FATA UPDATE - 2 JANUARY 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000033

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PK PREF PREL PTER
SUBJECT: FATA UPDATE - 2 JANUARY 2009

REF: PESAHWAR 00001

Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b),(d).


1. (C) Summary. On December 28, a polling station in Buner
District in the NWFP was bombed, killing at least 37 people
and wounding 28 others, and on December 30, the Pakistan
military initiated a series of operations in Khyber Agency in
the FATA, resulting in the temporary closure of the NATO
supply route through the Khyber Pass. NATO/ISAF trucks are
now moving again to Afghanistan. The Office of Transition
Initiatives (OTI) continued to work with the
conflict-affected populations of Bajaur Agency under the
auspices of the FATA Secretariat, providing additional "Cash
For Work" programs and non-food item relief kits. OTI was
also able to work with the Khyber Political Agent in
completing renovations to the historic Bab-e-Khyber, the
famous gateway to the Khyber Pass. Registration of IDPs
living outside the camps continues, and the assistance to
these populations has commenced in an orderly and coordinated
manner. End Summary.

BUNER SITUATION
--------------


2. (C) On December 28, at least 37 people were killed and 28
were wounded when a suspected car bomb detonated near a
polling station located at a government school in Buner
District within the Northwest Frontier Province. The attack
took place while residents were voting in a by-election to
fill the seat left vacant by Abdul Mateen Khan, a National
Assembly Member and member of the Awami National Party.


3. (SBU) In response to this attack, OTI, under the auspices
of the District Coordination Officer, provided approximately
USD 33,000 (2,600,730 Pakistan Rupees) of equipment to the
District Headquarters Hospital in Buner to assist those
injured. This donation included a cardiac monitor,
refrigerator, generator, and surgical supplies.


KHYBER UPDATE
--------------


4. (C) On December 30, the Pakistan security forces,
including Frontier Corps and various branches of the Pakistan
military and police, initiated operations in Khyber Agency
within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The
operation targeted seven main facilitators and resulted in
the arrests of 128 suspects, including 62 illegal Afghans,
and the successful capture of weapons, including a 14.5
Anti-aircraft gun. In anticipation of the operations in
Khyber, the heavily-used supply route for U.S. and NATO
forces through the Khyber Pass was temporarily closed and a
curfew was initiated. (Note. The Khyber Pass supply route
was reopened on 2 January allowing for the movement of
NATO/ISAF trucks into Afghanistan. End Note.) (reftel)


5. (SBU) Under the auspices of the Khyber Political Agent,
OTI also completed renovations to the historic Bab-e-Khyber,
the internationally recognized monument that marks the
gateway to the Khyber Pass and largest trade route to Central
Asia via Afghanistan. Because of its historic significance,
OTI, in collaboration with the Communications and Works
department, arranged for a local renovation firm to repair
the gateway's fading inscriptions and decaying foundation and
footpath.


6. (SBU) At the request of the Khyber Political Agent, OTI
also provided need-based scholarships to 140 female students
and 24 teachers interested in continuing their education.
(Note. Due to food and energy shortages, families will
typically discontinue education of the females in order to
save money. End note.)


BAJAUR UPDATE - CASH FOR WORK
--------------


7. (SBU) To continue to assist those within Bajaur Agency who
have been affected by the recent military operations there,
OTI has expanded its "Cash For Work" (CFW) program. To date,

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a total of USD 56,000 (4,413,360 Pakistan Rupees) has been
paid for debris removal, ditch digging, and other clean-up
activities at 85 sites, with a current average of 2000
employees employed weekly. As of January 2, OTI, with the
Bajaur Political Agent, has distributed 732 non-food item
relief kits to affected community members with active
involvement from the local elders. However, following the
January 1 rocket attack in Khar (the main city in Bajaur
Agency in the FATA) that hit the FATA Rural Development
Project offices, the CFW program has temporarily scaled back
operations. (septel)


IDP REGISTRATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ASSISTANCE
-------------- --


8. (SBU) As of January 2, there were 49,910 internally
displaced persons (IDPs) - or approximately 7,905 displaced
families - living in eleven camps, including the new camp in
Swat. Despite the military operations in Khyber and its
proximity to the Kacha Gari camp, the Political Agent does
not report any displacement taking place in his agency.
Additionally, 14,700 families or 95,000 IDPs living outside
the camps in eight districts have registered so far with the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the NWFP
Department of Social Welfare (DSW),and these organizations
estimate that approximately half of this population has now
been reached. Registration has started in Swat (albeit
slowly due to security restraints) and in DI Khan, Bannu,
Kohat, and Karak Districts within the NWFP. (Note. According
to UNHCR, approximately 3000 families have been registered
and are awaiting entry into the Jalozai camp. In response,
UNHCR has doubled its efforts to develop family plots within
the camps, developing approximately 200 plots a day. End
note.)


9. (SBU) According to the Voluntary Repatriation Center (VRC)
- the transit center prior to entering an IDP camp, 73
percent of the IDPs registered are from Bajaur Agency while
the rest are from Mohmand Agency, Swat District, and other
locations. Continual registration of families at the VRC has
revealed that approximately 50 percent of those registered
are new arrivals as opposed to IDPs living in host
communities (either renting or with host families) and
choosing to move to camps. The Provincial Relief
Commissioner/Provincial Disaster Management Office, which is
responsible for overall assistance to IDPs, and the DSW,
which oversees assistance to the IDPs living outside the
camps, have reported positive coordination and assistance by
the GOP, UN, and humanitarian community as a whole, notably
in formulating cohesive strategies for assistance.


10. (SBU) The pilot distribution of non-food item kits (NFIs)
and food packages that began on December 19 by UNHCR, the
World Food Program (WFP),and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
is ongoing, assisting those IDPs living outside the camps.
To date, 808 families in Nowshera District and 1,357 families
in Swabi District have been assisted through this program.
(Note. These kits include quilts, kitchen sets, hygiene
products, woolen shawls, lanterns, and mattresses. End note.)
The Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA),through its
partner Relief International, has distributed 1,038 NFIs to
families in Charsadda District and approximately 120 kits in
Lower Dir, with plans to continue distribution in Lower Dir
to reach a total of 2,000 kits distributed. Save the
Children, another OFDA partner and in coordination with
Relief International, has distributed approximately 2,500
household NFI kits and 2,500 larger hygiene kits to Charsadda
and Mardan Districts, with plans to distribute 500 more of
both.


11. (SBU) The International Committee for the Red Cross
(ICRC) has completed NFI distributions to 7,600 families in
Swat, which includes the 35 families in the new camp in
Odigram. USAID Livelihoods Program has distributed food and
NFI kits to 2,587 flood and conflict affected IDPs in
Peshawar and Mardan camps.
PATTERSON