VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT ZIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B01370R000801110109-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 109
• Publication Date: November 29, 1984
• Content Type: CABLE

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00 RUEAIIB
ZNY SSSSS ZOC STATE ZZH
STU7754
00 RUEHC
DE RUEHIL #4189/01 3341434
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
0 291424Z NOV 84
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2295
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 1950
ST
S E C R E T ISLAMABAD 24189
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV. SNAR, MNUC, PK, US, AF, UR, IN
SUBJECT: VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH
PRESIDENT ZIA
2. CODEL NUNN MET FOR PRE-DINNER DISCUSSIONS WITH
PRESIDENT ZIA AND KEY MEMBERS OF THE MARTIAL LAW
ADMINISTRATION AT COAS HOUSE ON NOVEMBER 28. PRESENT
AT THIS MEETING WERE PRESIDENT ZIA-UL-HAQ, FOREIGN
MINISTER YAQUB KHAN, FOREIGN SECRETARY NIAZ NAIK,
JCSC CHAIRMAN RAHIM-UDDIN KHAN, MGEN. WAHEED KHAN,
AND MFA ADDITIONAL SECRETARY NAJMUDDIN SHAIKH.
U.S. PARTICIPANTS WERE SENATOR SAM NUNN, SENATOR
JOHN GLENN, SENATOR BENNETT JOHNSTON, SENATOR JIM
SASSER, AMBASSADOR HINTON, AND DCM RATTRAY.
3. SENATOR NUNN COMMENCED BY STATING THAT THE CODEL'S
TWO-AND-A-HALF DAY VISIT TO PAKISTAN HAD BEEN
ENLIGHTENING. THE CODEL HAD HAD A PRODUCTIVE MEETING
WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND HAD BEEN IMPRESSED AS
WELL BY AN EXCELLENT BRIEFING ON THE MILITARY SITUATION
IN PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN. SENATOR NUNN THANKED
PRESIDENT ZIA FOR THE "GREAT JOB" THE GOP WAS DOING
UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES IN SUPPORTING THE
REFUGEES. ZIA REPLIED THAT COPING WITH THE NEEDS
OF THE REFUGEES WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HARDER WITHOUT
THE MORAL AND MATERIAL SUPPORT PAKISTAN HAD RECEIVED
FROM MUSLIM COUNTRIES, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE
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UNITED STATES. WE TRY TO DO OUR BEST, ZIA SAID,
AND SEEK TO PROVIDE SYMPATHY AND COMFORT TO THE
REFUGEES.
4. SENATOR NUNN NOTED THAT HE KEPT GETTING REQUESTS
FROM MUJAHIDEEN SOURCES CONTENDING THAT THERE IS A
DESPERATE NEED FOR WEAPONS TO COPE WITH THE SOVIET
GUNSHIPS. THESE GROUPS CLAIMED THEY HAD TO RELY ON
CAPTURED, OBSOLETE ARMS. ZIA REPLIED THAT THE
REQUIREMENT OF THE MUJAHIDEEN WAS GENUINE; THE
MUJAHIDEEN HAD SOME SAM-7 MISSILES BUT LOSSES CAUSED
BY THE GUNSHIPS WERE ENORMOUS. PAKISTAN. ACCORDING
TO ZIA, CLOSELY MONITORS THE FIGHTING IN AFGHANISTAN.
THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MUJAHIDEEN HAD BEEN MUCH
BETTER THAN ONE COULD HAVE EXPECTED AND THE CASUALTIES
SUFFERED BY THE RUSSIANS WERE ON THE AVERAGE THREE
TIMES HIGHER THAN THOSE INFLICTED ON MUJAHIDEEN,
EVEN HIGHER THAN THEY HAD BEEN FOR THE U.S. IN THE
VIETNAM WAR. THERE WAS, ACCORDING TO ZIA, NOT A
FAMILY IN WHITE RUSSIA OR THE ADJACENT SOVIET
REPUBLICS (UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, ETC.) THAT HAD
NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY THE AFGHAN WAR. ZIA CAUTIONED,
HOWEVER, THAT PAKISTAN HAD "TO BE CAREFUL" AND COULD
NOT ALLOW A "FREE-FOR-ALL." THERE WAS A TEMPERATURE
AT WHICH THE "KETTLE WOULD HAVE TO BOIL." THE GOP
HAD TO BE THE JUDGE OF THIS SITUATION. WHILE
PAKISTAN WAS THE CONDUIT TO THE MUJAHIDEEN, IT WAS
NOT IN A POSITION TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ROLE PUBLICLY.
