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O P 231153Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL LAHORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3713
INFO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 4442
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1865
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 1548
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0624
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4841

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAHORE 000219 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  6/23/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PK
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CALLS ON NEW PUNJAB GOVERNOR 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Bryan Hunt, Principal Officer, US Consulate 
Lahore, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador paid a courtesy call on newly 
appointed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer on June 13.  Taseer 
stated the lawyers' movement Long March had flopped, former 
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was bent on confrontation with 
President Musharraf, the majority of Pakistan People's Party 
(PPP) members had no burning desire to force the President from 
office as long as he continued to fade from the political 
process and that the President's position had actually 
strengthened in the last two days.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador called on Taseer on June 13 in Lahore.  She 
was accompanied by Principal Officer and Poloff (notetaker). 
Ambassador congratulated Taseer on his appointment.  Taseer 
stated that he was undertaking a much more active political role 
on behalf of the PPP to rebuild the party's Punjab base and to 
keep the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from cementing and 
then expanding its own base there.  He bluntly stated that there 
were personal animosities between himself and the Sharif 
brothers, Nawaz and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.  In spite of 
that he stated that all of them had come to a tacit agreement to 
avoid public conflicts and accept each other's functional role 
in Punjab province.  As evidence, Taseer pointed out that he 
swore in Shahbaz as Chief Minister June 8 in a dignified 
ceremony. 
 
¶3. (C) Taseer stated the lawyers movement Long March, which 
reached Lahore on June 11 and departed on June 12 was a clear 
flop.  Taseer said Nawaz had tried to use this movement to his 
party's political advantage but the disappointing turnout and 
the lack of public enthusiasm demonstrated it was past its 
prime.  He said that Nawaz had put all of his political capital 
on this issue.  Taseer predicted Nawaz would find another issue 
to confront the Presidency over since his track record showed 
regular confrontation with his political rivals and Chiefs of 
Army Staffs.  He also criticized Nawaz for surrounding himself 
with advisors who constantly advocated confrontational politics. 
 
¶4. (C) Taseer said the PPP-PML-N coalition was not much more 
than an understanding between PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari and 
Nawaz at the moment.  In his opinion Nawaz was not mentally 
prepared to sit on the bench in the National Assembly and let 
someone else be Prime Minister for five years.  Although Zardari 
was aware of this, Taseer said Zardari wanted to continue 
working with Nawaz as long as possible to keep Musharraf 
marginalized.  If the PPP joins with Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim 
League party in a coalition, Zardari believes Musharraf in 
effect becomes the dominant political actor again. 
 
¶5. (C) Taseer lamented the condition of the PPP position in the 
Punjab Provincial Assembly.  He said that all of the truly 
effective PPP Punjabi leaders were sitting in the National 
Assembly and that the sitting PPP provincial ministers were 
ridiculous and ineffective leaders.  He admitted that it was not 
entirely appropriate for the Governor to be so politically 
active on behalf of a political party but that there was no one 
else to lead it. 
 
¶6. (C) On Musharraf's future, Taseer said his position had 
actually strengthened over the last two days since the Long 
March had, in his words, flopped.  He sarcastically credited 
Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan for 
continuing to lead a movement losing public support.  Taseer 
admitted that he personally liked and supported Musharraf but 
that ever since he had removed his uniform last November his 
power was naturally waning.  Taseer said the vast majority of 
the PPP supporters did not support confrontational politics with 
Musharraf so long as he did not interfere in the political 
process.  He predicted Musharraf would go at the appropriate 
time with dignity.  He also stated that he had only spoken with 
Musharraf twice since he was appointed governor and that he 
never tried to order him around. 
 
¶7. (C) Comment: Taseer has had a long personal animosity with 
Nawaz but he does know him well; consequently, his 
characterizations of him should be given due consideration.  In 
addition, Taseer possesses a sense of charisma, flair and even 
substance which gives the PPP a provincial personality and 
leader who can politically hold his own against the PML-N's 
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.  The political race for the 
Punjab is on.  End comment. 
 
HUNT