HEZB-E-ISLAMI AFGHANISTAN BACKS KARZAI, BUT NOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 001561 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL AF SUBJECT: HEZB-E-ISLAMI AFGHANISTAN BACKS KARZAI, BUT NOT YET PUBLICLY REF: KABUL 947 Classified By: Political Counselor Alan Yu for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) Chairman Abdul Hadi Arghandewal told PolOff on June 17 that his party had decided to back President Karzai's re-election campaign and had already started organizing on his behalf. HIA would, however, withhold a public endorsement until Karzai better articulated his campaign platform and more forcefully committed to supporting anti-corruption and good governance policies in his next administration. Karzai has so far resisted Arghandewal's requests to deliver a platform, citing the willingness of two leaders of other Hezb-e-Islami factions to endorse him without a discussion on policy. Arghandewal told Karzai HIA rejected personality-based politics and sought to support the candidate best positioned to govern the country effectively. ¶2. (SBU) Arghandewal said the 600-person HIA council reluctantly decided in early June to support Karzai, citing the lack of a credible alternative and the desire to win more appointments for party members in the government. Party leaders had recognized that Karzai may be a default choice for their endorsement, though were angered by his selection of Tajik warlord Marshall Fahim as the 1st VP nominee (reftel). Many HIA members believe Fahim loyalists in the Jamiat party are responsible for attacks against HIA members in northern provinces. ¶3. (C) Arghandewal said Karzai had promised a handful of Cabinet positions and governor posts to HIA members, though most party leaders did not expect Karzai to hold to specific pledges. Instead, Arghandewal and other top lieutenants will push Karzai to clearly commit himself to fighting corruption and promoting honest officials if he wins re-election later this summer. HIA leaders were interested in rumors of a "chief executive"-like position in the next Cabinet. Arghandewal believed such an initiative be redeveloped to an auditor or "special prosecutor" position empowered to seek out and remove corrupt officials or cancel ineffective programs. ¶4. (C) Behind the scenes, HIA members were busy planning campaign activities on behalf of Karzai, the party's 40 official provincial council candidates, and another 150 independent council candidates loyal to the party. Lower House MP and HIA executive committee member Mawlawi Attaullah Ludin was engaged in a friendly rivalry with official Karzai campaign managers in Nangarhar to organize the largest rallies. Arghandewal said some Karzai allies in the government, such as NDS Deputy Director Dr. Abdullah Laghmani, were still hassling HIA supporters and candidates who challenged those officials' popularity or influence at the local level. All Quiet On the HIG Front -------------- ¶5. (C) Arghandewal alleged that Hezb-e-Islami founder and insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar had made a few brief attempts to organize a boycott of the election and undermine HIA's legitimacy, but backed off when he realized most Afghans would participate in the elections. Hekmatyar feared a loss of credibility if he launched a failed high-profile campaign to disrupt the election. HIG was still active at the local level in its efforts to destabilize the security situation and retaliate against HIA members who supported the government. EIKENBERRY