PRIME MINISTER GILANI DISCUSSES MILITARY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 001440 SIPDIS RET "VZCZCXRO2237 PP RUEHLH RUEHPW E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM KNNP PK SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER GILANI DISCUSSES MILITARY OPERATIONS, AFGHANISTAN, INDIA AND NUCLEAR ISSUES WITH NSA JONES Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In his meeting with U.S. National Security Advisor General James Jones on June 25, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stressed that Pakistan is winning the war against extremists militarily, but needs to win hearts and minds to sustain gains. The country was unified in its support of the military operations. He requested U.S. assistance in convincing Afghanistan to recognize an international border with Pakistan, which he claimed would solve 50% of cross-border issues. Gilani said some progress has been made in talks with India, but cited Kashmir and water issues as paramount, and complained about discrimination against Pakistan on nuclear issues. NSA Jones reaffirmed long-term U.S. commitment to strong relations with Pakistan, offered whatever U.S. assistance might be useful vis-a-vis India, and reminded Pakistan that countries possessing nuclear weapons have special responsibilities to stem proliferation. End Summary. Military Ops and IDPs -------------- ¶2. (C) Prime Minister Gilani, in a meeting on June 25 with U.S. National Security Advisor General Jones, reaffirmed Pakistan's intent to work with the U.S. to build a multi-dimensional relationship spanning cooperation in defense, economy and trade, health, education, and culture. Gilani thanked NSA Jones for the assistance the United States has provided to date. ¶3. (C) For the first time, Gilani averred, the whole of Pakistan is united to support the fight against taliban militants. He stressed that no action by the Army can be successful without the support of the people. He acknowledged that this battle against extremism is Pakistan's war, too, but argued that the whole world would benefit from Pakistan's efforts. ¶4. (C) Gilani stated that one of the biggest problems Pakistan faces in confronting the spread of militancy is a lack of capacity, particularly for law enforcement. ""War is only one part of the solution and there needs to be an exit policy for the military,"" said Gilani. He tied the exit strategy to capacity building. The Army will establish a cantonment in Swat to provide continued security, but the long-term solution is to bolster the capability of law enforcement agencies. ¶5. (C) Commenting on the military operations, Gilani said Pakistan ""will win the war militarily, but also can't lose the war for the hearts and minds of people displaced by the fighting."" Otherwise, he suggested, the IDPs will view the government and Army as no worse than the militants. He said the GOP wants to return the IDPs to their homes as soon as possible, but this depends greatly on maintaining security. The police forces need training, bomb-proof stations, health and life insurance, and benefits for widows and children, he argued. Thus far, people have been disappointed that the government has not looked after them better, he admitted, but the government is trying very hard with the limited resources available. Af-Pak -------------- ¶6. (C) Gilani stated that Pakistan does not want to see another cross-border influx into Pakistan. The GOP fears that an increase in U.S. troops in Helmand leading to such an influx could destabilize Balochistan province, which is already one of the most sensitive security issues Pakistan faces. The solution, Gilani suggested, is for the U.S. to convince Afghanistan to agree to recognize the current border. Such recognition would mean that each side would no longer be claiming each others' territory and would help prevent cross-border movements, he argued. ""An international border would solve 50% of the problem,"" he claimed. ¶7. (C) ""Pakistan does not condone terrorism, not in the U.S., in India, or anywhere,"" Gilani stated. To help fight ISLAMABAD 00001440 002 OF 003 terrorism, Gilani said that Pakistan has raised ""lashkars,"" which he described as an ""army of the people,"" to fight alongside the military. This helps to bring the tribes over to the government's side, he suggested. ¶8. (S) On drone strikes, Gilani said that actionable and credible information is required to make this an effective tool, otherwise it can cause collateral damage that pushes the tribes to unite with the militants. A better tactic in the context of U.S.-Pak-Afghan cooperation would be for Pakistan to use the drones, he said. With more intel sharing, this would be more productive; it would make it less likely that the strikes would provoke sympathy for the militants as it would remove the anti-American sentiment attached to such strikes, he suggested. India -------------- ¶9. (C) Gilani said he intends to meet with Indian Prime Minister Singh at Sharm el-Sheikh on the sidelines of the NAM Summit. There are some fundamental problems with India that need to be addressed, he suggested. The armies of both countries are trained specifically for missions involving the other. These capabilities do not go away, even if the intentions of one of the parties changes, he argued. But Pakistan wants to improve relations and takes the cross-border terrorism problem seriously, he said. ""Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for an attack against others,"" he stated. To address India's concerns about terrorism, Pakistan needs to strengthen its laws on terrorism, he