SENATOR NUNN SAID WE WANTED TO BE HELPFUL BUT WOULD
BE GUIDED BY GOP FEEL FOR THIS MATTER.
5. SENATOR GLENN OBSERVED THAT THE CODEL HAD HAD A
VERY PRODUCTIVE TWO-AND-A-HALF DAY STAY. HE WAS A
STRONG SUPPORTER OF PAKISTAN AND THE VISIT HAD
REINFORCED THESE CONVICTIONS. SENATOR GLENN ASSERTED
THAT HE WAS IMPRESSED BY THE CONGRUENCE IN OUR
NATIONAL PURPOSES AND THE APPARENT WARMTH OF
U.S.-PAKISTAN FRIENDSHIP. HE NOTED PAKISTAN WAS
IN THE POSITION THAT IRAN WAS IN A FEW YEARS AGO,
A FRONT-LINE STATE AND A KEY COUNTRY WITH THE WILL
AND THE MILITARY FORCES REQUIRED TO HANDLE THIS SORT
OF SITUATION SUCCESSFULLY. HE ASKED WHAT THE U.S.
COULD DO TO SUPPLY PAKISTAN WITH THE WHEREWITHAL TO
MEET ITS NATIONAL NEEDS. PAKISTAN, ZIA REJOINED,
LOOKS TO THE U.S. AS A GREAT AND SINCERE ALLY. THERE
HAD BEEN OVER 20 YEARS OF INTIMATE U.S.-PAK BILATERAL
RELATIONS, BUT ZIA CONTINUED, NO COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD STRETCHED OUT ITS NECK WITHOUT SAFEGUARDING
ITS OWN ESSENTIAL INTERESTS. PAKISTAN'S STRATEGIC
LOCATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE GULF COUNTRIES
ACCOUNTED FOR ITS IMPORTANCE IN SOUTHWEST ASIA.
HE RECALLED A CONVERSATION WITH WALTER CRONKITE IN
WHICH IT WAS NOTED THAT WITHOUT PAKISTAN, THE U.S.
WOULD BE WITHOUT INFLUENCE FROM TURKEY TO HONG KONG.
ZIA STRESSED THAT, UNLESS OUR INTERESTS COINCIDED.
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, SNAR, MNUC, PK, US, AF, UR, IN
SUBJECT: VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH
THERE COULD BE NO SUBSTANTIAL RELATIONSHIP; FORTUNATELY,
HE ADDED, OUR NATIONAL INTERESTS ARE CONGRUENT TODAY.
WHILE PAKISTAN WAS A NON-ALIGNED COUNTRY, IT HAD NEVER
HESITATED TO SAY THAT IT WAS PROUD OF ITS RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE U.S. ZIA ASSERTED THAT HE WAS PLEASED THAT
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THE U.S. HAD COME OUT OF THE SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS
IMPOSED BY THE VIETNAM WAR AND WAS NOW ONCE AGAIN
ACTIVELY LOOKING OUT AFTER ITS NATIONAL INTERESTS.
PRESIDENT ZIA CLAIMED THAT PAKISTAN LOOKED TO THE
U.S. AS ITS ALLY AND THAT THE PRESENT SITUATION
FAVORED STRONG U.S.-PAKISTAN TIES. IT WAS A QUESTION
OF UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER -- A BIG BROTHER, SMALL
BROTHER RELATIONSHIP. SENATOR GLENN AGREED THAT THERE
WAS A CONVERGENCE OF INTERESTS WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO
SEE CONTINUED.
6. SENATOR GLENN STATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A GOOD
MEETING WITH PAKISTAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
CHAIRMAN MUNIR KHAN AND THAT HE KNEW THAT PRESIDENT
ZIA WAS AWARE OF OUR INTERESTS IN THE NUCLEAR ISSUE.
