JUNE 10 IDP UPDATE: UN PULLS PERSONNEL OUT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 ISLAMABAD 001272 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2019 TAGS: PTER PREF PHUM PGOV AID PK SUBJECT: JUNE 10 IDP UPDATE: UN PULLS PERSONNEL OUT OF PESHAWAR BUT CONTINUES MISSION REF: ISLAMABAD Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The UN has moved the majority of its personnel in Peshawar to Islamabad after the June 9 attack on the Pearl Continental hotel resulted in the deaths of two of its officials (septel). This repositioning, the duration of which has not yet been determined, will not prevent the UN from continuing its relief efforts in the Northwest Frontier province. Japan pledged $10 million for assistance for internally displaced persons in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) to be administered by various UN agencies. The GOP has verified the registration of approximately 1.9 million internally displaced persons (nearly 270,000 families) and expects the number to rise. Efforts continue to improve living conditions in camps and hosting communities for those displaced by the ongoing conflict. End Summary UN PULLS PERSONNEL FROM PESHAWAR -------------- ¶2. (SBU) UN agencies have pulled the majority of their international personnel back from Peshawar to Islamabad following the June 9 suicide bombing at the Pearl Continental hotel (septel). Two UN employees - - a Serbian working for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a Filipina working for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) were killed - - and a third was seriously injured in the blast. UN Islamabad's Security Management Team (SMT), comprised of heads of agency, met June 10 and decided that international staff would be moved back no earlier than Monday, June 15 to Peshawar. (UNHCR has withdrawn all but three of its international personnel from Peshawar to Islamabad.) UN Peshawar offices will remain closed June 10. The SMT will decide based on monitoring the situation in Peshawar, whether to keep offices closed June 11 or reopen with Pakistani national staff only. If international staff does return to Peshawar on June 15, they will do so in much smaller numbers than were there previously. Meetings are to be held for the foreseeable future in Islamabad, and most of the Peshawar international staff will at least in the short-term be based in Islamabad. ¶3. (C) Repositioning of personnel to Islamabad need not affect relief efforts in Mardan and Swabi, as both are �A;accessible on a daily basis from the capital. UN Security is trying to determine who were the targets of the Pearl Continental bombing. UNHCR Acting Representative Michael Zwack told Refugee Coordinator that the number of UN international staff that will return to Peshawar is likely to depend to a great extent on the capacity and security of guest houses there. Ambassador Patterson extended the condolences of the American people to UNHCR Acting Representative Zwack and to UNICEF Representative Martin Mogwanja. While we do not expect the attack on the Pearl Continental hotel to derail the delivery of humanitarian assistance, the UN was already having a difficult time recruiting people for Pakistan. The terror attack is unfortunately likely to worsen this problem. JAPAN CONTRIBUTES $10 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶4. (U) On June 9, the government of Japan announced a pledge of $10 million (10.3 Japanese Yen) in Emergency Grant Aid for assistance for internally displace persons (IDPs) in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). The Emergency Grant Aid will be carried out through the UN World Food Program (WFP),the UNHCR and UNICEF. The pledge is not "new" money, but the designation of funds that had previously been pledged by the GOJ at the Tokyo donors, conference. REGISTRATION AND PROTECTION -------------- ISLAMABAD 00001272 002 OF 004 ¶5. (U) As of June 8, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has confirmed almost 1.9 million (1,880,718 individuals, 268,674 families) registered IDPs following a cross-checking and verification of the fast track registration process. The verification is ongoing, and thousands of forms are yet to be verified. NADRA will also soon begin to register displaced people in Sindh province. ¶6. (U) UNHCR is developing criteria for identification of vulnerable displaced and those with special needs to improve referral mechanisms and mainstream protection for these individuals into the assistance programs. UNICEF and ICRC are preparing proposals to train police on issues with women and child protection. The number of children identified as separated from their parents has reached 1275. Child Protection Committees have been formed in camps. Limited numbers of children have been reunified with their families; those deemed in vulnerable situations are being monitored by Child Protection Monitors; others have been identified and enrolled in the camp school or linked with health services. Thus far, 3,549 vulnerable families (including separated, orphan, disabled, and child-headed and female-headed households) have been assisted in accessing relief services. Thirty-three "child friendly spaces" are functional in the different camps, and a total of 10,568 children have participated in schooling and recreational activities in the camps. Psycho-social support has so far been provided to 3,658 children and 1,468 women identified as needing this support through tent-to-tent visits and in child friendly spaces. CAMP MANAGEMENT -------------- ¶7. (U) UNHCR reports a continuous influx of IDPs into the camps with an average of 300-500 families arriving daily. As of June 8, UNHCR reported 235,247 internally displaced persons living in 21 camps in NWFP. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) representative in Peshawar reported that approximately 1,800 internally displaced households arrived from conflict-affected areas between June 5 and 7, and were being directed to official camps. The biggest challenge remains arrivals of IDPs at camps already at capacity: Sheikh Shehzad, Sheikh Yasin, Yar Hussain, Larama, Sugar Mill, and Jalala. The UN is working with GOP officials to establish three additional camps and to seek land for camp expansion. ¶8. (U) UNHCR has begun upgrading the drainage system in Sheikh Shehzad camp in preparation for the heavy rains. UNICEF is putting in garbage collection points in camps and improving water supply systems. UNHCR and its partners are putting up the agro-nets (green shading) over tents to reduce heat intensity and also constructing individual family stoves to permit families to cook their own food based on the WFP dry food ration. Fencing and erection of the purdah walls for privacy and security are also ongoing. Camp committees of displaced elders have been formed to deal with daily