NWFP: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON NWFP GOVERNOR

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 PESHAWAR 000169 SIPDIS SIPDIS SCA/PB FOR KAGUILAR AND RSACKS E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/13/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER EAID PK AF SUBJECT: NWFP: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL CALL ON NWFP GOVERNOR CLASSIFIED BY: Lynne Tracy, Principal Officer, Peshawar, State. REASON: 1.4 (d) ¶1. (S) Summary. Ambassador paid a farewell call on March 7 on Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Ali Jan Mohammad Orakzai. The Governor's Secretary Azmat Hanif and PO (notetaker) also attended. Pakistan's and Afghanistan's jirga commissions will meet on March 12 or 13 in Islamabad to determine modalities and objectives. The Governor suggested that the anti-foreigner animosities that reportedly led to clashes on March 6 in South Waziristan were also being fostered in North Waziristan. Orakzai commented on plans to create new government positions in the tribal areas and adjacent districts that appear intended to strengthen mid-level decision-making. ¶2. (S) Summary continued. Ambassador expressed concern that North Waziristan's environment had given al-Qai'da an opportunity to regroup. Ambassador emphasized that a successful strategy in the tribal areas must employ all tools, including force. Ambassador cautioned that poppy production appeared to be on the increase in Khyber Agency. Updating the Governor on funding for U.S. assistance to Pakistan, Ambassador noted the importance of local capacity and accountability. End Summary. Jirga Commission -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador welcomed the formation of Pakistan's jirga commission and asked if there were any further developments on the commission's activities. Orakzai said that a meeting of Pakistan and Afghanistan's commissions would be held in Islamabad on March 12. (Note: Others have told the Embassy it will be either the 12th or 13th. End Note.) The purpose of the meeting is to determine modalities for the interaction of the two commissions and to set objectives. ¶4. (C) The Governor expected that the commissions would interact with Coalition members who are stakeholders in the issues that the commissions take up. The commissions must also talk with local extremists such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i Islami, but not with al-Qai'da. The Governor suggested obtaining the agreement of local extremists to exclude al-Qai'da from any discussions to marginalize them. ¶5. (C) There would be no Pakistani troop withdrawals, Orazkai continued, as a pre-condition for talks with representatives from the border areas, but there might be a cessation of hostilities. A ceasefire, he maintained, would provide an opening for development activities and ultimately extending the writ of the government in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Clashes in South Waziristan -------------- ¶6. (S) The Governor commented on reports of clashes on March 6 in South Waziristan over the presence of Uzbek militants. (Note: There are conflicting accounts of numbers killed/wounded and affiliation. Several reports place the death toll at 19 -- 12 Uzbeks and 7 locals. End Note.) Orakzai claimed credit for the eruption of hostilities, noting that the government had been working behind the scenes to encourage local animosity toward the Uzbeks. North Waziristan - Next? -------------- ¶7. (S) The North Waziristan peace deal, the Governor said, was also generating "cracks" among the militants that the government intended to leverage. Ambassador responded that North Waziristan presented a different extremist environment than PESHAWAR 00000169 002 OF 002 South Waziristan. He emphasized U.S. concern that al-Qai'da was taking advantage of the lack of pressure in North Waziristan to focus on long-term planning for attacks. Al-Qai'da "won't be secure" in North Waziristan, the Governor insisted. Orakzai remarked, however, that he had advised President Musharraf not to be "trigger happy." ¶8. (S) Ambassador acknowledged the "ungovernable" history of the FATA and that solutions for the area are not easily arrived at or managed. The enemy, though, cannot be permitted to regroup to a position of strength. A successful strategy for the tribal areas, he said, must employ all tools, including force. Political Agents and More -------------- ¶9. (C) Ambassador remarked on the recent appointments of new political agents in six of the seven agencies. He observed that there has been persistent criticism of the decision in the late 1990s to scrap the old commissioner system that had served as an important training ground for future political agents. ¶10. (C) The Governor responded that as a one-time measure President Musharraf has agreed to the creation of positions along the lines of the old commissioner slots for North and South Waziristan as well as the Bannu district. (Comment: While the scope and standing of these new positions is not entirely clear, they appear to be meant to beef up mid-level decision-making authority. The Governor's Secretary Hanif complained to PO separately that many issues that were formerly decided in the field were bubbling up to the Governor because of the growing complexities facing Political Agents and the drop in opportunities for more field experience before heading off to be a Political Agent. End Comment.) Poppy in Khyber -------------- ¶11. (C) Ambassador observed that a recent poppy aerial survey of Khyber had indicated that poppy growth was up 3,000 hectares over the previous year. Pakistan, the Ambassador continued, should do everything possible to avoid landing on the Major Producers list. The Governor responded that he was determined to reduce poppy growth to zero and would address the problem in Khyber. Tackling the poppy, he said, had been complicated by fighting between two groups in the agency. Assistance -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Ambassador briefed the Governor on progress toward identifying funding for U.S. assistance to Pakistan. Ambassador emphasized that local capacity and accountability in management of funds was critical. The inclusive drafting process for the Sustainable Development Plan (SDP),Ambassador said, gave the SDP credibility with the donor community. The Reconstruction Opportunity Zone (ROZ) legislation was in draft with the intent to give greater location flexibility to take into account some of the infrastructure and financing realities. Orakzai responded that the FATA Secretariat was committed to expanding its capacity on a merit basis. ¶13. (U) This cable was cleared with Embassy Islamabad. TRACYLM