VZCZCXRO1031
PP RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #0536/01 0481213
ZNR UUUUU ZZH 336
P 171213Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6189
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC 0086
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3669
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
KABUL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000536 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CR, S/CT, SCA/PAB, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE 
NSC FOR AHARRIMAN 
OSD FOR KIMMITT 
CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, AND POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR AF
SUBJECT: PRT/KUNDUZ: NEW GOVERNOR DETERMINED TO IMPROVE 
PROVINCE 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The new Governor of Baghlan Province 
Mohammed Alam Ishaqzai arrived from his position as Deputy 
Governor in Nangarhar with an excellent reputation.  He is 
determined to bring more development and greater security to 
his new province.  Ishaqzai is planning to engage the Pul-e 
Khumri PRT, UNAMA, and other international organizations to 
assist in the effort to increase development assistance and 
improve the lives of locals.  He believes better coordination 
in the provincial leadership is key to resolving security 
issues, but he may find it difficult to control a 
newly-appointed and reputedly corrupt Chief of Police.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
President Asked New Governor To Assume Post 
------------------------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) PRTOff met with newly-appointed Baghlan Provincial 
Governor Mohammed Alam Ishaqzai on February 1, the day after 
he officially took office.  Ishaqzai reported that he was 
first asked to become Governor of Farah Province, then of 
Paktia, but he declined both times.  When President Karzai 
himself then called and asked him to serve in Baghlan, he 
felt he could not refuse. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
New Governor Focused on Development... 
-------------------------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) The new Governor is a Pashtun from Nangarhar who has 
had little previous contact with Baghlan.  Ishaqzai told 
Poloff that he felt very welcome, however, noting that during 
the drive from Kabul to the provincial capital of Pul-e 
Khumri the road was lined with thousands of well-wishers, 
especially Ismaili people (a Shia ethnic group that is 
primarily but not exclusively Hazara, and has a substantial 
population in Baghlan).  Ishaqzai said he found the residents 
of Baghlan to be "well-educated and good people."  He 
continued that he quickly realized there had not been enough 
construction and other development in this central and 
"pivotal" province.  Ishaqzai noted that the roads (other 
than the paved ring road to the capital) were bad, and there 
was not nearly enough infrastructure.  Expressing 
appreciation for the excellent cooperation he had experienced 
with the PRT in Nangarhar, he voiced his expectation that the 
international community, the PRT and USAID would cooperate in 
the same way here in Baghlan to increase development 
assistance and improve local quality of life.  Ishaqzai also 
indicated his intention to travel to Kunduz in the near 
future to see UNAMA representatives to discuss how to 
increase development activity in Baghlan. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
... Says Provincial Authorities Need to Cooperate Better 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
¶4. (SBU) Although he had only been there briefly, Ishaqzai 
commented that he did not believe the people of Baghlan 
opposed the government per se; rather, some individuals and 
groups were using the general dissatisfaction with the 
performance of officials to encourage opposition activities. 
The main problem, in his opinion, was the lack of 
coordination among provincial authorities: the police, the 
line ministries representatives, the national directorate of 
security (NDS), and the previous governor did not appear to 
cooperate, and thus had not been able to solve issues. 
Ishaqzai said his intention was to make sure all the 
provincial authorities worked together.  With increased 
assistance from the international community, he expressed 
confidence that they could resolve most of the serious 
security issues in this fractious province. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
¶5. (SBU)  PRTOff previously worked with Ishaqzai in Jalalabad 
 
KABUL 00000536  002 OF 002 
 
 
where he had served as Deputy Governor and Finance Director 
prior to becoming governor.  Ishaqzai comes to Baghlan with 
an impeccable reputation as an honest official who works hard 
for the benefit of ordinary people, and there is little doubt 
that he plans to continue this quality of work as Governor of 
Baghlan.   Unfortunately, PRTOff has heard that new Chief of 
Police Abdul Rahman Sayed Khail (previously CoP in Parwan), 
who was sworn in the same day as the Governor, is a "very, 
very bad guy" who is fully involved in the drug trade and 
weapons smuggling.  In addition, the development community 
has not focused a great deal of attention on Baghlan, and the 
Hungarian PRT, as well as the newly-arrived USAID 
representative, have limited funds and capabilities to 
respond to Ishaqzai's desire to increase development 
activities in the province.  These circumstances will present 
challenges to the new Governor's ambitious development 
agenda, but we will work with him to help identify and make 
use of opportunities.  END COMMENT. 
NEUMANN