PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: ONE WEEK LATER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 015522

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT - PLEASE PASS TO USAID
KABUL - PLEASE PASS TO CFC-A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2015
TAGS: AEMR ASEC EAID MASS MOPS PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: ONE WEEK LATER

Classified By: DCM Patricia A. Butenis, Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary and introduction: One week after the October
8 South Asian earthquake, public and private relief
operations on the ground are pushing forward. The Government
of Pakistan's (GOP) strategic concept of operations for the
relief campaign, however, continues to evolve, with the
Army's GHQ now offering its own vision for the relief
campaign to supplant the plan unveiled by the Prime
Minister's Federal Relief Commission only three days ago.
U.S. military and civilian assistance continue to bring
relief supplies into Pakistan and then out to affected areas,
while members of post's earthquake working group serve as
discreet liaisons between the civilian and military sides of
the GOP and between the GOP and the UN and NGO relief
organizations. As the crisis moves into its second week,
critical issues must be addressed to protect survivors in the
affected areas and to ensure that the relief operation has
the necessary logistical resources to increase movement of
supplies to the far reaches of the quake zone. Pakistani
interlocutors have been effusive in their praise and
gratitude for the U.S. response to this natural disaster; if
managed correctly, the USG relief effort will broaden and
deepen our relationship with this often-mistrustful ally. End
summary and introduction.


AMB Visit to Bagh: Relief Underway, Next Step is Shelter
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2. (SBU) On October 14, Ambassador Crocker traveled by
helicopter to the Azad Kashmir town of Bagh, where he saw
relief efforts proceeding in good order. Under the direction
of a Pakistan Army brigadier, military troops had laid out
and secured landing zones for relief helos, organized quick
off-load of incoming supplies and on-load of wounded evacuees
and erected a medical tent staffed by a Korean physician and
Spanish rescue team. The brigadier had only one message for
the Ambassador to take back to relief coordinators in
Islamabad: "Send winterized shelter." The change of seasons
is well along in this Himalayan region. The USAID/DART team
and U.S. military are investigating global inventories and
manufacturers of winterized tents, as significant numbers of
such tents and other pre-fabricated, quick-erect shelters
must be imported to Pakistan soonest.


GOP Coordination: Firm Grip or Still Grasping?
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3. (C) Post received information late October 14 indicating
that the GOP's initial earthquake relief model -- with
immediate disaster relief under MG Farooq at the Federal
Relief Commission (FRC) and long-term recovery under a new
Reconstruction Authority headed by MG Zubair -- has already
been recalled. Brigadier Nasser Janjua, Director General -
Military Operations (DGMO) told an ODRP liaison that it was
unrealistic to expect an hoc organization like the FRC
to conceive, communicate and implement a vision for a crisis
of this magnitude. While Mg Farroq and his staff have been
sorting out office space and learning their phone numbers, BG
Nasser said, the Pakistani military has imposed order on
chaos. On the morning of October 15, DGMO briefed Vice Chief
of Army Staff Hayat on a military concept of operations to
supersede that devised by the FRC. The DGMO plan would base
U.S. forces near Islamabad, in support positions for
Pakistani assets deployed to forward operating bases (FOBs).
The DGMO concept reflects GHQ sensitivities to force
protection issues raised by the prospect of U.S. military
operations in remote areas known to harbor extremist
elements. BG Nasser urged ODRP to consider GHQ the "central
planning cell" for relief operations and requested a copy of
the list of available USG assistance that had earlier been
passed to the FRC. (Note: As of this writing, ODRP and post
liaisons are at GHQ for a briefing on the DGMO concept. If
Gen. Hayat (4-star) approves the proposal, FRC Coordinator MG
Farooq (2-star) will quickly abandon the FRC concept
presented three days ago in favor of the DGMO model. End
note.)

Relief Flights Operations
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4. (C) Seven U.S. milair cargo flights arrived in Pakistan
on October 14: four (4) C-130s and one (1) C-17, carrying
tents, medical supplies and food (Halal). A KC-10 carrying
relief personnel and a NATO 707 with medical teams and
supplies also arrived at Chaklala air field. Ten U.S.
military helicopters completed 65 sorties, transporting
216,000 lbs. of relief supplies and evacuating 557 injured
passengers. The U.S. Contingency Response Group (CRG)
supported four (4) Afghan National Army helos on 14 sorties
on October 14, transporting 12,000 lbs of supplies and 65
injured passengers. The State Department-funded NAS Air Wing
Helos flew 19 sorties on October 14, carrying 8400 kg of
relief supplies and evacuating 88 passengers. Two U.S.
C-130s conducted air drops operations in the Muzzafarabad
area on October 15; given the dangers of low-altitude flying
in the mountain terrain surrounding many villages, additional
planning will be required before operations can begin to drop
rations to survivors isolated in these areas.

Incoming Air Assets
--------------


5. (C) Additional helicopter support is in the pipeline,
giving the U.S. military Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) a
window to identify alternate air fields for operations. The
first three of an expected twenty-four (24) CH-47s are
scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on October 21. One
NAS-funded MI-17 arrived in Pakistan the morning of October
15; a second is expected later the same day. With the
arrival of these helos, the DAC will reach full capacity for
the space allotted at the Qasim and Chaklala air fields.
ODRP and DAC representatives are working to bring Pakistan
Air Force (PAF) and Army coordinators together to expedite
the process of selecting alternative venues for helo basing
and operations.

Other U.S. Military Assets
--------------

6. (C) Additional U.S. military relief supplies will begin
arriving at the port of Karachi on October 17, with the
morning arrival of the commercial vessel Northern Lights,
followed by the U.S.S, Pearl Harbor later the same afternoon.
The ARCENT 831st Transportation Battalion will receive,
off-load and transfer the cargo (relief supplies and heavy
earth-moving and engineering equipment) to trains for
transport north to the quake zone.

Media Coverage
--------------


7. (SBU) With a live feed from Chaklala air field, CNN
broadcasts throughout October 14 were filled with images of
U.S. helicopters moving relief supplies north and returning
with injured survivors, who were then carried to a PAF field
hospital for treatment on the side of the taxi-ways. During
CNN's live interviews with the Ambassador and RDML Lefever,
U.S. ground crews could be seen off-loading fixed wing cargo
planes from around the world. State and military public
affairs officers have been directing Pakistani and
international journalists onto U.S. helos to ensure coverage
of the relief campaign and its results. Before departing
Chaklala air field, the Ambassador pressed a senior Pakistani
military official to put Pakistani media onto Pakistani
military helos, particularly those pushing deep into isolated
areas from forward operating bases in Kashmir.


CROCKER