MUNIR KHAN HAD GIVEN THE ASSURANCES THAT WE HAD BEEN
LOOKING FOR, BUT WE HAVE HAD TO REVIEW THE NUCLEAR
QUESTION MANY TIMES. SENATOR GLENN STRESSED THAT IT
WAS NOT JUST THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION OR JUST PRESIDENT
REAGAN WHO WAS INTERESTED IN NON-PROLIFERATION.
THIS WAS A MATTER OF INTENSE INTEREST TO AMERICANS AND
WHEN PRESIDENT REAGAN HAD COME INTO OFFICE HE HAD
NOT BEEN FULLY AWARE OF THE DEPTH OF PUBLIC FEELING
ON THIS ISSUE. WE, SENATOR GLENN CONTINUED, DON'T
WANT TO SEE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH PAKISTAN SPOILED,
BUT A BOOM IS A BOOM IS A BOOM AND HE COULD THINK
OF NO ACTION THAT WOULD CAUSE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
TO WITHDRAW THEIR SUPPORT OF PAKISTAN MORE QUICKLY.
AMERICANS FOLLOWED NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS CAREFULLY
AND WHEN THERE WAS A DRIVE FOR A REPROCESSING
CAPABILITY, WE COULD ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS WAS
RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY.
SENATOR GLENN SAID HE SHARED PRESIDENT ZIA'S VIEW OF
PAKISTAN'S STRATEGIC LOCATION, WHICH HAD BECOME
EVEN MORE APPARENT WITH THE SOVIET'S INVASION-OF
AFGHANISTAN. WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE ANYTHING INTERFERE
WITH U.S.-PAKISTAN COOPERATION BUT THE NUCLEAR ISSUE
COULD FOUL THIS UP. PRESIDENT ZIA RESPONDED BY SAYING
THAT PAKISTAN FEELS THAT IT IS A VERY RESPONSIBLE
COUNTRY WHICH HAS HAD A CLEAR-CUT POLICY WITH REGARD TO
NON-PROLIFERATION AND A BAD REPUTATION. ZIA QUOTED
AN URDU SAYING TO THE EFFECT THAT IT WAS BAD TO BE
BAD BUT IT WAS MUCH WORSE TO HAVE A BAD REPUTATION.
PAKISTAN HAD SUPPORTED THE NPT AND TAKEN THE LEAD
IN INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF A NUCLEAR-FREE ZONE
IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. THE CONCERN WAS OVER REGIONAL
NON-PROLIFERATION. THE GOP HAD PRESSED THE GOI TO
SIGN THE NPT AND CONCLUDE A BILATERAL TREATY ON
INSPECTION AND AN AGREEMENT RENOUNCING NUCLEAR
WEAPONS.
7. ZIA OBSERVED THAT IN HIS SEVEN YEARS IN OFFICE,
THERE WERE WHENEVER A DEBATE TOOK PLACE ON THE
AFGHANISTAN ISSUES AIR RAIDS AND BOMBINGS ALONG
PAKISTAN'S BORDER. THE MESSAGE FROM THE SOVIETS
WAS YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT BUT DON'T SHOUT TOO
LOUD. PAKISTAN, HOWEVER, HAD CONSCIOUSLY DECIDED
TO SHOUT. IN ADDITION, WHENEVER THERE WAS AN AID
PROGRAM BEFORE U.S. CONGRESS, THERE WAS A SPATE OF
RUMORS THAT PAKISTAN WAS MAKING A BOMB, STEALING
URANIUM, AND THE LIKE. PAKISTAN, THE PRESIDENT
ASSERTED, HAD NEITHER THE CAPABILITY NOR THE
INTENTION OF MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THERE WAS NO
SUCH THING AS A PEACEFUL NUCLEAR DEVICE AND HE
HAD TOLD PRESIDENT REAGAN DURING HIS VISIT TO THE
UNITED STATES THAT THE GOP WOULD NOT EXPLODE A
NUCLEAR DEVICE. AT THE SAME TIME, ONE HAD TO
REALIZE THAT PAKI'6TAN"WAS A DEVELOPING CRY
WHICH WANTED TO CATCH OP. TARBELA HAD BEEN THE
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BIGGEST EARTH-FILLED DAM IN THE WORLD, AND WHILE THE
GOP WAS EXPLORING OTHER HYDROELECTRIC OPTIONS,
BY 1990 THE COUNTRY COULD NOT MEET ITS ELECTRICITY
NEEDS UNLESS OTHER SOURCES OF ENERGY WERE ACQUIRED.
