ATTACK ON ISLAMABAD ISLAMIC SCHOOL SHOCKS PUNJABIS, CLOSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000205 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2034 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PK SUBJECT: ATTACK ON ISLAMABAD ISLAMIC SCHOOL SHOCKS PUNJABIS, CLOSES SCHOOLS REF: LAHORE 198 CLASSIFIED BY: Carmela A. Conroy, Principle Officer, US Consulate Lahore, US Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. On October 21, the Punjab provincial government called for all educational facilities in the province to close until further notice. Immediately after the October 15 attacks on three security installations in Lahore, some public and private schools closed for a few days while they assessed their security postures. Others remained open because there were no specific threats against them. The October 20 suicide bombers' attack on International Islamic University in Islamabad have shaken the Punjabi general public, and all schools in the Punjab appear to be closed, indefinitely, as of October 21. - - - Attacks on Lahore Security Institutions Bring Measured Response - - - ¶2. (U) On October 15, anti-government operatives simultaneously attacked two police training facilities and the Federal Investigative Agency's regional headquarters, all in Lahore. The attacks were complex, using various weapons, coordinated, and deadly, killing 27 people (18 police, 9 insurgents) and injuring over 100, reftel. Following these attacks, provincial schools operated by the Federal Board of Education, including military schools, were closed until October ¶26. The Lahore City District Government ordered the closure of select private schools, including the Lahore Grammar School and Beacon House School system, also until October 26. Urdu medium schools, including government schools, remained open. ¶3. (C) Despite other private institutions closing, elite boys' school Aitchison College went ahead with scheduled extracurricular activities at its campus from October 16-18. Thirty-seven schools from throughout Pakistan participated. The evening of October 17, Geo television news channel ran a headline ticker that a suicide car bomber was en route to attack Aitchison. Dean of Aitchison College, Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, told the PO that he first learned of the possibility of a threat from Geo's ticker. As a precaution, Aijazuddin concluded events early on October 17. After assessing the security situation and deciding that Geo's report was a "negligent" reaction to a crank call, events on October 18 went ahead as planned with 97 percent participation. Student organizers told PO that they did not even consider canceling the event. They had worked too hard, and cancelling would "give the terrorists what they want." As of the afternoon of October 20, Aijazuddin said that he would not close the school based on a general sense of fear. That would give the terrorists what they wanted, and send the wrong message to the students. ¶4. (C) While the PO was at Aitchison College, Lahore Acting Regional Security Officer (RSO) was in a special meeting of the executive board of the Lahore American School (LAS). LAS had closed on October 16, largely in response to parents' unease after the October 15 attacks. RSO noted there were no specific threats against LAS, and asked rhetorically what would trigger LAS's reopening, if a generalized perception of threat kept it closed. The executive board decided that the school would reopen on October 21. RSO and the executive board agreed the RSO and school officials would together survey and assess the security of LAS, following up as needed on long-term security improvements and possible new security measures that can be implemented to secure the facility. -------------- Attack on Islamabad Islamic Education Institution Brings Panic LAHORE 00000205 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶5. (U) Later the afternoon of October 20, two suicide bombers attacked the International Islamic University in Islamabad. Media reported eight dead and 20 wounded. The same day, Sirdar Zulfikar Khan Khosa, acting Punjab Chief Minister, called for all public and private schools in Punjab Province to close until further notice. Shortly thereafter Punjab Provincial Governor Salman Taseer also called for schools to close indefinitely. Schools may reopen once the security situation improves, according to Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanullah. ¶6. (SBU) As news of the attack in Islamabad spread, the LAS executive board members whose children attend the LAS telephoned each other and decided that the school should remain closed indefinitely. They notified school officials and other parents via text messages. During another special session of the executive board, in which PO participated, the board appeared shaken, or worse. Members said that text messages, some purporting to be from government security or intelligence organizations, had created an environment of fear. Based on parent perceptions that the LAS was insecure, the chairman pressed the executive board to direct the school to hire a security company operated by Special Support Group personnel (retired military special forces) who could carry assault weapons. He brushed off calls by PO and other board members to assess LAS's security measures and fix identified flaws, instead of rushing to (ineffective) action. ¶7. (C) Aitchison College also decided to close as of October 21, evacuating even boarding students. Staff and faculty reported to duty as usual. A harried-sounding Aijazuddin told the PO he would give Consulate Lahore personnel sanctuary if needed. PO declined with thanks. An afternoon visitor to Post, who had worked with non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan, explained why she and others found the attack in Islamabad so upsetting. Prior attacks had been on uniformed targets, she said, but "they've started attacking their own." - - - Comment - - - ¶8. (C) While some Lahore schools closed for specific periods of time, for specific purposes, in response to the October 15 attacks in Lahore, the October 20 attack on an Islamic university in Islamabad prompted the indefinite closure of every school in the province, as far as Post has been able to determine. It is unclear what improvements to security measures or to the security situation might prompt the provincial government to call for schools to reopen. Lahorites generally have reacted more strongly and emotionally to a simple attack on a single school in the capital than they did to complex (and more deadly) attacks on multiple security facilities in their own city. We will reach out to more contacts to assess, among other things, how the insurgents' shift of targeting affects Punjabi opinion towards government counter-insurgency efforts and American activities in the region. End Comment. CONROY