The leakage of US diplomatic cables has exposed the Pakistani rulers and Army officials as the cables confirmed that drone strikes were approved by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and no one was interested in restoring the judges. The cable sent to Washington after the US ambassador’s meeting with Zardari in August 2008, disclosed that Musharraf wanted to remove Gen Kayani but he couldn’t articulate his desire into reality.
It also added that neither was the PPP government nor was the Kayani-led Army interested in restoring judges. Musharraf was prepared to step down only if the US and Army secured him indemnity on the past actions. Kayani was keen on Musharraf’s immunity, not on judiciary and Zardari was interested in neither of these. Kayani was frustrated over the political parties’ long-held deliberation on judges’ issue with none pressing on granting immunity to Musharraf, the leaked cable said. On drone strikes, Gilani said he didn’t care if attacks were continued, as they would briefly protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.
The cable said Musharraf was about to remove Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani during the course of debate on the Musharraf’s impeachment, realizing Kayani had not been any help in protecting him. Musharraf could have done so if the handpicked Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar had entertained the beleaguered outgoing president’s request for issuing restraining order on impeachment, Zardari told the US ambassador Anne Patterson in August 2008. As for as the restoration of judges is concerned, Zardari then told the ambassador he wanted to tie up this issue for a long period, securing ruling from Dogar court against restoration and convincing Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for the slot of Balochistan Governor.
The incumbent governor Zulfiqar Magsi was therefore asked to resign that he did shortly and reassumed the positions after the convincing efforts failed. Kayani was more interested on immunity for Musharraf than the restoration of the judges, cable reveals, and he didn’t think the independent judiciary would be back to benches.
Drone strikes, immunity issue and judges restoration, all of them have been encapsulated in one cable dispatched to Washington on August 23, 2008. During a meeting of the ambassador with Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Prime Minister Gilani, Malik argued that the drone strikes should briefly be held until Bajaur operation was over but it was opposed by Gilani. The PM urged continuation of the strikes: “I don’t care if they do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.” Gilani wanted President Bush to know, the cable disclosed, that over 500 militants had been killed in the operation.
On the question of Musharraf’s immunity, the cable disclosed that Gen Kayani didn’t trust Zardari’s words and thought he would keep the issue lingering, jeopardising his (Kayani) position within the Army. “Kayani expressed concern that if immunity became tied up with the ongoing debate over the judges’ future, it might never happen.” Expressing his concerns over inordinate delay on granting immunity, Kayani said it looked bad within the institution of the Army saying, “I have to bring the Army along with me.” Kayani also noted that the delay did nothing for Zardari’s reputation for trustworthiness, the cable disclosed.
“If this issue gets conflated with the judges and with Zardari’s own desires to be president, it will become too complicated to pass, Kayani said.” Zardari noted that he already had firmly committed to the US, the UK and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Kayani that indemnity for Musharraf would be forthcoming, the cable said. “Ambassador urged him to do it quickly.” Zardari said flatly that to do it before he was elected president “would lose him votes,” but he would do both the legislation and a presidential pardon as soon as he was elected. Zardari revealed that former President Musharraf had approached Chief Justice Dogar about issuing a restraining order against the impeachment motion, but Dogar had refused. Zardari also alleged that Musharraf had planned to replace COAS Kayani if Dogar had blocked the impeachment.
Zardari said he was trying to keep Nawaz in the coalition and was candid that he planned to tie up the judges’ issue for a long time. He said the Parliament would debate the restoration of the judges; Chief Justice Dogar would then submit some rulings on the restoration of the judges; all this could take months. In the meantime, he was “trying to persuade former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to become Governor of Balochistan.” Zardari revealed that he also had leverage over Shahbaz Sharif, who through paperwork snafus, had been technically elected illegally for a third term as chief minister.
This, too, would have to be resolved in the Parliament, Zardari said. “So I can give them something they want,” noted Zardari, “that’s what politics is all about.”
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