THE ONLY WAY OUT WAS THE NUCLEAR ENERGY OPTION AND
PAKISTAN COULD NOT EVEN GET A NUCLEAR POWER STATION.
SENATOR GLENN REPLIED THAT IAEA INSPECTIONS AND
ADHERENCE TO THE NPT COULD LEAD TO ALL SORTS OF
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, SNAR, MNUC, PK, US, AF, UR, IN
SUBJECT: VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH
NUCLEAR POWER FACILITIES. ZIA OBSERVED THAT THIS
WAS AN ATTRACTIVE CARROT.
8. SENATOR SASSER REMARKED THAT HE HAD BEEN MOST
IMPRESSED WITH THE CALIBER OF THE PAKISTANIS HE HAD
MET. GENERAL AKHTAR'S BRIEFING HAD BEEN SUPERB.
YAQUB'S TOUR D'HORIZON HAD ILLUSTRATED CLEARLY
THAT PAKISTAN WAS SINCERE IN ITS EFFORTS TO SEEK
PEACE AND STABILITY. SENATOR SASSER DECLARED THAT
PAKISTAN HAD REPRESENTED THE ENTIRE FREE WORLD IN
ITS SUPPORT OF THE REFUGEES AND ITS EFFORTS TO
BRING ABOUT SOVIET WITHDRAWAL FROM-AFGHANISTAN.
ZIA, REFERRING TO AN ATLAS, TOLD THE SENATORS THAT
THE SOVIETS HAD BEEN EXPANDING THEIR POSITION
FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS. THUS, AFGHANISTAN WAS A
GLOBAL PROBLEM. IF THE FREE WORLD ALLOWED THE
SOVIET UNION TO GET AWAY WITH ITS ANNEXATION OF
AFGHANISTAN, THEN SOVIET IMPERIAL ASPIRATION COULD
NOT BE CURTAILED. WE MUST, ZIA ADDED, NOT FORGET
TO FOCUS ON THE STRATEGIC POSITION THAT THE SOVIETS
HAD ACQUIRED IN ASIA. IRAN COULD FALL LIKE A RIPE
PLUM. STILL, THE RUSSIANS REMAIN TWO HUNDRED MILES
FROM THE GULF AND THE MUJAHIDEEN ARE STILL FIGHTING
OUR BATTLE. ZIA DOUBTED THE SOVIETS WOULD GET OUT
OF AFGHANISTAN BUT INSISTED THEY MUST BE GIVEN
FULL BLAST PRESSURE SUCH AS THE RECENT AFGHANISTAN
RESOLUTION IN UNGA. THIS WAS WHY PAKISTAN WAS UNDER
GREAT PRESSURE FROM BOTH USSR AND INDIA. STILL,
HE CLAIMED, THE SOVIETS HAVE A CONSCIENCE AND
COMPROMISE MAY BE POSSIBLE.
9. ZIA DECLARED THAT PAKISTAN HAS GONE OUT OF ITS
WAY TO EXPLAIN TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA THAT IT
WAS IN THE INTEREST OF BOTH COUNTRIES TO HAVE A
STABLE PAKISTAN AND A UNITED INDIA, A MESSAGE
HE HAD AGAIN ONLY RECENTLY CONVEYED TO RAJIV GANDHI.
