PRT JALALABAD: INTELLECTUAL SHURAS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 000017 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO DAS GASTRIGHT, SCA/A, S/CRS, SA/PB, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC PASS FOR AHARRIMAN OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER ASEC MARR AF SUBJECT: PRT JALALABAD: INTELLECTUAL SHURAS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: During three separate "intellectual shuras" in Nangahar province, PRT Jalalabad heard views from local citizens on a range of issues that touched their daily lives. Locals expressed specific concerns about the role and activities of ISAF, particularly ISAF searches and convoys. Students and faculty at Nangahar University sought more resources for their educational institution and questioned the use by farmers of land owned by the university. At a local high school, teachers similarly complained about low salaries and lack of resources. PRT heard an often repeated argument that since the mujahadeen had helped bring down the Soviet Union, it was now time for NATO countries to repay the debt by supporting Afghanistan's development. The PRT Commander stressed the need for Afghans to take responsibility for their own development and security and to prioritize among many competing demands, since resources were limited. He underlined that much of what people heard about ISAF was rumor and that ISAF forces did not arrest people based only on allegations. These three shuras enabled PRT Jalalabad to engage directly with key local communities and to clarify the role of the PRT and ISAF. END SUMMARY -------------- Common Themes -------------- ¶2. (U) PRT Jalalabad and the Nangahar Provincial Council (PC) co-hosted three "engagements" or "intellectual shuras" the week of December 16. The events were held in the auditorium of the Bureau of Tribal Affairs in downtown Jalalabad and attended by between 100-200 people. All three events began with speeches listing the many things that different groups want either the PRT or the Government to fund. The events eventually moved into discussion with the PRT or PC members of common themes, including security and the role of ISAF in searches and arrests, the effect of convoys on traffice, and U.S. support for Israel. ¶3. (U) Security issues were raised up at each event, including concerns about the role and activities of ISAF (still referred to as &Coalition Forces8 by the Afghans here in Nangarhar). A number of attendees complained about ISAF searching peoples' homes, entering them at night or making arrests without sufficient evidence. Opinions on the appropriate role for ISAF included that ISAF should always let Afghan forces do searches and arrests and an insistence that it is ISAF,s responsibility to provide security, as well as to arrest government officials they believed were corrupt. The PRT Commander said that ISAF forces were now being more careful, always letting Afghan National Security Forces take the lead in every arrest or search. He emphasized that Afghans needed to take responsibility for identifying criminal activity and corruption rather than waiting for ISAF to take action. ¶4. (U) Another issue repeatedly mentioned was that the convoys of the various ISAF groups in Nangarhar do not follow traffic rules, nor do they permit people to pass them even if they are moving very slowly. The Commander explained that this was for the safety of both Afghans and ISAF, as suicide bombers or IEDs directed at ISAF convoys usually killed more innocent Afghan bystanders than ISAF personnel. -------------- First Shura for University Students -------------- ¶5. (U) Approximately 200 students from both Nangarhar University and Nangarhar Medical School attended the first event on December 16. This event began with long speeches by the professors and administrators listing the many needs of the university that the PRT or Provincial Government should fund, including better dorms, a library, auditorium, roads, walls, increased teachers, salaries, and a new sewage system. The Commander stressed that it is the Provincial KABUL 00000017 002 OF 003 Development Council's responsibility to come up with a plan to prioritize requests, balancing needs like higher education with those of basic services such as water, roads, and electricity. ¶6. (U) A number of people in the university administration raised the question of the use of land owned by the university but currently used by farmers. The campus sits on fertile farm land now being farmed, but much of the land actually belongs to the university which needs it for expansion. ¶7. (U) Following the speeches, the PRT Commander insisted that the students be allowed to speak. A lively discussion followed on many topics. One of the few female students in the group asked about the ISAF forces arresting innocent civilians (a common theme brought up at many meetings -- reflecting widespread perception in the province). The PRT Commander stressed that much of what they hear is rumor or exaggeration and said that they should check multiple sources rather than believing one story. He underlined that ISAF forces did not arrest people based on one allegation but consult many sources. ¶8. (U) The PRT hosted a lunch following the three-hour session, and many students