NOVEMBER 10 VISIT TO MUKHTAR MAI AND SECURITY ASSESSMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAHORE 000215 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PK SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 10 VISIT TO MUKHTAR MAI AND SECURITY ASSESSMENT REF: LAHORE 190 CLASSIFIED BY: Carmela Conroy, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Lahore, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) SUMMARY ¶1. (C) ACTION REQUEST IN PARAGRAPH 8. After the leadership of a local non-governmental organization (NGO) contacted Department of State personnel regarding terrorist threats, ConGen Lahore spoke with NGO staff and relevant security organizations. Police told us they recently contacted staff of Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization (MMWWO) and all other prominent personalities in Muzaffargarh District, to apprise them of the current security situation in southern Punjab. Police have no information regarding specific terrorist threats against MMWWO or persons associated with it. A new police post with 20 officers has been installed next to MMWWO's compound and ConGen Lahore RSO has conducted a security assessment and provided recommendations. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND: MMWWO CLAIMS OF SPECIFIC TERRORIST THREATS ¶2. (SBU) In a November 4 email to Department of State personnel and calls to ConGen Lahore PolOff, MMWWO staff claimed that police had provided them on November 3 a report specifically listing them as a target by terrorists (ref A). According to MMWWO staff, the report indicated a "lady suicide bomber in red dress" had been sent from Dera Ghazi Khan District to attack them. With this in mind, ConGen Lahore RSO team went to Muzzarfargarh District on November 10 to assess their needs and offer advice to protect the organization. POLICE EXPLANATION AND ACTION ¶3. (SBU) On November 10, Muzaffargarh District Police Officer (DPO) Mehboob Rasheed told ConGen Lahore RSO there was currently no specific threat to Mukhtar Mai or MMWWO. DPO Rasheed assumed his position in late October and had asked his Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and Station House Officers (SHOs) to meet with all prominent personalities in Muzaffargarh District to reiterate and sensitize them to the current security situation. Note: Mukhtar Mai and MMWWO reside in Meerwala, Jatoi Tehsil, Muzzarfargarh District, where the DSP and SHO report to DPO Rasheed and were present at the meeting. They had no specific threat information that Mai or MMWWO were specifically being targeted. DPO also said that he had asked all, and not specific, prominent personalities in the District to limit their movements in southern Punjab because of the current security situation, and that any movements should be coordinated with police in advance. ¶4. (SBU) According to DPO Rasheed, he ordered a new police post with 20 police officers and an escort vehicle to be set up adjacent to MMWO's building. The police post opened October 22 and provides security to all Meerwala residents; it is situated right next to the only driveway that leads into the MMWWO compound. He added that without "specific threats," he could not allocate more resources to their facility. RSO ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATION ¶5. (C) RSO also separately met with Mukhtar Mai, MMWWO Manager Samson Salamat, and MMWWO Chief-of-Staff Naseem Akhtar on their compound in Meerwala. In a security assessment of the MMWWO compound, RSO recommended to Mai, Salamat, and Akhtar an additional checkpoint, increasing the height and strengthening of the perimeter wall, installing perimeter lighting and solid core doors, and adding at least five additional guard positions. Salamat agreed with the assessment and said he would start LAHORE 00000215 002 OF 002 working on the upgrades to the wall and anti-climb wire. Akhtar noted a "budget crunch" but did not elaborate further or request financial assistance. Note: An additional five guard positions would cost 840,000 Pakistani rupees (USD 10,120) per year. CONTINUED TENSIONS OVER "HONOR KILLINGS" ¶6. (SBU) MMWWO staff complained that the police post was rarely fully staffed, and that a full police station should be established. Salamat said that a "criminal gangster" from Jatoi Tehsil named Tariq Khan Ghazlani had threatened to bomb and kill Mai and Akhtar because of their work. He further believes that the police, especially Jatoi Tehsil police station sub-inspector Talib Shah, have ties to Ghazlani and are therefore reluctant to do anything more to protect MMWWO. According to DPO Rasheed, however, Ghazlani is a close relative of the aggrieved petitioner in the case against Akhtar's male relatives and their involvement in a feudal honor killing (ref B). DPO Rasheed believes there is rising tension between family and friends of Mai and Ghazlani because of this case. The police have conducted an investigation on Ghazlani but have not to-date arrested him and said that Mukhtar Mai has not provided additional information about her complaint against Ghazlani. COMMENT: A WAY FORWARD ON INCREASING SECURITY FOR MUKHTAR MAI ¶7. (C) MMWWO will begin working on RSO recommendations to improve the perimeter wall, but outside financial assistance will be needed to provide them at least five additional local guard positions to protect their compound. Their claims of specific criminal-related threats seem to be a result of rising tensions between Ghazlani and Akhtar over recent honor killings. The police have made a good faith effort in setting up a police post next to MMWWO's compound, but do not consider MMWWO's complaints against Ghazlani to be terrorism-related. Post will continue to appropriately support MMWWO by working with local authorities and MMWWO to improve their security. We are, however, reluctant to intervene in the ongoing investigations and complaints related to recent honor killings. ¶8. (SBU) Action Request: Post requests DRL consider revising plans for funding MMWWO's security improvements to conform with RSO's recommendations, based on RSO's on-site observations. CONROY