VZCZCXRO1761
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #1244/01 1561511
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051511Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3109
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0437
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0570
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 5038
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1782
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 7384
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 6327
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 4013
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 9563

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 001244 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM EAID PTER PGOV PINR PK
SUBJECT: JUNE 5 DISPLACED PERSONS AND MILITARY SITUATION 
REPORT 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  SRAP Holbrooke's meetings with GOP 
officials and with Nawaz Sharif received wide coverage in 
Pakistan's media on June 5.  Pakistan's Senate convened after 
a month's hiatus to debate the military operation in Swat. 
At a June 4 Army Corps Commanders' meeting, Chief of Staff of 
the Army General Kayani said that the military had 
"decisively turned the tide" against the taliban in Swat and 
adjoining districts.  Militant leader Sufi Muhammad and four 
others were reportedly arrested by security forces but the 
military has so far denied that they are in custody.  On June 
5, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
(OCHA) convened a general coordination meeting at which 
Martin Mogwanja, newly appointed UN Humanitarian Coordinator 
(HC), highlighted the importance of humanitarian 
coordination.  OCHA reported that the Multi-Cluster Rapid 
Assessment Mechanism (MCRAM) is scheduled to begin on June 9. 
 UNICEF staff report that several displacement camps are 
located in areas that may be prone to flooding and increased 
incidence of waterborne diseases with the onset of the 
monsoon season in July.  UN Habitat has suspended operations 
in Mardan District for a period of 48 hours, following an IED 
explosion on June 4.  END SUMMARY 
 
---------------------- 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  President Obama's speech in Cairo and the visit of 
SRAP Holbrooke dominated the news on June 5.  Ambassador 
Holbrooke's meetings with Prime Minister Gilani and Foreign 
Minister Qureshi received heavy media coverage.  The meeting 
between SRAP Holbrooke and Nawaz Sharif, leader of the 
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, also received press attention. 
Nawaz was quoted as appealing for additional international 
help to the people displaced by the military operation in 
Swat and adjacent areas and complaining about drone attacks. 
Nawaz reportedly made the same points in a subsequent meeting 
with European ambassadors.  Holbrooke's comments urging the 
international community to do more and statement of the U.S. 
commitment of an additional two hundred million dollars were 
also widely reported.  Foreign Minister Qureshi continued his 
series of briefings to GCC chiefs of mission in Islamabad, 
discussing military operations in Swat and IDP needs on June 
4 with the ambassadors of UAE, Qatar, Oman and the charge 
d'affaires of Saudi Arabia. 
 
¶3.  (U) On June 5, the Senate convened again after being out 
of session in May.  It opened with debate on a motion 
regarding the military action in Swat.  ANP Senator Zahid 
Khan opened with a statement supporting the operation, 
blaming the militants for breaking the agreement with the 
GOP.  Other senators also expressed support, with one saying 
that the militants had established a state within a state, an 
unacceptable situation.  Opponents criticized the failure to 
consult with civilian political forces before the operation, 
blamed the U.S. for using the conflict for its own ends, and 
claimed that India had a role in fomenting violence in 
Malakand. 
 
------------------------------ 
MILITARY/SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) Chief of Staff of the Army (COAS) General Ashfaq 
Kayani said on June 4 that the military had "decisively 
turned the tide" against the taliban in Swat and adjoining 
districts.  He said major population centers and roads in the 
valley have been cleared of organized resistance.  Kayani was 
speaking at a Corps Commanders' meeting at Army General 
Headquarters in Rawalpindi.  The COAS told the meeting that 
the military would stay in Swat to provide security.  He said 
the Army would continue operations on a "limited scale" to 
clear remaining hideouts and that high value targets are 
being aggressively hunted.  Kayani also spoke about the 
"heroic resilience" of the internally displaced persons and 
urged the government to launch a robust administrative effort 
on the heels of the successful military operation to make it 
possible for the displaced people to return to their homes as 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001244  002 OF 003 
 
 
soon as possible. 
 
¶5.  (U) The media ran reports on June 5 of the arrests of 
Sufi Muhammad, leader of the Tehreek 
Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi.  The reports indicated that Sufi 
Muhammad's spokesman, Maulana Ameer Izzat, and three others 
were also apprehended.  The arrests were said to have taken 
place by security forces at the organization's headquarters 
at Amandara in Malakand.  But military spokesman MG Athar 
Abbas, while acknowledging a raid on a madrassa in Amandara, 
denied that Muhammad and the others had been arrested.  Sufi 
Muhammad was released from custody in April 2008 after 
renouncing militancy.  Earlier this year, he represented the 
militants in Swat in demanding that the GOP sign the 
Nizam-e-Adl Regulations, which President Zardari did on April 
¶13.  Local Embassy contacts say the arrests did take place 
but the issue remains clouded.  Post will continue to follow. 
 
