FOUR NEW GOVERNORS CONFIRMED; MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003871

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017
TAGS: PGOV AF
SUBJECT: FOUR NEW GOVERNORS CONFIRMED; MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS
TO COME

REF: KABUL 3142

Classified By: PolCounselor SRosenberry for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

Summary
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1. (C) The Government has announced that President Karzai
has officially confirmed the appointment of new governors in
Jowzjan, Faryab, Samangan, and Kunar provinces. Staff at
Popal's Independent Directorate for Local Governance (IDLG)
had shared earlier Karzai's intention to appoint Hashim Zari
to the Jowzjan post (Ref). Abdul Haq Shafaq transfer from
Samangan gives him Faryab instead of , bumping out n place of
Humayun Aini, who ILDG staff had earlier told us would get
the post, but whose questionable human rights record and
alleged corruption had raised eyebrows. Samangan's new
governor, Qazi Enayatullah Enayat, has loyally served
President Karzai in both Faryab and Baghdis and appears to be
receiving the reward of a more comfortable posting outside of
Dostum's base further west. All three of the new Northern
governors (two Uzbeks and a Hazara) are originally from the
region. The announcement that Sayed Fazlallah Wahidi
(Pashtun from Nangarhar with extensive international NGO
experience) will replace Deedar Shalizai suggests that
President Karzai is prepared to find ways to work around the
political strongmen (in this case former president and early
Karzai mentor Mojeddidi) who have had a strong role in
appointment decisions to this point. Popal is determined
that the appointments will help bring about more stable and
effective governance in key provinces. End Summary.

Jowzjan, Faryab and Samangan Appointments Aim for Stability
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2. (SBU) The Government confirmed on November 18 that Hashim
Zari will be the new governor of Jowzjan (Ref A). Hashim
Zari is from Faryab province, an Arab-Uzbek, and a Sunni
Muslim. He is close to both President Karzai (serving as a
tribal advisor until recently) and to Speaker of the Upper
House Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, President Karzi's early mentor.
He also is reportedly on good terms with Uzbek strongman
General Dostum and the Jumbesh Party, making him a useful
bridge between the Palace and Dostum in this volatile
province. Hashim Zari has a business background and
reportedly lived in the United States for some period of
time. Popal describes him as "educated and bright, from a
respected family, and a moderate." Hashim Zari is replacing
very unpopular Juma Khan Hamdard (Pashtun) who fled the
province after several demonstrators (backed by General
Dostum) outside the governor's office in Sheberghan were
killed by Hamdard's bodyguards earlier this year. Hashim
Zari's appointment is supported by UNAMA's regional office,
which describes him as well-educated, business-like, usefully
well-connected, and likely to have a needed stabilizing
effect on Jowzjan.


3. (SBU) The announcement that Abdul Haq Shafaq will become
the new Governor of Faryab contradicts what Popal's office
had told us to expect. They had predicted that Humayan Aini
would get the job (Ref A),but acknowledged at the time the
appointment would be controversial and unpopular, given
Aini's alleged human rights violations while with the NDS and
reported involvement with corruption relating to construction
projects. The President instead named Haq Shafaq, a Hazara
originally from Sar-e-Pul Province who moves from the
governorship in Samangan, where he had the reputation as a
fair and uncorrupted official. He was active in poppy
eradication and supported demilitarization of local militia
through the DIAG program, but had recently been publicly
critical of the effectiveness of the government's overall
development policies. Popal describes Shafaq as "a future
asset that needs to be cultivated for a move later to a major
province." Shafaq studied at Kabul University but did not
finish his degree. He was at Bonn in 2003 and participated
in an U.S. IV program. The Faryab governorship had been
vacant since July as President Karzai calculated how to
counterbalance Dostum's influence in the North without
provoking strife.

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4. (SBU) Samangan's new governor, Qazi Enayatullah Enayat,
filled the slot vacated by Shafaq. Enayat is an Uzbek, Sunni
Muslim, originally from Faryab province. He had emigrated to
Australia, but returned in 2002, and in 2004 was sent to
Faryab as governor to counter Dostum's almost complete
control of the province at the time. He ended up having to
flee the province when Dostum launched military attacks on
the provincial capital. Enayat was then sent to Badghis as
governor and later appointed to the national anti-corruption
commission. He most recently served as Chair of the Senior
Appointments Board. Popal acknowledges he does not know
Enayat well, but Enayat known to be close to and trusted by
Karzai. Giving Enayat Samangan satisfies his request for
another post in the north while possibly also sending a
signal to Dostum, whose power based lies just West of the
province. Our northern contacts report Enayat has a
reputation for honesty and for his useful connections to the
Palace. They say he is likely to be welcomed to what is a
relatively secure and stable province.

Kunar Province: A Change Long Overdue
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5. (C) The announcement that Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi will be
replacing Shalizai Deedar, a former jihadi commander whose
human rights record barred him from running for parliament
but who had the protection Upper House Speaker Mujaddedi,
comes as a bit of a surprise. Deputy National Security
Advisor Engineer Ibrahim had acknowledged some months ago
that the Palace was aware of Deedar's involvement in the
illegal lumber trade and other corrupt schemes in the
province but that "the President would have to go through
Mojaddedi to get to him, so nothing is going to happen for
now." The appointment of Hashim Zari (another Mojaddedi
protege) to Jowzjan the same day may have been partly a
tradeoff for Deedar's dismissal. Deedar is replaced by
Wahidi, a Nangarhar native (Pashtun) whose career has been
spent largely in NGO work, including, according to Popal,
setting up health programs in Kunar after the Soviets were
driven out. There are reports that an NGO he founded may
have been barred from further UN contracts following
questions over accounting. He represents Afghan NGOs
internationally as an elected executive committee member of
the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (IVCA).
Reportedly a Sayed (respected elder descended from the
Prophet),Wahidi is educated (Kabul University and possibly
an advanced degree in the U.S.). He is reportedly very close
to the powerful Gailani family and to Popal (who also has an
NGO background). Wahidi was a member of the Afghan
delegation at the cross-border Peace Jirga in August. His
family reportedly lives in Australia. In a meeting with PRT
representatives on his first day on the job he said he
intended to focus on the problems of timber smuggling,
security challenges, strengthening institutions of democracy,
and enforcing rights of women and children.


6. (C) Popal, who pushed for Wahidi's appointment, has
shared that he plans to task Wahidi to work with Laghman
Governor Mangal and Khost Governor Jamal (two of the
strongest governors) as a team to provide a model and roadmap
for good governance in the East. He will ask them to focus
on the challenges of "security, drugs, reconstuction, and
development." Popal has told us to expect more announcements
of appointments of new governors -- in the North and then in
the West (Septel). He acknowleges that different factors
affect the final decision on appointments, but also
underlines his determination to continue to push for
governors whose qualities match what he thinks is needed to
bring more effective government to each particular province.
WOOD