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CNN Live At Daybreak
International News Desk
Aired September 19, 2002 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to stay international now and see what CNN is covering for us today. For that, we turn to our international desk.
Senior international editor Eli Flournoy joins us right now -- good morning, Eli.
ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I guess we're going to start in Kashmir, where things, well, I guess they have been heating up and we just haven't been paying enough attention to them lately.
FLOURNOY: Well, the threat of war with Iraq and the whole situation with Iraq has taken focus, certainly for the United States, whereas the India-Pakistan concerns over the region of Kashmir between them have kind of taken a back burner but still is one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Recently they had the first round of local elections and I'd like to bring in our Suhasini Haidar, who is in Kashmir, in Srinagar, which is the Indian summer capital of the region. She is live by video phone there. And Suhasini, give us an idea of the security situation on the ground there in Kashmir.
SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eli, I mean Kashmir has been often the site of a dangerous flash point in the world. Not only are Indian and Pakistani Armies, both nuclear capable, at high alert on the borders with each other in Kashmir, but militant separatists operating here asking for a free Kashmir are responsible for attacks nearly every day here.
So when there are elections here, it becomes even more tense, particularly as militants have warned anyone who takes part in the election process with dire consequences. They mean death. More than 40 political activists have already been killed in Garanov (ph) and these elections here -- Eli.
FLOURNOY: Yes, Suhasini, we've got some pictures of the border region I just hope we can show right now. And it's a very beautiful part of the world, but very mountainous. Give us an idea of the difficulty facing local authorities there in dealing with any sort of militant attacks.
HAIDAR: Well, Eli, in any case, there are attacks every day. So local authorities are having a hard time keeping them down. But just the basic logistics of these border regions, they're beautiful, yes, but the roads are in fairly bad condition. In many of the border areas there's cross border shelling, that is, mortar fire, coming in from Pakistan and going out to Pakistan nearly every day.
Now, Eli, today we've come to a summer campaign rally and believe it or not, this is one of the most dangerous places to be in, which is why it is advisable to wear a flak jacket, even a helmet. Last week at a campaign rally, the Kashmiri minister for law was gunned down, shot dead at the rally itself. So the security threat to us as journalists is quite high because we end up being a lot of the times close to politicians and political activists who are targeted.
So it's not only a logistical security threat, but it's also a real, credible security threat. Eli, there's also a direct threat with militant groups warning any journalist, especially local ones, who seem to see, who seem to produce copy that's pro-India or in any way favorable to the election process here with death. They have attacked journalists here. Two days ago, an editor was shot in his own home. He escaped.
But the threat is very real and very credible to those of us covering the story here -- Eli.
FLOURNOY: Thank you, Suhasini. Stay safe out there. You're doing a great job.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask her why she was wearing the flak jacket.
FLOURNOY: Right. Right.
COSTELLO: A lot of brave people over there.
FLOURNOY: It's very dangerous out there.
COSTELLO: Eli, thank you.
I know that you have a lot to do, so we'll let you get back to work.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 19, 2002 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to stay international now and see what CNN is covering for us today. For that, we turn to our international desk.
Senior international editor Eli Flournoy joins us right now -- good morning, Eli.
ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I guess we're going to start in Kashmir, where things, well, I guess they have been heating up and we just haven't been paying enough attention to them lately.
FLOURNOY: Well, the threat of war with Iraq and the whole situation with Iraq has taken focus, certainly for the United States, whereas the India-Pakistan concerns over the region of Kashmir between them have kind of taken a back burner but still is one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Recently they had the first round of local elections and I'd like to bring in our Suhasini Haidar, who is in Kashmir, in Srinagar, which is the Indian summer capital of the region. She is live by video phone there. And Suhasini, give us an idea of the security situation on the ground there in Kashmir.
SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eli, I mean Kashmir has been often the site of a dangerous flash point in the world. Not only are Indian and Pakistani Armies, both nuclear capable, at high alert on the borders with each other in Kashmir, but militant separatists operating here asking for a free Kashmir are responsible for attacks nearly every day here.
So when there are elections here, it becomes even more tense, particularly as militants have warned anyone who takes part in the election process with dire consequences. They mean death. More than 40 political activists have already been killed in Garanov (ph) and these elections here -- Eli.
FLOURNOY: Yes, Suhasini, we've got some pictures of the border region I just hope we can show right now. And it's a very beautiful part of the world, but very mountainous. Give us an idea of the difficulty facing local authorities there in dealing with any sort of militant attacks.
HAIDAR: Well, Eli, in any case, there are attacks every day. So local authorities are having a hard time keeping them down. But just the basic logistics of these border regions, they're beautiful, yes, but the roads are in fairly bad condition. In many of the border areas there's cross border shelling, that is, mortar fire, coming in from Pakistan and going out to Pakistan nearly every day.
Now, Eli, today we've come to a summer campaign rally and believe it or not, this is one of the most dangerous places to be in, which is why it is advisable to wear a flak jacket, even a helmet. Last week at a campaign rally, the Kashmiri minister for law was gunned down, shot dead at the rally itself. So the security threat to us as journalists is quite high because we end up being a lot of the times close to politicians and political activists who are targeted.
So it's not only a logistical security threat, but it's also a real, credible security threat. Eli, there's also a direct threat with militant groups warning any journalist, especially local ones, who seem to see, who seem to produce copy that's pro-India or in any way favorable to the election process here with death. They have attacked journalists here. Two days ago, an editor was shot in his own home. He escaped.
But the threat is very real and very credible to those of us covering the story here -- Eli.
FLOURNOY: Thank you, Suhasini. Stay safe out there. You're doing a great job.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask her why she was wearing the flak jacket.
FLOURNOY: Right. Right.
COSTELLO: A lot of brave people over there.
FLOURNOY: It's very dangerous out there.
COSTELLO: Eli, thank you.
I know that you have a lot to do, so we'll let you get back to work.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
