BALOCHISTAN - AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH INSPECTOR

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KARACHI 000105 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019 TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PK SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN - AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH INSPECTOR GENERAL OF FRONTIER CORPS BALOCHISTAN Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY ACTING CONSUL GENERAL CATHERINE RODRIGUEZ FOR REASONS 1.4 b and d. Summary: -------------- ¶1. (S) During a March 19 meeting with the Ambassador and Rear Admiral Michael LeFever, Chief of the Office of the Defense Representative in Pakistan (ODRP),Major General Saleem Nawaz Khan, Inspector General of the Frontier Corps Balochistan (IGFC-B) said he needed additional resources and time to prepare his forces to protect USG supply shipments through Balochistan. He gave the Ambassador a long list of equipment and items that the Frontier Corps (FC) needed. He called for greater Afghan efforts to secure the common border and said the lack of more border access points had hindered control efforts. Khan was enthusiastic about additional assistance funding for the province and supported USG plans to expand its presence in Quetta. Border Protection Strain for Frontier Corps -------------- ¶2. (S) On March 19, the Ambassador and Rear Admiral Michael LeFever, Chief of the Office of the Defense Representative in Pakistan (ODRP),met with Major General Saleem Nawaz Khan, Inspector General of the Frontier Corps Balochistan (IGFC-B), at his headquarters in Quetta. During the meeting, Khan noted that Balochistan is different from the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) in that it is much larger and, thus, more difficult to adequately patrol. The Frontier Corps (FC) has a number of other responsibilities, such as drug interdiction, in addition to its counter-terrorism and border patrol duties. The FC is also tied up in the fight against Baloch nationalists. All of this has placed a strain in FC resources, he claimed. FC Needs Resources to Protect Increased Supply Shipments -------------- -------------- ¶3. (S) Khan told the Ambassador that he was apprehensive about the FC's ability to protect increased supply shipments through Balochistan to Afghanistan. He noted that GOP forces have adequately protected shipments using this route in the past, claiming that there have been only 18 attacks on supply convoys (and alleged that drivers and possibly local officials were complicit in many of these). He claimed the attackers had only targeted trucks from two particular trucking companies, without naming the companies. However, he said the FC lacks the funds to employ additional troops and officers. Khan said the officer corps was only at 25 percent strength. He listed these staffing needs as among his top priorities. ¶4. (S) After the Ambassador pointed out that she expected increased troop strength and a corresponding need for additional supplies to begin in April and expand rapidly by August or September, Khan cautioned that the FC did not currently have the resources to protect the supply lines. He added that, even given enough funding, the FC did not have enough time to upgrade its operational capability to provide sufficient protection to them by August. ¶5. (S) Khan estimated that he could raise four additional wings within 10 ) 12 months, but protecting the Hub to Chaman route will take 7 to 8 wings, an additional 4,000 troops. If he had more funds, he said he could readily supply troops from the market and conduct a "crash course" to raise 12 wings in 18 months. IGFC Balochistan Lists Resource Needs -------------- ¶6. (S) The FC only has one helicopter, in fair condition, Khan stated, and has to borrow helicopters from the military to conduct operations. He said the FC needs 8 ) 9 additional helicopters, enough to move one company quickly to sites in the vast, often trackless, province. Khan also listed 70 ) 80 bullet proof vehicles and more bullet proof vests among the FC needs. KARACHI 00000105 002 OF 003 ¶7. (S) The FC also needs better surveillance and communications equipment, night vision goggles, better weapons, troop transporter and high-powered vehicles to catch drug smugglers. Khan explained that, while the FC has a team working with the Pakistani military's Inter Services Intelligence Agency (ISI),the FC also needs a separate intelligence operations center. He also suggested the USG help fund a U.K. project to construct a FC training center. Liaison to be Embedded with FC Floated -------------- ¶8. (S) Khan asked for advance warning of U.S. military operations affecting Pakistan. However, he dismissed a suggestion by Rear Admiral LeFever (ODRP) to place a USG liaison in FC headquarters to coordinate operations, as untenable due to security concerns. Khan was receptive to Admiral LeFever's suggestion that the USG and FC in Balochistan mirror Operation Lionheart. IGFC Balochistan Calls for Afghan Cooperation -------------- ¶9. (S) Khan called for an equal Afghan effort to secure the common border. The FC, he explained, has 273 fixed posts and conducts 80 ) 100 patrols per night on the border with Afghanistan. The Afghans, he asserted, only conducted 45 patrols per night on their side of the border. (Comment: Post has no way of verifying these numbers. End comment.). He said increased U.S. troop deployments in southern Afghanistan will multiply the number of insurgents crossing into Balochistan, necessitating a higher level of Afghan cooperation to secure the border. More Access Points Needed for Routine Travel -------------- ¶10. (S) Chaman is the only official crossing point on the 1200 kilometer border separating Balochistan and Afghanistan, he pointed out. As a result, it is more convenient for people located far from Chaman to cross illegally at closer sites. This has contributed to the FC's difficulty in controlling access to the province from Afghanistan. He cautioned that if the GOP tries to block all unofficial crossings, it will lead to civil unrest. To resolve this, Khan proposed opening several new official crossing points. He said tribal chiefs have told the Afghan government that they need more crossing easements. Biometrics Not Working -------------- ¶11. (S) While the GOP has attempted to operate a biometric crossing system at Chaman, the Afghans have not reciprocated, Khan claimed. According to him, Afghan security forces had direct orders not to operate the system at the border crossing and local Afghans at the border destroyed their biometric equipment. Khan explained that if the GOP insisted on using this system, the Afghans would shut the border crossing, causing economic turmoil in the area. Development Badly Needed -------------- ¶12. (S) Khan responded enthusiastically when the Ambassador informed him that the USG was interested in providing more development assistance to the province. He replied that Balochistan needed much development assistance due to neglect by the GOP and provincial leaders. According to him, most provincial governors have been tribal chieftains, and their traditional viewpoint and lack of a system of governance has hindered progress. Khan claimed GOP appointed governors from outside the province have been the force behind what development the area has seen. Development Funding Increases, But Results Lagging -------------- -------------- ¶13. (S) The federal government appears to have devoted more KARACHI 00000105 003 OF 003 funding for development in recent years. The total aggregate federal development budget for Balochistan from 1971 to 2000, he said, was around $2.3 billion. From 2000 to 2008, the aggregate total rose to almost $4.5 billion. Still, he said, underserved areas begin one kilometer from the main road. Because of that, he felt that citizens had good reason to be upset at the lack of tangible development. He added that any effort focused on development would be "music to our ears." Expanded U.S. Presence Would Need Tight Security -------------- ¶14. (S) Khan was supportive of a USG proposal for an expended presence in Quetta, but cautioned that security would be a concern in the city. As a result, he said that the USG should choose the location carefully and advised against trying to situate any new facility outside of the city, where he said it was not "safe." Khan did not believe that the city's cantonment area would have sufficient room for any USG facility. Comment -------------- ¶15. (S) Khan was clearly attempting to leverage the meeting with the Ambassador to gain additional funds for the FC. His list of needed items seemed to go beyond those required to raise additional forces to protect supply shipments. However, he appeared genuinely concerned about FC ability to raise its capacity in time to fully protect USG supply shipments across Balochistan by August. RODRIGUEZ