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

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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