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 (UNHCR has withdrawn all but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
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
--------------

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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
--------------

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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