VZCZCXRO1904
RR RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #1931/01 1441223
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231223Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7062
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 8604
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3271
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 9752
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 5491
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 4233
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE 2692
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001931 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID MASS SNAR PK
SUBJ: FATA IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AS OF MAY 16, 2008 
 
REF:  ISLAMABAD 1786 
 
¶1.  (U) Following is a summary of U.S. Mission Islamabad's 
activities in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) 
along its northwest border with Afghanistan as of May 16, 2008. 
 
Peshawar Update 
- - - - - - - - 
 
¶2. (SBU) FATA Transition Initiative (FTI) teams met with North 
Waziristan officials to develop project ideas.  Another FTI team has 
returned from Frontier Region (FR) Dera Ismail (D.I.) Khan where 
they were developing projects and establishing an office for FR D.I. 
Khan.  The team also spoke with South Waziristan government 
officials and tribal elders about what actions could serve as 
effective peace dividends as part of the negotiations process and 
which activities FTI could support.  The team has noted that 
activities could be piloted in North Waziristan, but South 
Waziristan is not as easy.  Instead, the team will first have to 
work with people from South Waziristan who are currently in FR D.I. 
Khan and FR Tank in order to create relationships.  Then programming 
can be developed based on those relationships. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In Kurram Agency, teams working on a survey of public 
perceptions of the Government of Pakistan are compiling data, albeit 
slowly.  The situation in Kurram Agency remains dangerous and the 
team has reported attacks along key roads.  Local enmities have 
crossed agency borders, and opponents are settling scores outside 
the Agency in settled areas.  All the tribesmen are anxiously 
awaiting results of the ongoing peace Jirga in Peshawar, since the 
violence also makes it difficult for locals to obtain food.  The 
perceptions survey data compilation for Mohmand and Khyber Agencies 
has been completed.  The report is expected to be distributed in the 
coming week. 
 
Security Situation 
- - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶4. (SBU) FTI's Mohmand Agency staff was unable to enter the Agency 
in the past week due to Taliban presence around the government 
colony of Galanai.  Taliban presence has been steadily increasing 
and moving southeast in Mohmand Agency.  Additionally, the Orakzai 
team is reporting a presence of Taliban in the area (Orakzai 
traditionally has not had a Taliban presence).  A leaflet was found 
at the gate of a government-funded girls' school in Jamrud, Khyber 
Agency, that FTI is rehabilitating.  The leaflet states that female 
students cannot attend school or else they will face dire 
consequences.  Neither FTI staff nor the contractor report any 
direct threat to themselves.  An abducted contractor working on an 
FTI grant in Malang Gharai, Orakzai Agency, was released by his 
abductors this week.  He met with FTI staff and informed them that 
he will try his best to complete his activities as soon as possible. 
 There is no indication that his abduction was a result of working 
for FTI. 
 
ODRP Activities 
- - - - - - - - 
 
¶5. (SBU) A U.S. military communications survey team is visiting four 
Frontier Corps (FC) sites designated to be "Sector Headquarters" in 
North West Frontier Province (NWFP) for a planned communications 
network.  Each "Sector" will eventually coordinate the deployment 
and operation of approximately 12,000 Frontier Corps soldiers 
throughout the FATA.  The survey will result in a communications 
architecture for purchase and installation which will facilitate 
communication between the most remote border posts, through 
intermediate headquarters, to the Inspector General Frontier Corps 
in Peshawar.  USCENTCOM's Command Surgeon and a civil affairs 
planner will interface with the FC-NWFP to respond to their request 
for a clinic in Mirzai (15 Miles west of Tank) from which they wish 
to conduct medical assistance visits into South Waziristan. 
 
Helping Students 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
¶6. (SB) On May 11, militants destroyed the electric pylon outside of 
Peshawar on the road to Kohat, severely reducing the supply of 
electricity into Peshawar from twenty to four hours of supply per 
24-hour period.  Students from local universities and colleges began 
protesting the lack of power because it hinders studying for final 
exams set to begin next week.  FTI cleared and began implementation 
of a grant to provide generators at key campus buildings hosting the 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001931  002 OF 002 
 
 
examinations and 70 hostels boarding students from the FATA. 
Approximately 20,000 students will benefit from this grant.  The 
activity was highlighted in local Urdu and English press. 
 
PATTERSON