issues in the camp, and they are being provided with capacity-building training. SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEMS -------------- ¶9. (U) UNHCR, UN-Habitat, and four NGO implementing partners that provide shelter assistance have agreed on the basic criteria of a shelter project for host families living in congested houses with displaced guests. The project, which will use a shelter prototype that meets Sphere international humanitarian assistance standards, will be launched in rural areas where land is available next to hosting households. UN-Habitat has thus far distributed 3,000 tents provided by UNHCR to IDPs living with host families in ten Union Councils in Mardan and four Union Councils in Swabi. HEALTH -------------- ISLAMABAD 00001272 003 OF 004 ¶10. (U) The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is currently providing essential medicines to 25 international and national humanitarian organizations implementing health programs for IDPs in NWFP. As of June 8, the humanitarian organizations were supporting 44 fixed health facilities in formal camps, 45 hospitals and 33 rural health centers located in communities hosting IDPs, and a total of 29 mobile clinics. LOGISTICS AND RELIEF COMMODITIES -------------- ¶11. (U) The UN Logistics cluster is currently operating out of a primary logistics base in Pir Pai, near the town of Nowsherra. The WFP estimates that the base can handle a capacity of up to 60,000 metric tons (MT) of food and relief commodities when completely operational. ¶12. (C) In addition, WFP has spent the past 10 days preparing a contingency plan for any potential displacement from South Waziristan Agency. The cluster is prepared to set up additional satellite logistics base in Bhakkar in Punjab district with a capacity to handle between 10,000 to 25,000 MT of food and relief commodities. ¶13. (U) USAID,s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has approved more than $1.5 million for an international NGO to improve shelter and sanitation facilities for approximately 3,000 IDP families residing outside of camps in Mardan and Swabi districts, NWFP. The NGO plans to procure local building materials for the construction of emergency and transitional shelter in host communities. In addition, NGO staff will consult with women on the design and placement of latrines and bathing spaces to ensure cultural appropriateness and utilization. ¶14. (C) The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continues to liaise with UN agencies and NGOs to develop contingency plans for additional displacement in Buner, Swat and Lower Dir district in NWFP, as well as potential IDP outflow from Waziristan. USAID/OFDA is currently supporting WFP food and logistics programming, UNICEF water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities, WHO disease monitoring and stockpiles of essential medicines, and non-food item kits procured by an international organization. All of the organizations are supporting the current IDP caseload and are developing contingency plans to support any additional IDPs. USAID/OFDA has also identified an NGO to support emergency interventions if an IDP outflow from South Waziristan Agency occurs. POLITICAL UPDATE -------------- ¶15. (U) President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani repeated Pakistan,s commitment in the fight against terrorism after condemning the suicide bomb attack at Peshawar,s most prominent hotel (Septel). Despite recent setbacks in Buner, where militants destroyed a college, a school and two bridges on June 8, President Zardari stated that the government would soon clear the areas hit by militancy. ¶16. (U) NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and Chief Minister Ameer Haidar Hoti, on June 9, presided over a meeting on law and order in the province with a special focus on Malakand Division. ¶17. (U) Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Najmuddin Khan, said that Dir would soon be cleared of militants. Khan lauded the "fearless" effort of the Upper Dir Qaumi lashkar (Septel),stating such efforts boosted the morale of security forces and law enforcement agencies. NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain stated that the NWFP government would extend full support to tribal lashkars against the Taliban. ISLAMABAD 00001272 004.2 OF 004 ¶18. (U) Pakistan,s intelligence agencies took custody of, and began interrogating, ex-Commissioner of Malakand Division, Syed Muhammad Javed, suspected of links to both TNSM and the Taliban, according to Pakistan's Army spokesman. ¶19. (U) Political and religious parties seemed to take less divergent positions on military operations in Malakand. Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif said, in Lahore on June 9, the entire nation should join hands to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan. Senators in the National Assembly, from PML-N, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM),Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q),and the Awami National Party (ANP),called for unity against extremism to defeat the Taliban. While religious parties softened their attacks, they continued to take anti-adminitration positions. Jamiat-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) argued that Sufi Muhammad's demands were "valid," but the approach taken by Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) was wrong. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) repeated its theme that the military operation was just a "drama," by questioning why Maulana Fazlullah and his men had been "allowed" to conduct their criminal activities for so many years. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan said, on June 9 in Mardan, that his party could not support the military operations in Malakand. Sunni religious scholars completed a three-day international conference in Rawalpindi, agreeing to support the military operation in Swat and to resist a "tribal version of Islam." ¶20. (C) Senate Chairman Farooq Naek confirmed June 9 on the floor of the Senate that the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation would be implemented in Malakand Division only. He further committed that the Regulation would not be extended to any other area, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). (Comment: Throughout the month-long Swat offensive, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)-led GOP has been deliberate in projecting its Islamic credentials -- publicly saying it would abide to its part of the earlier Swat peace deal to implement Shari'a law and to establish Qazi courts under the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. This was yet another public affirmation of the same as the GOP is underscoring that the deal was breached by the militants, or those who would support them. PATTERSON