PARWAN PROVINCE: GOVERNANCE, ELECTIONS, SECURITY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 002840

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA
NSC FOR WOOD
OSD FOR WILKES
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD


E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: PARWAN PROVINCE: GOVERNANCE, ELECTIONS, SECURITY,
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Classified By: By PRT Director Valerie Fowler for reasons 1.4 (B) and (
D)


1. (SBU) Summary. Parwan, one of two provinces that form
the northern gateway to Kabul, is relatively free of
violence and poppy but remains woefully lacking in
development and economic growth due to a lack of human
capacity. Governor Taqwa prioritizes development efforts
in Charikar, the provincial seat; as a result, problems and
challenges in the rest of the province receive less
consideration. The Provincial Council, Provincial
Development Council, ministry line directors, and other
government officials have been wary of engaging with
Americans, though recent efforts by the PRT to engage with
members of these groups have met with a tentative, but
positive, reception. With the recent loss of the ANAP and
a small ANP presence in Kohe Safi District, the area risks
becoming a safe-haven for Taliban and other anti-coalition
forces activity, unless additional ANSF forces are committed
to the area. End summary.

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GOVERNANCE
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2. (SBU) The Governor, Abdul Jabar Taqwa, has served for
more than three years as governor of Parwan province and is
looking to transfer to another province. He is convinced
everything is going well in Parwan; for him, success in
Charikar equals success in the rest of the province. He
asserts that no political schisms, governance or economic
difficulties exist in the province, except in Charikar;
this directly contradicts what the PRT has heard and
observed.
The governor is cooperating more with the PRT than in the
past (e.g., allowing his line directors to work with the
PRT),
but he retains a tight grip on power in the province.


3. (C) The Provincial Council (PC) poses challenges for the
PRT. The PC is led by Farid Ahmad Shafaq, who has been
connected to the HIG, to criminal elements in Parwan, and
to Parwan Wolesi Jirga MP Haji Almas. (Note: Haji Almas
has been directly linked to both Iranian and Russian
Intelligence Agencies.) Additionally, unlike in
neighboring Kapisa where male members of the PC work well
with female colleagues, women in Parwan have been
sidelined. Female PC members rarely travel to nearby
Bagram; even if their male relatives allow them to travel,
doing so carries a social stigma few are willing to bear.
Few female leaders in Parwan will meet or work with the
PRT: two exceptions are PC member Rayesa Saber and Wolesi
Jirga member Shafiqa Noori.

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SECURITY
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4. (C) Parwan is mostly secure, particularly in the central
and western regions. The southeastern leg, Kohe Safi, is
somewhat isolated from the rest of the Province, both
geographically and tribally (mostly Pashtun in a
Tajik-dominated province). Reports of the Taliban
transiting the area are common. The PRT has planned two
road projects to increase the ability of security forces to
travel in the area, and provide economic opportunities to
the local population. The first project will connect Tagab
to Kohe Safi. The second project is a horseshoe-shaped
road that will connect Camp Blackhorse (near
Pol-E-Charki) to the southern tip of Kohe-Safi in Jowzack.
The Jowzack area has historically been inaccessible,
providing a staging area for insurgents to target Kabul.
In recent weeks, there have been increased reports of
increased Taliban presence -- indicated by rocket fire and
night letters in north-central Kohe Safi, particularly
around Shinwari and Sia Gird. The PRT assesses this as an
effort by the enemy to build a support base for next year,s
fight, rather than an immediate threat.

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ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT
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5. (SBU) With large and bustling markets, Charikar is one
of the area,s main economic centers. It is also home to
the only women,s market in all of Kapisa and Parwan, opened
this summer under USAID aegis. Similarly, Jablusarj to the
north could become a major industrial center thanks to its
proximity to natural resources of power (if a dam is
built),marble and rocks for a new cement plant. Outside
of these city centers, the economy is agricultural-based.
Much of the farming is subsistence, with some indicators of
greater farming capacity. In southern Surkh Parsa, some
farmers rotate crops of alfalfa, tobacco and wheat. They
sell their tobacco throughout Afghanistan, and claim it is
some of the finest in country. The biggest "point of
failure" in the economic system is finance, business, and
marketing capacity. There is a significant need for human
capacity training in these areas. The PRT is working with
women, farmers, cooperatives, and the government to address
some of these needs. Further focus on technical training
to match the current gaps would be particularly useful in
building a potential economic engine in Parwan
WOOD