HE HAD RECEIVED AN ENCOURAGING LETTER FROM RAJIV
AND AMBASSADOR SHARMA HAD RETURNED FROM INDIA
TALKING POSITIVELY. IF PAKISTAN AND INDIA HAD GOOD
RELATIONS, THEN PAKISTAN COULD NOT BE INTIMIDATED
BY THE USSR. THE PROBLEM THAT PAKISTAN WAS FACING
WAS THAT INDIA DID NOT WANT TO LOSE ITS SPECIAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SOVIETS AND THE SOVIETS WERE
PRESSURING INDIA. SENATOR JOHNSTON ASKED IF PRESIDENT
ZIA WAS HOPEFUL THAT THERE WOULD BE DETENTE WITH
INDIA AND ZIA RESPONDED THAT THIS WAS IN INDIA'S
INTEREST. HE HAD SENT A LETTER TO INDIRA GANDHI
SEEKING PEACE AND SUGGESTING REDUCTION IN DEFENSE
SPENDING. ZIA OBSERVED THAT INDIRA GANDHI HAD
CREATED A POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT SUITED HER;
THIS WAS THE CIRCUMSTANCE IN WHICH RAJIV GANDHI
NOW HAD TO OPERATE AND ONE COULD NOT TELL IF THERE
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WOULD BE PROGRESS ON NORMALIZING RELATIONS UNTIL
AFTER THE INDIAN ELECTIONS.
10. SENATOR NUNN REMARKED THAT HE HAD BEEN VERY
ENCOURAGED BY THE PRESIDENT'S PLEDGE TO HOLD ELECTIONS.
HE HAD BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE PAKISTANIS HE HAD MET
AND TOLD ZIA IT WAS COMMENDABLE HE WAS ON AN ELECTION
COURSE. THE SENATOR ASKED WHAT KIND OF POWER BALANCE
ZIA VISUALIZED. ZIA REPLIED BY EXPLAINING (IN A
RATHER CURIOUS REVIEW OF HISTORY) THAT UNDER THE
PRESENT CONSTITUTION, WHICH HAD BEEN FRAMED IN 1972,
POLITICAL POWER HAD BEEN UNDULY CONCENTRATED IN
THE HANDS OF THE PRIME MINISTER. FOLLOWING 1970
ELECTIONS, THE ARMY HAD INVITED BHUTTO TO BECOME
PRESIDENT. BHUTTO HAD WANTED TO STRENGTHEN THE POWER
OF THE PRESIDENCY BUT THE POLITICAL PARTIES HAD GANGED
UP AGAINST HIM AND BHUTTO HAD GONE ALONG WITH THE
CONSOLIDATING OF AUTHORITY IN THE OFFICE OF PRIME
MINISTER WHO IN EFFECT BECAME CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
THE PRESIDENT UNDER THE 1973 CONSTITUTION WAS BUT A
NOMINAL HEAD OF STATE. CRUNCH CAME IN 1977 WHEN
THERE WAS NO ONE IN A POSITION TO STRAIGHTEN OUT
THE DIFFICULT POLITICAL IMPASSE. IN 1977 THE PEOPLE
WERE IN THE STREETS MAKING DEMANDS, PRIME MINISTER
COULD NOT RESOLVE SITUATION POLITICALLY, AND ARMY
HAD NO'OPTION BUT TO INTERVENE. IT WAS, ZIA ASSERTED,
UNEQUAL BALANCE BETWEEN POWERS OF THE PRIME MINISTER
AND THE PRESIDENT THAT HE WANTED TO RESOLVE. POWER
SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED SO THAT THE PRESIDENT COULD ACT
IN A CRITICAL SITUATION. AS HE VIEWED IT, THE PRESIDENT
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, SNAR, MNUC, PK, US, AF, UR, IN
SUBJECT: VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH
WOULD BE HEAD OF STATE AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF
OF THE ARMED FORCES.
11. SENATOR NUNN ASKED IF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WOULD ELECT THE PRESIDENT. ZIA REPLIED THAT
ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION, THE PRESIDENT WOULD
BE SELECTED IN A JOINT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY AND THE SENATE AND COULD COME FROM EITHER
BODY. THE PRIME MINISTERSHIP WOULD BE GIVEN BY
THE PRESIDENT TO THE LEADER OF THE DOMINANT PARTY
IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE DAY-TO-DAY
FUNCTIONING OF THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE IN THE HANDS
OF THE PRIME MINISTER.
12. SENATOR NUNN ASKED IF ELECTION DATES HAD BEEN
SET, AND ZIA SAID THAT "WE HAVE A PROGRAM FOR
ELECTIONS." NATONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS WOULD BE
HELD AND THEREAFTER PEOPLE WOULD CAST THEIR BALLOTS
FOR PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES WITH VOTING CONCLUDED BY
MARCH 23. ONCE THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES HAD BEEN
ELECTED, THEY WOULD SELECT MEMBERS OF THE SENATE.