¶6.  (U) In Mardan on June 4, seven security personnel were 
killed in an attack by militants.  The dead included a 
Frontier Corps captain and a deputy superintendent of police. 
 For its part, the GOP military spokesman claimed that it had 
killed 10 militants in Swat and Buner.  There were also 
reports that Abdul Wadood, a Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan 
commander, had been killed in a firefight with government 
troops.  A lesser ranking militant commander was arrested. 
 
------------------------- 
Humanitarian Coordination 
------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U)  On June 5, the Office for the Coordination of 
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) convened a general coordination 
meeting at which Martin Mogwanja, newly appointed UN 
Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), highlighted the importance of 
humanitarian coordination to ensure that humanitarian 
assistance is delivered efficiently, effectively and safely 
to international standards.  The HC intends to increase 
information to donors, ensure regular cluster meetings, 
facilitate donor visits to affected areas, encourage 
increased media coverage of the IDP crisis, and urge specific 
donor giving.  The HC indicated no immediate plans to request 
new Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) funding. 
 
¶8.  (U)  According to the UK Department for International 
Development (DFID) humanitarian representative June 5, the UK 
Foreign and Commonwealth Office has instructed UK Embassies 
to demarche European governments to provide or expand support 
for ongoing humanitarian efforts in Pakistan. 
 
¶9.  (U)  On June 5, OCHA reported that the Multi-Cluster 
Rapid Assessment Mechanism (MCRAM) is scheduled to begin on 
June 9, following training of assessment enumerators from 
June 7 to June 8.  The assessment, expected to last for 
approximately three days, will evaluate 650 displaced 
families residing in schools, host communities, and 
spontaneous camps.  OCHA expects to release the assessment 
results on June 16.  Save the Children will also shortly 
release results of an assessment survey of hosted IDPs.  Save 
noted in a meeting with Ambassador Holbrooke that of a 
sampling of 340 households in Mardan and Swabi, 35 percent of 
hosted internally displaced families were hosted by family, 
35 percent by friends and 30 percent by strangers.  Of those 
hosted by strangers only four percent paid any rent.   UN 
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is also undertaking a 
survey of hosted IDPs and will focus on gender issues. 
 
¶10.  (U) As of June 5, OCHA reported that as per the UN 
financial tracking system, the UN Humanitarian Response Plan 
(HRP) is 25 percent funded, an increase from 17 percent 
during the previous week.  Currently, the UN has received 
approximately USD 136 million of the USD 543 million 
requested in the HRP.  However, OCHA noted that humanitarian 
organizations have received an additional USD 80 million 
outside of the UN's HRP for internally displaced persons 
projects. 
 
-------------------------- 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001244  003 OF 003 
 
 
Water, Sanitation, Hygiene 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U) The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has ordered 25,000 
hygiene kits through local suppliers in Karachi, scheduled to 
arrive in seven to ten days.  UNICEF is also working to 
procure an additional 100,000 kits to meet NGO requests. 
 
¶12.  (U) UNICEF staff report that several displacement camps 
are located in bowl-shaped areas, increasing the likelihood 
of flooding and increased incidence of waterborne diseases 
with the onset of the monsoon season in July.  To date, 
UNICEF has no focused planning efforts on anticipated 
problems arising from monsoon season, although UNICEF reports 
staff are aware of the potential problems and continue to 
perform regular water-system maintenance in displacement 
camps.  ICRC has already begun drainage projects to protect 
Shah Mansoor Camp against possible flooding. 
 
¶13.  (U) As of June 3, poor road infrastructure and 
insecurity have impeded humanitarian access to Palai 
displacement camp, Northwest Frontier Province, according to 
the GOP.  Approximately 185 families currently residing in 
the camp lack adequate sanitation facilities and access to 
clean drinking water.  The GOP cautioned that with increased 
expected rainfall by the end of June, the potential for 
waterborne disease outbreaks will increase. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Logistics and Relief Commodities 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  (U) The DART notes that household non-food item kits 
(NFI) distributed by UN agencies and humanitarian partners 
cost approximately USD 120 each, but estimates and kit 
composition vary between agencies.  USAID's Office of Foreign 
Disaster Assistance-supported FNI kits, distributed through 
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), serve a family 
of six, and contain fleece blankets, quilts, sleeping mats, 
10-liter water containers, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, and 
soap. 
 
-------------- 
Early Recovery 
-------------- 
 
¶15.  (U) On May 30, a GOP assessment team travelled to Loe 
Sam Corridor, Bajaur District, to assess damage to water 
supply and electricity infrastructure caused by August 2008 
fighting.  In Tang Khatta town, the team identified an acute 
water shortage resulting from a damaged power supply and 
water storage tank.  The team also reported damaged water and 
electric infrastructure in Rashaki and Loe Sam towns. 
Throughout the assessed areas, the team noted limited to no 
civilian population returns to date. 
 
-------- 
Security 
-------- 
 
¶16.  (U) On June 5, the UN Habitat director in Pakistan 
informed the DART team leader that UN Habitat has suspended 
operations in Mardan District for a period of 48 hours, 
following an IED explosion on June 4. 
 
 
 
PATTERSON