engaged with PRT members, including the Commander, PRT Information Officer, State Rep, and even the Force Protection Soldiers waiting with the Humvees parked outside. The students used these informal discussions to raise additional issues, from U.S. support for Israel to the appropriate amount of assistance that should be provided for aid to Afghanistan. -------------- Shura for High School Teachers -------------- ¶9. (U) The second engagement was for high school head masters and teachers on December 18. Fifteen of the 17 members of the Provincial Council were present on stage with PRT officials. This was the largest attendance of the three shuras, with over 200 people including approximately 30 women. The Director of Education opened the event, stressing the need for more teachers and more schools. Various teachers followed, each reiterating the same problems, including low salaries, impossible teacher/student ratios, and the lack of books. Several directly addressed the Provincial Council members on the stage, saying that they gave them their votes, and it was now time to give something back. ¶10. (U) Several people repeated an argument PRT is hearing more frequently -- that it is thanks to the Afghan mujahadeen and their sacrifices that the Soviet Union had collapsed. Therefore, it was now time for ISAF to repay the debt by supporting Afghanistan's development. The PRT Commander agreed that the Afghan people did make a significant contribution to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that ISAF forces and NGOs were working to build schools. However, he emphasized the need for Afghans themselves to participate more actively in their country's reconstruction. As an example, he noted that Afghans built the finest walls in the world and asked why community resources were not being used to build the perimeter walls that they keep requesting from NGO and ISAF for school construction projects. ¶11. (SBU) Adrian Yon, a Member of Parliament from Nangarhar, joined the Provincial Council members on stage to speak at the end of the shura, raising several disparate and controversial themes. She said that the salaries for Members of Parliament needed to be increased in order to reduce the likelihood of corruption and bribery. She also spoke out against the government's anti-poppy campaign, saying that it was inappropriate if it did not provide a viable alternative livelihood. Her third theme was not uncommon for a politician -- the issue of ethnicity and discrimination KABUL 00000017 003 OF 003 against Pashtuns that existed in Kabul. She also claimed that Nangarhar was short 4,000 teachers while other provinces had a surplus, with teachers waiting for students. She said that when textbooks were printed for schools, the proportion printed in Pashtun is disproportionately low. ¶12. (SBU) Comment: Adrian Yon and her husband, Smail Yon, a prominent journalist, joined members of the PRT for lunch and participated in a lively discussion about politics, elections, and Afghanistan in general. It was rare to be able to engage an articulate Afghan couple in this conservative part of the country where PRT members almost never have a chance to talk with local professional women. End Comment -------------- Intellectual Shura -------------- ¶13. (U) The third event co-hosted by the Provincial Council and the PRT was for authors and media personnel. The crowd was smaller than at the other two shuras, with about 70 people, only two of whom were women. The new Minister of Education and Culture, Awrang Samin, opened the session with the longest list yet of things requested from the PRT, including salaries and housing for his employees, office renovations, generators, computers, digital cameras, motorcycles, and many other items. Provincial Council Chairman Fazlhadi Muslimyar rose to the occasion and responded that the intent of the meeting was for this intellectual group to discuss solutions to the problems and challenges in the province. A number of speakers followed his lead, insisting that Afghans stop asking for handouts and start taking responsibility for their own lives and future. One speaker forcefully declared, "Our grandparents would be ashamed of us." ¶14. (U) The discussion again emphasized the challenges of addressing the needs of various levels of society, from those with the most basic needs (food and water) to those insisting that access to higher education and better connection to the outside world were the most pressing needs. The PRT Commander used this discussion to point out the difficulty of prioritizing needs, balancing short and long term goals, and providing sustainability so that accomplishments do not collapse. He brought up his common theme of the need for the province to be serious about creating a Provincial Development Plan. ¶15. (U) COMMENT: While no concrete responses were made to the many requests -- and many of them were impossible to meet -- the ability to have a face-to-face discussions was extremely valuable. Certainly the different audiences, and the PRT and the Provincial Council members likewise, were exposed to different points of view and ways of looking at complex issues, ranging from security to education to the role of government, which shows the value of regular PRT engagement with various forms of shuras. NEWELL