEW PUNJAB GOVERNOR