Kabul Governor on Security, Governance, and Ethnic

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000112 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV AF SUBJECT: Kabul Governor on Security, Governance, and Ethnic Relations Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) According to its governor, Kabul province faces the challenges of accommodating a rapidly growing and changing population and uneven development. The Governor highlights subdued ethnic tensions and the problems created by a lack of clearly defined responsibilities among line ministries, provincial authorities, and municipal government. The recent deterioration in security in provinces around Kabul may be due more to crime than insurgents. Growing Pains -------------- ¶2. (U) On January 6, Kabul Province Governor Din Mohammed met with the Ambassador to outline the challenges facing Kabul province, which consists of 15 districts including the city itself. He estimated the population of the province at over five million (three to four million of which live in the city proper). While both the province and city are traditionally Tajik who still constitute more than half the province's population, an influx of repatriated refugees has changed demographics. The Pashtun and Hazara populations, especially in the outlying areas of the city, have grown. Din Mohammad said he faces finding housing for the 100,000 returnees from Iran and Pakistan who have a UNHCR certificate stating they are originally from Kabul. There are many others, not originally from Kabul, who have come to the province in search of jobs, good security, health and education. ¶3. (SBU) Din Mohammad acknowledged that provincial ethnic tensions do exist, but said that discrimination against Pashtuns has decreased in recent years. Previously, a Pashtun with a beard, entering the province for the first time, had to fear being arrested as a suspected terrorist. Uneven development and uneven access to land and services distribution continues to generate some ethnic tensions. Din Mohammad said he would like to steer development towards the underserved southern districts of Surobi, Mussahi, and Chahar Asyab, but these are predominantly Pashtun and this would cause resentments elsewhere (including within the similarly underserved Harzara areas). Governance -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Overshadowed by Kabul city's mayor, Rohullah Aman - also a Pashtun - and by the line ministries, Din Mohammad complained he is not left with enough authority or responsibility to make a significant difference in the region. He complained of increased distance from President Karzai. Security -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Din Mohammad distinguished between security problems in Kabul and those in outlying provinces. Challenging the popular fear that insurgents may be trying to encircle Kabul, he describes security incidents as isolated and often contrived. He claimed that police in Mussahi district are simply trying to attract attention. Investigating a rocket attack in Surobi district, he determined that it was the result of a police corruption scheme aimed at trucks coming in from Pakistan. Bio Note -------------- ¶6. (U) Governor Hajji Din Mohammad was born in Nangarhar in 1953 and has served as governor of Kabul province since July 2005. A Pashtun from the Gilzai tribe, he is well educated, well traveled, and has a long history of service to Afghanistan. Both he and his brother, Hajji Abdul Qadeer, have served as governor of Nangarhar province. His brother also served as the Minister of Urban Development in the Afghan Interim Government. During the Emergency Loya Jirga, his brother was considered for Vice-President and Minister of Public Works but was assassinated by insurgents shortly thereafter. ¶7. (U) Din Mohammad has a degree in literature from Kabul University. In 1974 he emigrated to Pakistan, where he became KABUL 00000112 002 OF 002 engaged in the jihad against the Soviet occupation. He served as a deputy to Mohammad Younus Khalis, deceased leader of the Hezb-I-Islami Afghanistan faction, and was a member of the Mujahideen Military Council. In this capacity, he was a member of the Mujahideen delegation to the UN in New York between 1984-1987. He also served as Minister of National Security during the Afghan Interim Government in Peshawar. After the collapse of the communist regime in 1992, Din Mohammad was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Education. Later, Din Mohammad was also appointed as Minister of Information and Culture. ¶8. (U) Din Mohammad is pro-government and anti-Taliban. After 9/11 and the collapse of the Taliban regime, Din Mohammad's younger brother, Commander Abdul Haq and his son Ezatullah Sahil, were captured and executed by Taliban insurgents in 2001. There is an ongoing investigation. Wood