FOCUSING ON RENEWED IDP ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000936 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PREF PHUM PK SUBJECT: FOCUSING ON RENEWED IDP ISSUES Classified By: CDA Gerald Feierstein, for reasons 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) remains in flux as military operations continue in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP); post will report specific updates septel. Charge and PO Peshawar have been pressing PM Gilani, the presidency and NWFP Chief Minister Hoti on the need for increased support and coordination from the GOP in efforts to deal with this burgeoning humanitarian crisis. Post recommends that the need for increased cooperation/coordination be raised during bilateral meetings with President Zardari next week in Washington. End Summary. ¶2. (C) During separate meetings April 29 with PM Gilani and Presidency Additional Secretary for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Shahzaz Arbab, Charge raised U.S. concern about improving Pakistani responses to the growing problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Charge noted that in our discussions with Pakistani officials and international NGOs, there was general agreement that current and planned military operations could create up to one million IDPs. This included the approximately 500,000 IDPs from FATA and Swat who now are living both in and out of IDP camps. Frankly speaking, said Charge, our efforts to help the Bajaur IDPs last year were too slow and too disorganized. One of the lessons learned was that we needed to improve the responsiveness of the UN agencies, and we are pleased that the UN has deployed increased personnel to manage the situation in Pakistan. We are encouraging them to expand further. ¶3. (C) But a key problem that has not been solved, said Charge, is the need for a more complete picture of what is actually happening on the ground. For this we need improved coordination by the Pakistani government and access to affected areas by the aid agencies. Charge suggested that the GOP name one point of contact through whom all the international donors could work. He or she should be empowered to coordinate at the national level among donors, between the national and the provincial level, and with the Pakistani security services. ¶4. (C) PM Gilani agreed that it was critical to help the IDPs for political, humanitarian and military reasons. The Taliban, he said, would exploit the situation of disgruntled IDPs and begin recruiting in the IDP camps. He suggested that the GOP would rely on existing structures, including the National Disaster Management Agency headed by retired General Farouq to coordinate IDP assistance. Charge pressed again, saying that we have been working with Farouq but that perhaps he needed to be empowered with a specific mandate to work with the military, NGOs, the Northwest Frontier Province government, and the U.S. He would also need expanded staff to meet the impending needs. Gilani agreed to get back to us after discussing the issue with his staff. Arbab, who is a former FATA political agent from Peshawar, understood the problem immediately and suggested that President Zardari call a meeting on the issue with all relevant Pakistani and international stakeholders. ¶5. (C) NWFP Chief Minister Haider Hoti told PO Peshawar April 30 that he expects Dir and Buner operations to be completed within about a week, but he appeared to have little doubt that Swat would require a military operation sooner rather than later. The military, he said, has expressed deep concern about IDP numbers as a result of a Swat operation. The CM described preparations and coordination between the federal and provincial level, including establishment of camps in Mardan and a directive from Prime Minister Gilani to General Farouq, to remove federal level bottlenecks such as "No Objection Certificate" requirements for travel by international agencies. PO emphasized the importance of access to areas with IDPs. Consulate Peshawar reports that the Frontier Corps appears to be employing tactics that are avoiding population centers and large scale damage to infrastructure, which may account for the limited numbers of IDPs from Dir and Buner. ¶6. (C) Comment: Our efforts to convince the GOP to improve coordination on the IDP issue are paying off, but the weak point here always is ground implementation, which requires pushing from the top leadership. We suggest that Washington raise the need for improved IDP coordination with President ISLAMABAD 00000936 002 OF 002 Zardari during bilateral meetings next week. FEIERSTEIN