SUBJECT: NAWAZ SHARIF TELLS CODEL MCCAIN PAKISTANIS WERE INVOLVED IN
MUMBAI CLASSIFIED BY: Clinton Taylor, Acting Principal Officer,
Consulate Lahore, US DoS. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) ¶1. (C) Summary:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif told Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham December 6 he
is convinced Pakistanis were involved in the Mumbai attacks and he would
push for strict action against the responsible extremists. Sharif
pointed out that he had concluded the Lahore Declaration in 1999 with
Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee, and the PMLN has refrained from
making India a political issue. McCain noted the enormous political
pressures Indian leaders faced and urged Pakistan action against Mumbai
attacker, Sharif said he recognized that Pakistan faced the same enemy
and committed to work against the extremists. End Summary. - - -
Nawaz Sharif Upset About U.S. Support for Musharraf - - - ¶2. (C)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif told Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham December 6
that his party has acted responsibly with the ruling Pakistan People's
Party (PPP) to fight terrorism. He recounted that former President
Pervez Musharraf had exiled both him and PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, and
he was ""amazed when President Bush provided his support for a
dictator."" His party had supported the PPP government until President
Asif Zardari failed to honor his commitment to restore the judges
dismissed by Musharraf, at which point the PMLN withdrew from the
national government. ¶3. (C) Nawaz Sharif contrasted his approach to
India, in which he had signed the Lahore Declaration with Indian Prime
Minister Atal Vajpayee to establish a peaceful path to normalization, to
Musharraf's strategy, which brought on the confrontation at Kargil,
""the biggest blunder he committed,"" Sharif said. He boasted that his
party has refrained from using India as a political tool. ""We strongly
condemned what happened in India, and want the issue to come to an
end,"" he stated. ""If there is any concrete evidence, we must take
action."" - - - McCain Urges Pakistan to Respond Quickly - - - ¶4.
(C) Senator John McCain underscored that the evidence from the Mumbai
attacks indicates the perpetrators came out of Pakistan. ""These are
facts,"" he stressed. He described his recent visit to New Delhi, in
which he found public opinion ""never more aroused."" ""Unless some
concrete steps besides condemning the attacks are taken, you will see
concrete action from India,"" he warned. Specific action from Pakistan,
such as dismantling the training camps, will allow the U.S. to help
defuse the rapidly escalating tension between the two countries and
relieve the pressure on India to respond militarily, he offered. ¶5.
(C) Turning to Afghanistan, McCain noted that the U.S. has achieved
""some degree of success against these warring elements."" He worried
about the viability of the government in Kabul and President Hamid
Karzai's lack of popularity and acceptance throughout the country, and
recognized that violence has increased because of the sustained presence
of the Taliban. He urged Sharif to support Pakistan to work closely
together with the U.S. to confront a ""common enemy."" - - - Sharif
Says He Recognizes Terrorist Threat to Pakistan - - - ¶6. (C) Sharif
recounted that during his stints as Prime Minister he offered Pakistan's
support for the Gulf War and discussed in great detail with President
Clinton how to deal with extremist forces in Afghanistan. ""Who could
be more committed to fight against terrorism?"" he asked. The December 5
bomb in Peshawar and the blast at the Marriott Hotel proved that
Pakistan also faced a threat. He was aggrieved over the assassination
of Benazir Bhutto and he himself had dodged bullets at election rallies.
""The people responsible for Bombay are also operating in Pakistan --
we face those forces here,"" he said. He underlined his commitment to
help the government ""eradicate this menace."" ¶7. (C) Regarding
India, Sharif acknowledged the country's anger, but criticized the
Indian media for its ""indecent haste"" in blaming Pakistan. But he
described how he had listened to the phone call made by one of the
attackers and even though the individual claimed he was Indian, Sharif
heard a Pakistani accent. ""The people involved were from this country
-- I am convinced,"" he stated. ""We must take strictest action against
those elements."" Once India produces concrete evidence, ""we should
proceed whole hog,"" he declared. - - - McCain Urges Action - - -
¶8. (C) McCain reiterated that Pakistan must take ""specific steps to
calm the situation."" He explained that because India's government
answers to the people, it must respond to the voters' demand to take
action. He pointed out that economic development and military
assistance to Pakistan is essential to help the country fight terrorism.
""I do not want to see a movement in Congress to take measures to
reduce assistance,"" he cautioned. - - - Graham Stresses Rule of Law
- - - ¶9. (C) Senator Graham praised the lawyers movement, and said
that he saw an ""opportunity for the rule of law to take center stage.""
He offered that the international community would look favorably on
Pakistan if it took decisive action against the terrorists. ""If India
believes that its neighbor is a safe haven for the people who
slaughtered its citizens, it cannot sit on the sidelines,"" he observed.
Instead of working on the Kashmir issue through the Lashker-e-Taiba,
he urged Pakistan to use legal measures to defeat the terrorists.
Assimilating the tribal areas legally might also help eliminate a source
of tension within Pakistan, he thought. On Afghanistan, he noted that
President-elect Obama intended to win the war, and he emphasized that
the U.S. considered Pakistan a long-term partner. - - - PMLN Party
Members Question Evidence - - - ¶10. (C) Leader of the Opposition in
the National Assembly Chaudry Nasir Ali Khan recalled that by asserting
Pakistan's sovereignty during the presidential campaign, McCain had
reversed the impression in Pakistan that he would prolong President
Bush's policies. Chaudry Nasir highlighted the need for the U.S. to
sway public opinion and clarify its stance on the restoration of the
judiciary. ""You must decide whether the U.S. wants to fight through
cronies or genuine friends,"" he stated. The U.S. has compromised
Pakistan's sovereignty and signed a nuclear treaty with India, which has
turned sentiment in Pakistan away from the U.S. ""There is an across
the board consensus on action, but not until proof is put forward,"" he
said. Nasir emphasized that the government can't move without popular
support. Senator McCain agreed that public opinion is key. - - -
McCain Stresses Action - - - ¶11. (C) McCain said that he would urge
the Indian government to turn over any evidence it has found. ""We are
in a race against time,"" he pressed, and warned that military action
would cause even greater loss of life. ""The purpose of those attacks
was to cause armed conflict between India and Pakistan, and they could
succeed,"" he counseled. ¶12. (C) Comment: Importantly, the Sharifs
did not push back against Senator McCain's assertions that the
Lashkar-eTaiba was responsible for the Mumbai attacks. The issue will
be whether he can take the high road and support a government crackdown
on LeT as he did in private. CLINT TAYLOR
No comments:
Post a Comment