New Delhi, March 23: The Hindu on Wednesday published Wikileaks cables to report that Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif was convinced that the the 26/11 attackers in Mumbai were Pakistanis.
The report says: "While some influential Pakistanis believed that “south Indian” men had carried out the Mumbai attacks and lashed out at India for blaming Pakistan, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seemed to have no doubts right at the beginning that the attackers were Pakistani.
"A cable (181951: confidential) sent by Acting Principal Officer Clinton Taylor of the U.S. Consulate in Lahore on December 9, 2008, describes how the Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader told a visiting delegation of U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham that he had listened to the phone call made by one of the attackers to an Indian TV channel, and even though the individual claimed he was Indian, he had heard a Pakistani accent.
"At that December 6 meeting, Mr. Sharif showed none of the ambivalence about the origin of the attackers that he later resorted to in keeping with the mood of denial in Pakistan.
“The people involved were from this country — I am convinced,” Mr. Sharif is quoted as saying. “We must take strictest action against those elements.” Once India produced concrete evidence, “we should proceed whole hog,” he declared.
"In doing so, Mr. Sharif was perhaps also trying to clear the U.S. perception of him as a politician with links to Islamists, and therefore not a trustworthy partner in the “war on terror.”
"The road to Islamabad goes through Washington, the saying goes in Pakistan. The former Prime Minister seems to have been only too aware that to secure his prospects as a future leader of the country, he needs to keep on the right side of the U.S.
"He told the senators that his party had 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.”
"Mr. Sharif recounted that during his stints as Prime Minister he had offered Pakistan's support for the Gulf War and discussed in great detail with U.S. President Bill Clinton how to deal with extremist forces in Afghanistan. “Who could be more committed to fight against terrorism?”
"He recalled his part in signing the Lahore Declaration with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On the other hand, General Musharraf had launched the Kargil operation, which Mr. Sharif described as “the biggest blunder he committed.”
"His party had refrained from using India to score political points, he said, adding that the PML(N) had strongly condemned the Mumbai attacks, and if there was evidence to prove Pakistani links, “we must take action.”
"The people responsible for Mumbai, Mr. Sharif said, “are also operating in Pakistan — we face those forces here.” He mentioned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto the year before, his own narrow escape from bullets fired at his election rally on the same day as her killing, the Marriott bombing in September 2008, and a ghastly bombing in Peshawar a day before his meeting with the senators.
Mr. Sharif underlined his commitment to help the government “eradicate this menace.”
However, some members of his party did not share the same views.
Bryan Hunt, principal officer at the U.S. Consulate, in a cable sent on December 3, 2008 (181158: confidential), detailed a conversation with Ali Haroon Shah, PML(N) member and a former legislator in the provincial assembly, who said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has started a “blame game” before any evidence appeared. He said India had many insurgent groups, any of which could have carried out the attack.
Mr. Hunt wrote that he had met Lahore High Court Judge Bilal Khan. The judge welcomed the December 1 statement from the White House saying the U.S. had found no evidence to indicate that the Pakistan government had planned the attacks. The judge took this as absolving “all Pakistanis of responsibility,” Mr. Hunt wrote.
The diplomat clarified to the judge that while there was no indication that the Pakistan government had a hand in the attacks, groups operating in Pakistan, specifically in Punjab, were the most likely culprits.
A senior Lahore lawyer who was present at the meeting told him that from the photographs, the attackers “looked south Indian.”
With some foresight, Mr. Hunt commented that “the innocence felt by most Punjabis will make it difficult to crack down on Pakistani perpetrators.”
Here are the texts from the US embassy cables:
181951 12/9/2008 7:43 08 LAHORE 315 Consulate Lahore CONFIDENTIAL "R 090743Z DEC 08FM AMCONSUL LAHORETO SECSTATE WASHDC 3845INFO AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD AMCONSUL CHENNAI CIA WASHDCAMEMBASSY KABUL AMCONSUL KARACHI AMCONSUL KOLKATA AMCONSUL MUMBAI AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI AMCONSUL PESHAWAR AMCONSUL LAHORE " "C O N F I D E N T I A L LAHORE 000315
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/9/2018 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, IN, PK
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.
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Nawaz Sharif Upset About U.S. Support for Musharraf
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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.""
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McCain Urges Pakistan to Respond Quickly
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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.""
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Sharif Says He Recognizes Terrorist Threat to Pakistan
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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.
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McCain Urges Action
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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.
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Graham Stresses Rule of Law
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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.
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PMLN Party Members Question Evidence
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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.
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McCain Stresses Action
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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.
