BOUCHER URGES FBI ACCESS FOR MUMBAI-RELATED DETAINEES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000087 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PK SUBJECT: BOUCHER URGES FBI ACCESS FOR MUMBAI-RELATED DETAINEES Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In a January 5 meeting with Assistant Secretary Boucher, Prime Minister Gilani reaffirmed support for cooperation in the Mumbai investigation; Boucher pressed for FBI access to detained suspects in Pakistan. Boucher encouraged expanded information sharing, including through trilateral auspices with U.S. participation. Gilani said he had ordered the government to take over management of Jamaat-ud-Dawa schools and hospitals in the Punjab so extremists could be expelled from these institutions without endangering public services. Gilani said providing gas and electricity was Pakistan's biggest challenge, renewed Pakistan's request for extradition of Aafia Siddiqi, asked that Pakistan's remaining five detainees at Guantanamo be returned for possible trial in Pakistan, voiced concern about the situation in Gaza, and requested support for increased Foreign Military Financing programs. Gilani also urged immediate support for the Friends of Pakistan; Boucher said the U.S. was working on scheduling a donors' meeting, had provided 50,000 tons of wheat, and had scheduled an energy dialogue to help Pakistan address energy needs. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On January 5, Ambassador Patterson and Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher met with Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani. Also attending were SCA Senior Advisor Caitlin Hayden, Polcouns (notetaker),Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Interior Secretary Kamal Shah, Defense Secretary Attar Ali, National Security Advisor Mahmood Durrani and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Americas Sohail Khan. ¶3. (C) Gilani outlined five major points: --Pakistan's biggest challenge was providing gas and electricity to the masses; the political opposition increasingly was exploiting this issue against the government. Boucher noted that a bilateral energy dialogue had been scheduled for January 12-13 in the U.S. --Gilaini repeated Pakistan's request that Aafia Siddiqi, a Pakistan scientist currently in U.S. custody awaiting trial for assaulting U.S. law enforcement officers in Afghanistan, be repatriated to the U.S. He noted that the right-wing political opposition was using this issue effectively against the government by accusing it of being too liberal; this undermined efforts to clamp down on terrorist activities, including those of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Boucher noted that Ambassador had raised the issue of Aafia's status with the FBI. --Gilani noted there were still five Pakistanis in custody at Guantanamo Bay, and he requested that the U.S. return them to Pakistan. Boucher asked what kind of treatment the detainees would receive if they were returned; Kamal Shah said they could be surveilled and either detained or prosecuted locally, depending on the evidence. --Gilani expressed concern about the situation in Gaza. Boucher responded that the Secretary was working with the Quartet to see what the U.S. could do to address the situation. --Gilani urged continued U.S. support for Foreign Military Financing, especially to provide equipment to the Army and the Frontier Corps. Ali said the Ministry of Defense was working out "final figures" for Pakistan's future increased requests for Foreign Military Financing. Boucher noted how difficult it had been to win approval from the U.S. Congress to use this financing for the F-16 Mid-Life Upgrade and said it was important for the civilian government to express its support for military aid requests. Ali emphasized that the F-16s and Cobra helicopters were being used in the fight in the tribal areas against militants. Mumbai Response -------------- ¶4. (C) Gilani affirmed that Pakistan's government was united against terrorism and noted he had been the first to express condolences at the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan still awaited evidence of alleged governmental involvement in the Mumbai attacks; it had offered to send Inter-Services Intelligence Director Pasha to India to cooperate in the investigation. The government was cracking down on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, but the opposition/rightist parties were raising a "hue and cry" over efforts to close their camps and offices. ¶5. (C) Most of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa activities, said Gilani, were in the Punjab where Shahbaz Sharif's government was reluctant to act against them. Boucher reminded Gilani that these groups put Pakistan ISLAMABAD 00000087 002 OF 002 at risk because they were killing Pakistanis. Gilani agreed that it was in Pakistan's own interest to shift its focus and effort to move against these groups. However, said Gilani, Pakistan needed proof from India of Pakistani involvement. Boucher pressed on the importance of shutting down Jamaat-ud-Dawa fundraising in the Punjab; Gilani said he had ordered the government to take over the management of schools and hospitals run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa to ensure that the public would not suffer the lack of services. ¶6. (C) Boucher urged Pakistan to continue pressing for a joint investigation and said the U.S. could help by being an intermediary, the "glue" to make it work. The FBI had good access in India, we were sharing Pasha's information with the Indians, and we needed FBI access to the detainees in Pakistan. Because Americans were killed in the attack, the U.S. might want to pursue prosecution in the U.S. We needed to know the full extent of planning, training and execution of the Mumbai attack and any future attacks being planned. ¶7. (C) Gilani noted ongoing unrest in India and said that if Kashmir could be resolved, it would be good for regional security. Boucher agreed but said that it would not be easy to get past the Mumbai attacks, and he noted that the Indian government faced upcoming elections. The U.S. appreciated that Pakistan had a lot on its plate fighting terrorists on Pakistani soil, including al-Qaida, the Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, the Quetta shura and Lashkar-e-Taiba. We also appreciated that the Pakistan security forces were fighting in Bajaur, Mohmand, and Khyber Agencies and that cross-border attacks against U.S./NATO forces had declined. It was important to keep channels of communication open on the fight against all these elements. Economics -------------- ¶8. (C) Gilani urged support from the U.S. for a high-level Friends of Pakistan meeting as soon as possible. If Pakistan can get its economy on a sound basis, said Gilani, it could take on terrorist challenges, especially efforts to shut down Lashkar-e-Taiba strongholds. Boucher responded that the Friends of Pakistan should initiate a process where members can respond after Pakistan defines its needs and resources. We were working on scheduling a donors' conference and recently had provided 50,000 tons of wheat to Pakistan. Helping with Pakistan's energy shortage would be harder but we had scheduled a bilateral energy dialogue for January 12-13; Gilani indicated that the government was considering funding offshore barges to supply electricity. ¶9. (U) Ambassador Boucher has cleared this message. PATTERSON