THIS PROCESS SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS
AND THE END OF FEBRUARY, BEGINNING OF MARCH, WAS
THE RIGHT TIME. THE WHOLE ELECTION REQUIRED A
MINIMUM OF 45 DAYS AND AN ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
MUST BE MADE 50 DAYS OR SO IN ADVANCE. SENATOR NUNN
ASKED ZIA IF HE WOULD ENCOURAGE A BROAD ARRAY OF
CANDIDATES. ZIA REPLIED IT WOULD BE A PARTY-LESS
EL'ECTION. ALL CANDIDA?TIES WOULD BE' If?EPENDENT SO
THAT THEY COULD COME TOGETHER AS A NATIONAL
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ASSEMBLY TO DECIDE BY THEMSELVES THE ISSUE OF HOW
TO GOVERN THE COUNTRY. THERE WERE 76 POLITICAL
PARTIES IN PAKISTAN, 14 OF WHICH CLAIMED A NATIONAL
BASE. PPP CLAIMED TO HAVE LARGEST FOLLOWING BUT
IF ELECTIONS WERE HELD ON A PARTISAN BASIS THERE
WAS NOT A SINGLE PARTY WHICH COULD BY ITSELF FORM
A GOVERNMENT. COALITIONS HAD NEVER WORKED IN
PAKISTAN AND THE RESULT WOULD BE MORE INSTABILITY.
SENATOR GLENN OBSERVED THAT THIS FOLLOWED THE AMERICAN
MODEL -- JEFFERSON HAD THOUGHT THAT POLITICAL PARTIES
WOULD BE OUR RUINATION. PAKISTAN, ZIA NOTED, WAS ONLY
37 YEARS OLD AND HAD NEVER HAD A STABLE GOVERNMENT.
POLITICAL PARTIES HAD NEVER PROPERLY FORMED AND THE
MOST UNDEMOCRATIC PERIODS OF RULE HAD BEEN THE
PERIODS WHEN POLITICIANS REIGNED. THERE HAD BEEN
MORE DEMOCRACY UNDER MARTIAL LAW ADMINISTRATIONS,
ZIA ASSERTED, AND HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN
TWO LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS DURING HIS RULE. IT WAS
EASY FOR THE MILITARY TO TAKE OVER BUT HARD TO HAND
THE POWER BACK BECAUSE POLITICAL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS
HAD NEVER DEVELOPED. ZIA SAID HE HAD DEVISED A
SYSTEM OF HIS OWN -- A 200-SEAT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
AND PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES OF EQUAL SIZE. THERE WOULD
BE NO LIFTING OF MARTIAL LAW UNTIL THESE GROUPS HAD
DECIDED UPON A COURSE OF ACTION AND ELECTED A PRIME
MINISTER AND PRESIDENT. SENATOR NUNN SAID HE WAS VERY
ENCOURAGED AND ASSERTED THAT ZIA'S ELECTION PROGRAM
WOULD GREATLY IMPRESS THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
13. ON AN UNRELATED MATTER SENATOR GLENN SAID HE
HAD GOTTEN A LOT OF MAIL ABOUT THE EXPROPRIATION
OF CHURCH PROPERTY IN PAKISTAN, AND HE HOPED THERE
COULD BE A RESOLUTION OF THIS ISSUE. AMBASSADOR
HINTON OBSERVED THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED DURING THE
NATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN. ZIA SAID
THAT THE PROPERTIES OF FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE IN
LAHORE AND SCHOOLS AT MURREE AND SIALKOT HAD BEEN
SEIZED. CHURCH LANDS HAD PROVIDED INCOME FOR THE
RUNNING OF THE SCHOOLS. THE MARTIAL LAW
ADMINISTRATION HAD ISSUED ORDERS DIRECTING THAT
THE CHURCHES WITHIN THESE COMPOUNDS MUST BE
RETURNED AND ZIA PROMISED THAT HE WOULD RETURN
SOME (HE MENTIONED TWO) CHURCH PROPERTIES BUT
NOT THE SCHOOLS BEFORE ELECTIONS. SENATOR NUNN
SAID WE TOOK YES FOR AN ANSWER. (COMMENT:
THESE CASES ARE BEFORE THE COURTS AND IT IS NOT
CLEAR TO US HOW ZIA WILL FULFILL THIS COMMITMENT.)
