DEPUTY SECRETARY, GEN HYAT, AND GEN UL-HAQ STRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 002856

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2017
TAGS: PREL PTER PK MOPS AG
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY, GEN HYAT, AND GEN UL-HAQ STRESS
THE CONTINUED FIGHT AGAINST TERROR

REF: ISLAMABAD 2798

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter W. Bodde, reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte,
Assistant Secretary Boucher, and Charge d,Affaires Bodde met
with Vice Chief of Army Staff GEN Ahsan Saleem Hyat and then
separately with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff GEN
Ehsan ul-Haq on June 16. Both sides emphasized the importance
of continued and enduring cooperation in the war on terror.
GEN Hyat focused on Pak-Afghan military cooperation and
terrorism's effects on Pakistan. GEN Ehsan ul-Haq discussed
the situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas
FATA) and the holistic approach to fighting terrorism along
the Pak-Afghan border. END SUMMARY.

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VCOAS GEN AHSAN SALEEM HYAT
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2. (C) Hyat outlined the 28 years of strife that have
consumed Afghanistan, including the Soviet invasion, the
civil war that followed, and finally 9/11. He gauged that,
outside of Afghanistan, the effects of this strife have been
felt most acutely in Pakistan. For Pakistan these events have
bred extremism, militancy, and sectarianism. These themes
were first co-opted to incite people against the Soviets;
however, now these same ideas are undermining the fabric of
Pakistan. Additionally the large presence of refugees in
Pakistan is a significant destabilizing force. Refugees are
an issue in camps and also in cities. According to GEN Hyat,
the refugees are not all "bad" people, but they cause a
significant change in demography. He stressed that solving
the severe problems in Afghanistan is the only road to peace
and democracy in Pakistan.


3. (C) Hyat said that Pakistan does not want to destabilize
Afghanistan. However, from his recent talks with President
Karzai he inferred that the Afghan president believes there
are elements in Pakistan who want to interfere in
Afghanistan's internal affairs. Hyat insisted that there was
no evidence or intelligence that showed Pakistan trying to
destabilize Afghanistan and that such suspicions just waste
energy on both sides. On the contrary, the stability of
Afghanistan would be beneficial to Pakistan.


4. (C) The Deputy Secretary asked about the Afghan National
Army (ANA). Hyat responded that GEN Bismillah Khan of the ANA
is a close friend of his and that they visit each other and
share ideas; the VCOAS has now invited the ANA to join the
joint US-Pakistan special operations training. Hyat commented
that the Afghans are "natural fighters" and they are trying
very hard, but training them to become a professional
military will take time. He has invited the ANA to take
advantage of any and all of Pakistan's training resources.
Hyat told the Afghans, "we will go to any length to provide
what we have;" however, the Afghans have not accepted the
offered military training.


5. (C) Hyat discussed the importance of building a strong
military relationship with Afghanistan and increasing trust
over time. The Deputy Secretary noted that any long term
solution in Afghanistan required an increase in the quantity
and quality of Afghan troops. Hyat noted that service tenure
in the ANA was only 4 years, and afterwards most soldiers do
not re-enlist. In this manner, the ANA is losing trained
soldiers. Hyat encouraged increasing the service tenure in
the ANA, improving service conditions, and providing benefits
as incentives to stay in the armed forces.

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CJCS GEN EHSAN UL-HAQ

ISLAMABAD 00002856 002 OF 002


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6. (C) GEN Haq said his areas of emphasis were to establish
peace and security in Afghanistan and stop terrorism and
extremism. This meant not allowing terrorism to take place in
Pakistan and not allowing Pakistan to become a base to launch
terrorism. He acknowledged the significant remaining
challenges but also stressed that Pakistan had come a long
way with strong national resolve. He asked the Deputy
Secretary for US support and understanding as Pakistan

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continues to fight terrorism.

7.(C) Haq described his approach in the FATA as holistic by
utilizing political, administrative, economic, and military
tools in a robust manner. On the military front, he said his
forces are effectively employed wherever they have actionable
intelligence. Additionally, his forces are seeking to
increase tactical capacity with better division of command
and delegation of authority, which hopefully will enable them
to react to intelligence more quickly.


8. (C) Haq noted that, with so many people living on and
crossing over the border daily, the military needs very
strong measures to properly police the border. These include
the use of biometric technology and careful fencing. He
stressed that Afghanistan must at least recognize the border
if the Pakistanis are expected to seal and protect it.
Moreover, Haq said that for long lasting stability the
Pakistanis need strong Afghan support and coordination for
their actions along the border. He hoped that this could be
reached through the Tri-Partite Military Group (US, Pakistan,
Afghanistan).


9. (C) Haq also commented on the importance of the Frontier
Corps and their many sacrifices in the war on terror. The
Frontier Corps, according to Haq, were great soldiers under a
lot of pressure: being tribesmen themselves this fight was
very personal for them. They have been active in the area
since 9/11 and have scarce resources. Haq stressed that the
Frontier Corps needs help and recognition.


10. The Deputy's staff has cleared this message.




PATTERSON