Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ISLAMABAD87
2009-01-15 08:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

BOUCHER URGES FBI ACCESS FOR MUMBAI-RELATED DETAINEES

Tags:  PREL PGOV PTER PK 
pdf how-to read a cable
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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)

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