FOUR NEW GOVERNORS CONFIRMED; MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003871 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO (DAS GASTRIGHT),SCA/A STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/CDHA/DG NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR MSHIVERS CENTCOM FOR CG CJTF-82 AND POLAD 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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- -------------- ¶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. KABUL 00003871 002 OF 002 ¶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 -------------- ¶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