PAKISTANIS EXPEL 58 AFGHANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 014208 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015 TAGS: PK PREL PGOV KTER SUBJECT: PAKISTANIS EXPEL 58 AFGHANS REF: ISLAMABAD 13862 Classified By: DCM Peter Bodde, Derived from DSCG 05-01, d ¶1. (C) Summary. Pakistani authorities turned over 58 Afghan nationals to Afghanistan Sunday from among the more than 200 Afghans rounded up in and around Quetta early last week. It is not known whether any of the 58 have ties to the Taliban, but Embassy contacts say the 58 were among those arrested in madrassahs during the raids. End summary. ¶2. (C) Two journalist contacts say that the 58 Afghans that Pakistan handed over to Afghan authorities on Sunday at the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing were among the 239 Afghans picked up in raids on July 16, 17, and 18 in and around Quetta. (Note. Press reports of the numbers detained in the raids range from 215 to 250 Afghans. End note.) Journalist contacts suspect that the 58 who were released were undocumented Afghans, while the ones still in Pakistani custody are those with valid documents but who were not carrying them at the time of arrest. The 58 were attending various madrassahs in and around Quetta. An agitated JUI-F contact complained that the madrassah raids were conducted without warning. ¶3. (C) The only one of the 239 with known ties to the Taliban, Hamdullah Achakzai, a known former Taliban commander from Helmand Province in Afghanistan, was still being held by the Pakistanis. As reported reftel, Pakistani police claimed in the immediate aftermath of the arrests that they rounded up those considered "suspicious" and that the police would see whether those arrested had ties to the Taliban. Originally, Pakistani authorities said they would check the Afghans for connections to the Taliban or other anti-Coalition militant groups. However, according to press reports, a Pakistani police inspector said Sunday that the Afghan authorities would be the ones to investigate whether any of the 58 turned over were linked to the Taliban. ¶4. (C) Comment. Regardless of the exact reason these Afghans were picked up and their ultimate connection to the Taliban, the speed with which the GOP handed the 58 over to the Afghan authorities suggests the GOP is eager to demonstrate responsiveness to Afghan and Coalition concerns regarding the Taliban in the Quetta area. Post will be monitoring how the GOP handles Hamdullah Achakzai and any of the other 181 remaining in Pakistani custody who may turn out to have definite links to the Taliban. Police contacts in Quetta have provided Post a list of the 181 Afghans still in Pakistani custody, and Post has e-mailed this list to Embassy Kabul. End comment. CROCKER