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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PK
SUBJECT: SINDH - MQM HOLDS RALLY TO SUPPORT PPP, OFFER 
ASSISTANCE TO PML-N 
 
REF: ISLAMABAD 415 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN FAKAN FOR REASONS 1 
.4 b and d. 
 
 ¶1.  (C) Summary:  The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) held a 
large rally in Karachi on March 1, in an apparent show of 
solidarity with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) anger over 
damage to Benazir Bhutto's Rawalpindi shrine and burning of 
her photos by supporters of Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim 
League (PML-N) political party in response to a February 25 
Supreme Court ruling disqualifying Nawaz Sharif and his 
brother Shahbaz Sharif from holding public office.  MQM 
leader Altaf Hussain told a crowd ) via telephone - 
estimated at around 50,000 to 60,000, that his party stood 
ready to help PML-N file an appeal to a Supreme Court ruling 
that disqualified Sharif and his brother from holding public 
office.  A MQM Member of the National Assembly (MNA) laid out 
possible solutions to the crisis and assured Karachi CG that 
his party did not intend to disrupt a March 12 lawyer's march 
planned to begin in Karachi.  End summary. 
 
PPP Joins MQM Rally 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On March 1, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) 
political party staged a massive rally in Karachi to protest 
damage to Benazir Bhutto,s shrine and burning of her photos 
in Rawalpindi on February 26 by supporters of the Pakistan 
Muslim League ) Nawaz (PML-N) party.  The actions took place 
during protests over the February 25 Supreme Court 
disqualification from holding public office of PML-N leader 
Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz 
Sherif (reftel).  Pakistan People,s Party (PPP) leaders 
cancelled their own planned rally and joined MQM officials. 
Independent estimates of the crowd size range from 50,000 ) 
60,000 (lower than MQM estimates of 250,000 participants). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) MQM and PPP elected officials sat on a raised 
platform in front of the crowd as MQM leader Altaf Hussain 
addressed the gathering via telephone from London.  PPP 
officials at the event included Sindh Chief Minister Syed 
Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Provincial Assembly Speaker Nisar 
Khuhro, and Sindh Ministers Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq and Zulfiqar 
Mirza.  MQM elected officials in attendance included MNAs 
Farooq Sattar and Haider Rizvi; Sindh Ministers Faisal 
Subzwari, Shaoib Bukhari and Raza Haroon; and, Federal 
Minister Babar Ghauri. 
 
Hussain Offers Help to PML-N 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) During his address, Hussain offered MQM assistance to 
PML-N in preparing a legal case to contest the court ruling. 
He spoke at length about the need for national reconciliation 
while sharply criticizing the damage to Bhutto's monument and 
the burning of her photos.  At the rally, MQM Deputy Convenor 
and MNA Farooq Sattar, the highest ranking MQM official in 
Pakistan, strongly condemned the attack on Bhutto's monument 
and "attempts to sabotage the reconciliatory process" in 
Pakistan.  On March 2, Sattar told the CG that Hussain 
approved the rally concept during a meeting that Sattar 
attended in London earlier.  According to Sattar, the 
motivation was to show solidarity with coalition partner PPP. 
 
 
Possible Solutions? 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Sattar said the Supreme Court's disqualification of 
the Sharif brothers was a part of Pakistani politics and 
explained that most politicians have had similar problems. 
Such rulings are reversible, he said, but PML-N has to 
"fulfill the formality" of having the decision overturned. 
He said this was hard for Sharif to accept because, unlike 
others, Punjabi leaders had not had to face this sort of 
issue before. 
 
¶6.  (C) Sattar said Sharif could either accept MQM and PPP's 
 
KARACHI 00000074  002 OF 002 
 
 
offer to work with PML-N in filing a review petition with the 
Supreme Court or ask parliament put aside the conviction. 
The latter option would only require a simple majority of 
both the national Assembly and the Senate, but Sattar 
suggested that a 2/3 majority would be more publicly 
acceptable.  Sattar believed MQM and PPP could garner enough 
support in both houses for such an affirmative vote.  He said 
he asked MQM MNAs on March 1 to meet with PML-N MNAs and 
discuss this option, but did not believe the meeting had been 
set up yet. 
 
¶7.  (C) Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro (PPP) was bluntly 
critical of Nawaz Sharif's support of protest rallies. 
However, he told Post that he believed the country needed a 
new National Reconciliation Ordnance that would presumably 
cover Nawaz Sharif's hijacking and corruption convictions and 
Shahbaz Sharif's disqualification over reasons that appear 
unclear, but could include a loan default. 
 
March 12 Lawyer's March 
------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (C) Sattar tried to allay concerns that the PML-N 
supported "Lawyer's March," scheduled to begin in Karachi on 
March 12, could turn violent.  He said he did not expect any 
interference from MQM, PPP or the Awami National Party (ANP), 
but cautioned that Jamaat Islami (JI) could cause trouble. 
He said that, if President Zardari approved, Prime Minister 
Gilani might join the marchers for a short time in Karachi to 
demonstrate that the group has the right to a peaceful 
demonstration.  Sattar agreed to ask the Sindh Home Minister 
to meet with JI leaders in advance of the march to discourage 
violence by JI party activists. 
 
¶9.  (C) Sindh JI President Asadullah Bhutto told Post on 
March 5 that, while JI supported the lawyers march, the party 
had decided not to participate in it.  This apparently 
reversed a February 25 statement by national JI President 
Qazi Hussain Ahmed indicating that JI planned to participate 
in the march.  Bhutto added that he did not expect any 
violence, at least not on the part of JI supporters. 
 
MQM Solution for the Judiciary 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10.  (C) Sattar said MQM would support requiring all judges 
who took the oath of office under Musharraf's November 2007 
provisional constitution order (PCO) to resign.  To replace 
them, the legislature would pass a constitutional amendment 
requiring all Chief Justices, including from the High Courts, 
to be nominated by an independent commission.  He said MQM 
has given this idea to PML-N MNAs to pass to Nawaz Sharif and 
requested that Ambassador Holbrook also pass his suggestion 
to him.  If PML-N agrees, Sattar stated, MQM is willing to 
"pave the way". 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11.  (C) During his conversation with the CG, Sattar was most 
likely voicing the opinion of MQM leader Altaf Hussain, who 
lives in self-imposed exile in London.  In trying to appease 
PPP, while at the same time attempting to play peacemaker 
with PML-N, MQM may be using Pakistan's latest turmoil in a 
bid to step visibly onto the national stage.  A closer 
relationship with oft-rival PPP could position MQM for more 
or higher profile federal ministry slots.  Helping PML-N 
could keep the door open for reconciliation, should that 
party come to power in the future. 
FAKAN