14. SENATOR NUNN TOLD ZIA THERE WAS ANOTHER SUBJECT
ON WHICH WE NEEDED HIS HELP -- THE NARCOTICS PROBLEM
WHICH WAS A PLAGUE IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS
ISSUE WAS OF TREMENDOUS CONCERN AND HE WANTED TO
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, SNAR, MNUC, PK, US, AF, UR, IN
SUBJECT: VISIT OF CODEL NUNN: CONVERSATION WITH
THANK GENERAL ZIA IN ADVANCE FOR HIS EFFORTS IN THIS
AREA. ZIA REPLIED THAT THIS WAS HIS MORAL DUTY AND
ACTIONS TAKEN AGAINST THE NARCOTICS TRADE WERE FOR
PAKISTAN'S OWN BENEFIT. AFGHANISTAN, ACCORDING TO
ZIA, WAS THE SOLE SOURCE OF HEROIN, AS POPPY
PRODUCTION HAD PRACTICALLY BEEN ELIMINATED IN
PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN WAS NOT ABLE TO SEAL THE AFGHAN
BORDER. WITH ONE KILO OF HEROIN RENDERED IN PAKISTAN
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BRINGING DOLS ONE MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES AND
EUROPE, THERE WERE ENORMOUS INDUCEMENTS TO GO INTO
THE TRADE. ZIA NOTED THAT THE SENTENCE IN PAKISTAN
FOR CONVICTION FOR POSSESSION OF ANYTHING MORE THAN
12 GRAMS OF NARCOTICS WAS LIFE IMPRISONMENT. PAKISTAN
HAD DEVELOPED AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF DETECTING DRUGS
MOVING THROUGH AIRPORTS, I.E., BY DOGS. ZIA ALLEGED
THAT LAND AND SEA ROUTES WERE LESS OF A PROBLEM.
GOP WOULD DO WHAT IT COULD BUT IT NEEDS MORE
ASSISTANCE AND MORE TRAINING. "GIVE US A FEW MORE
GADGETS AND INSPECTORS AND TIGHTEN YOUR OWN LAWS."
WE HAVE, ZIA ENDED, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
PROBLEM AND STILL HAVE A LOT OF IMPROVING TO DO.
SENATOR MJNN STATED THAT WE ARE PARTNERS IN PROTECTING
OUR OWN PEOPLE. SENATOR GLENN ADDED THAT DOG PROGRAM
HAD WORKED WELL IN THE UNITED STATES, TO WHICH ZIA
ADDED THAT THE CONTRIBUTION OF SIX DOGS WOULD BE
APPRECIATED. AMBASSADOR HINTON INTERJECTED THAT
THERE HAD BEEN AN INCREASE OF SMUGGLING OVER LAND
ROUTES. BOMBAY HAD BECOME A MAJOR TRAFFICKING
CENTER, AND THIS WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR PAK-INDIAN
COOPERATION. THERE WAS ALSO SMUGGLING VIA SPEEDBOATS
ACROSS THE GULF.
15. IN CONCLUSION, SENATOR NUNN ASKED FOR A COPY OF
PRESIDENT ZIA'S MAP AND OVERLAY WHICH ILLUSTRATED
SOVIET EXPANSION INTO SOUTH ASIA AND ZIA AGREED TO
PROVIDE THEM. AFGHANS, ZIA DECLARED, STILL HAD
THE GLINT OF HOPE IN THEIR EYE AND WERE THIS LOST
HE WOULD HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TAKING IN THREE MILLION
PEOPLE. SENATOR NUNN SAID OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE
WAS TO MAKE THE AFGHAN CASE KNOWN TO THE WORLD. WE
HAVE GOT TO GET THE MESSAGE THROUGH. ZIA RELATED
THAT HE HAD TOLD MARGARET THATCHER TO KEEP
AFGHANISTAN ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE BRITISH PRESS
AND SAID THAT HE HAD GIVEN THE SAME MESSAGE TO
VICE PRESIDENT BUSH.
16. ABOVE MEMCON HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY CODEL.
HINTON
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