INTERIOR MINISTER SHERPAO SAYS PROACTIVE STEPS NECESSARY IN TRIBAL AREAS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000899



SIPDIS



NOFORN

SIPDIS



E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2017

TAGS: PGOV, PK

SUBJECT: INTERIOR MINISTER SHERPAO SAYS PROACTIVE STEPS

NECESSARY IN TRIBAL AREAS



REF: A. ISLAMABAD 824

B. KABUL 559



Classified By: Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (S/NF) Summary: In a 23 February meeting, Interior

Minister Aftab Sherpao told the Ambassador that the North

Waziristan Agreement must be reviewed because it is not

working. Proactive leadership is necessary, he said, from the

Governor down to the political agents. Northwest Frontier

Province Governor Orakzai's recent statements to the press

were not helpful; Sherpao intends to recommend to President

Musharraf that Orakzai be removed as governor. Sherpao also

thinks targeted strikes against militant leaders will

increase the strength of the maliks (tribal leaders) in the

Federally Administered Tribal Areas and bolster security in

the region. End Summary.



2. (S/NF) Minister Sherpao told the Ambassador that it is now

time to review the North Waziristan Agreement, as it has not

produced the hoped-for effect on security in the region.

President Musharraf has tried to empower Tribal Area

political agents to take steps against the insurgency, but

his efforts have not borne adequate fruit. Musharraf told the

political agents, for example, that the Frontier Corps is

under their command and that they have an open invitation to

call the President directly for support at any time, yet the

political agents have not used either resource. Part of the

problem, Sherpao said, is a failure of leadership by Governor

Orakzai. Orakzai's recent statements to the press (ref B) are

not helpful, and it is time for the President to relieve him

of his position. Sherpao already has a recommendation for

Orakzai's replacement: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Ehsan ul Haq. He is familiar with the issues and, as an

ethnic Pashtun, will bring the right leadership to an urgent

issue, Sherpao said.



3. (S/NF) Sherpao believes that directly targeting Taliban

leadership in the tribal areas will boost the influence of

the maliks. Primary targets, he said, are Jalaluddin Haqqani

and his sons; Mullah Dadullah; Baitullah Mehsud; and three to

five others. If these leaders are eliminated, Sherpao said,

their supporters will lose momentum.



4. (S/NF) Sherpao also provided the Ambassador an update on

the Government's crackdown on Al Rashid and Al Akhtar trusts,

both designated as al Qaeda and Taliban-associated

organizations by the UN 1267 sanctions committee. Sherpao

provided the Ambassador with an internal government document

accounting for 25 Al Rashid and 15 Al Akhtar offices that had

been closed/sealed throughout the country. Sherpao added that

government officials have identified 2 million Pk rupees

(approximately USD 33,000) that had passed through al Akhtar

from a man in Quetta to another unidentified person. The

money subsequently went missing, Sherpao said, and the

government is following up on it. (Note: Ref A reported on

the initial closures and the surrounding media coverage. Post

will report on the memo received 23 February septel. End

Note.)



5. (S/NF) Comment: Ehsan ul Haq is a former head of

Inter-Services Intelligence and a member of Musharraf's inner

circle. He could bring new energy to an extremely complex

problem. Post is considering the implications of a possible

ul Haq replacement, but if the President relieves Orakzai of

his duties, his replacement would be the fourth NWFP governor

in two years. End Comment.



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