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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