said. As it is, terrorists too easily escape the courts, and Pakistan needs stronger institutions. ""The Sharifs and the Army are on board"" with enhancing the power of the courts vis-a-vis terrorists, he claimed. ¶10. (C) Kashmir is a particularly sensitive issue, he said, especially while there is fighting on the other side of the country. In particular, human rights violations in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were very provocative for Pakistanis. Prime Minister Singh said he wants to resolve all issues, including Kashmir, so that both countries can concentrate on fighting terrorism and extremism, he said. Water rights from the Indus river is another issue to be discussed, he stated. With Pakistan relying on its agricultural sector to carry it through the current recession, water is fundamental to Pakistan's economy, he argued. Nuclear Discrimination -------------- ¶11. (C) Gilani also briefly touched on nuclear issues, echoing recent public comments that Pakistan is a nuclear state just as deserving as India. India's efforts to build nuclear weapons after 1971 forced Pakistan to do the same, and since 1971 there have been no wars between the two. This is the minimum deterrence of both countries at work, he argued. Of the three countries that never joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, it is discriminatory to give India special treatment, argued Gilani. This was a purely political decision, he said, and does not solve any problems. U.S.-Pakistan Partnership -------------- ¶12. (C) NSA Jones said the United States and Pakistan are linked together in many different ways and we must work together toward a long-term partnership. There are a variety of threats to face; some are symmetric while others are asymmetric, requiring that we improve our agility, trust, confidence and sharing, he argued. Since January 20th, President Obama has sought to change course to the better in both countries, which face extremism and must be successful in the fight against it. In consultation with the Governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the U.S. has formulated a comprehensive regional strategy that views the struggle not just in military terms, but also in religious, cultural, economic, and social terms, NSA Jones stated. On relations with Pakistan, NSA Jones said that ""the trend line ISLAMABAD 00001440 003 OF 003 is extremely positive."" ¶13. (C) NSA Jones acknowledged that the military relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan is growing. Noting the lack of Pakistan military and U.S. military ties for over a decade, NSA Jones noted that current cooperation will build a bridge for the future. His meeting with Chief of Army Staff Kayani was good, he reported, and the performance of the Army on the battlefield and in caring for the people is important in battling the insurgency. Two critical rules in counter-insurgency, Gen. Jones argued, are, ""never doing anything that is not good for the people, and never making more enemies than you already have."" The United States is a humane country, Gen. Jones averred, and deplores the loss of innocent lives. President Obama has underscored the need to minimize civilian casualties to U.S. military commanders, and the U.S. is working hard to make sure this concern is understood by U.S. forces around the world, emphasized NSA Jones. ¶14. (C) On India, NSA Jones said he shared the same sentiments as Prime Minister Gilani, and offered continued U.S. assistance if it would be of help. He relayed U.S. pleasure with the GOP decision to transfer troops away from the border with India to help fight terrorists in the tribal areas, which is Pakistan's number one threat. ¶15. (C) Turning to nuclear issues, NSA Jones said that states with nuclear weapons bear a special responsibility, and there needs to be a serious dialogue among nuclear states because of the potential for proliferation. President Obama is committed to working toward a world without nuclear weapons, he stated. Reminding Gilani of the seriousness of the issue, NSA Jones argued that what happens in North Korea has a bearing on what happens in Iran, and the United States is deeply worried about both. ""These are existential threats,"" he said. ¶16. (C) Closing the meeting, NSA Jones said he was excited about the direction of the overall relationship. The U.S. and Pakistan will be good friends and allies for a long-time to come. For his part, Prime Minister Gilani said he had one specific message for President Obama: we cannot afford to lose. That is Pakistan's resolve, Gilani stated, and it will be much easier to win if all of the institutions in Pakistan are working effectively. ¶17. (C) Present in the meeting in addition to NSA Jones and Ambassador were: National Security Advisor Gen. James Jones, National Security Council Staff Senior Director Don Camp, NSC Staff Afghanistan Senior Director Col. John Tien, NSC Senior Advisor Sarah Farnsworth, NSC Staff Policy Advisor Matt Spence, NSC Staff Communications Senior Director Mike Hammer, and Embassy A/PolCouns. GOP participants in addition to Prime Minister Gilani included: Defense Minister Mukhtar Ahmed, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Senator Syeda Sughra Imam, Interior Secretary Kamal Shah, Additional Defense Secretary Rear Admiral Shafqat, Press Secretary Imran Ghardazi, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, MFA Director General for Americas Sohail Khan, Principal Secretary Nargis Saleem Sethi, Additional Secretary to the PM Abdul Malik Abdullah, and Military Secretary to the PM Brig. Nasir Dilawar Shah. PATTERSON