BIO: NWFP GOVERNOR MUHAMMAD ALI JAN ORAKZAI

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 010849 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR PK PREL SUBJECT: BIO: NWFP GOVERNOR MUHAMMAD ALI JAN ORAKZAI REF: A. ISLAMABAD 9706 ¶B. PESHAWAR 255 Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Recently appointed the Governor of the New North West Frontier Province (NWFP),Lt. General (retired) Muhammad Ali Jan Orakzai is an Alikhel-Orakzai Pashtun from Orakzai Agency. The Alikhel is the largest tribe in Orakzai Agency. Born in December 1947, he previously served as Corps Commander of the XI Corps, and most recently functioned as Secretary, Ministry for Defense Production. Orakzai's SIPDIS military career spanned 36 years and included the following achievements: -- Corps Commander XI Corps (October 2001 to March 2004) -- Adjutant General of Pakistani Army (March 2000-October 2000) -- Vice Chief of General Staff (October 1999-March 2000) -- Deputy Chief of General Staff (November 1997-October 1999) -- Promoted to Major General (June 1994) -- Promoted to Brigadier General (July 1989) -- Commissioned in Pakistani Army (April 1968) ¶2. (SBU) During his military career, Orakzai commanded a Mechanized Infantry Battalion, two Infantry Brigades, two Infantry Divisions, and the Peshawar-based XI Corps. His instructional assignments include: School of Infantry and Tactics (Quetta); Command and Staff College (Quetta); Iraqi Leadership College (Baghdad, Iraq); and National Defense College (Rawalpindi). Orakzai graduated from the Command and Staff College (Quetta). He speaks French in addition to Pashto, Urdu, and English. Orakzai has been awarded the Hilal-I-Imtiaz (Military),Sitara-I-Basalat, and Chief-of-Army Staff Commendation Card. ¶3. (SBU) Orakzai has one daughter and three sons. Two of his three sons are in the Pakistani Army, and his daughter is married to an army major. His eldest son is a major currently studying at the Staff College (Quetta),and the middle son is a captain serving in the Frontier Force regiment. Orakzai,s youngest son is studying at the University of Iowa. ¶4. (C) During Orakzai,s tenure as Corps Commander, the Pakistani Army first entered into the Khyber and Kurram agencies after 9/11 and attempted to capture Al Qaida and Taliban fighters fleeing Tora Bora. He subsequently denied the presence of foreign militants in Wazirstan; some observers believe he was forced to retire because of his reluctance to carry out operations in Wana, South Wazirstan. As Corps Commander he created a development plan for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) -- implemented by the Army -- that triggered a turf-war with the Governor,s office that traditionally oversees FATA development. While at MOD-P, Orakzai presided over a defense procurement strategy that emphasized conventional defense over GWOT shaping. ¶5. (C) Comment: Interlocutors believe Orakzai,s appointment is an acknowledgement that the NWFP (and FATA) need a stronger governor with tribal knowledge and affiliations. Given his tribal and military background, the appointment is also seen as a signal that the new Governor will focus on FATA issues, and may be able to balance the relationship in the tribal region between the political administration and the military. End comment. ¶6. (U) This cable was prepared by AmConsul Peshawar. CROCKER