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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Looting and Burning Occurs in Karachi Protests

Aired October 12, 2001 - 07:08   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, though, back to the military front. More U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan and word that the bombing two days ago took a heavy toll on one Afghan village.

In Islamabad, CNN's Tom Mintier watching this and more and also the possibility of demonstrations in other parts of the country -- Tom, hello to you.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.

As you heard, the pot is simmering in Quetta. It has already boiled over in Karachi. Early this morning, long before prayers, the demonstrators were out in big numbers, but so were the police. Several pitched battles between the demonstrators and the police resulting in tear gas being fired at at least two of the demonstration sites. They hit several areas of the city, set fire to at least seven vehicles, including two city buses, and even the mayor's car was burned.

Now, the mayor comes from the political party that was also conducting the demonstrations, so he may have something to say about the damage done to his car. But it was quite obvious in Karachi that the police were going to have is what Amanda called zero tolerance for any looting and damage that went on.

Despite this, an American fast food restaurant was torched. Moderate damage to it. The franchisee had put up a wooden blockage over the signage on the building several days ago, but apparently everybody in Karachi knows where it is so they know where to come if they wanted to do some damage.

They set fire to this restaurant. Firefighters were brought in and basically brought the blaze under control quickly. But definitely beyond demonstrations. These were pitched battles going on between the police and the demonstrators in Karachi.

The situation somewhat different here in Islamabad. The police were definitely out in large numbers on the streets. You could see the army, even, in their gun jeeps patrolling the streets in the early morning hours and the police loading up in riot buses. At least a half a dozen riot buses that I saw were packed full of riot police in full battle gear as they made their way around the city. Well, that wasn't necessary because the demonstration here of about 5,000 people was, indeed, peaceful. They simply walked through the streets chanting their slogans. But there was no violence and no damage to property.

Now, the Pakistani president had basically put everyone in the country on notice that they would not allow this type of occurrence that happened on Monday in Quetta to happen again where the U.N.'s UNICEF office was set on fire. They basically put everybody on notice that if they did damage, they would definitely go to jail -- Bill.

HEMMER: And, Tom, quickly, the other thing we need to watch at this time is the reaction on the streets of Pakistan, those reports this week that logistical support is being supplied to U.S. troops at two different bases in Pakistan. Has there been much more response to that on that front, Tom?

MINTIER: There really hasn't. The military and the police basically have these two locations locked down pretty well. Anyone coming near there within several kilometers must have the right paperwork for the access. Now, there are no demonstrations going on, we believe, at either of those locations. But this is, indeed, a very sensitive point. The government has maintained that this is only logistical, that it is part of the package that President Musharraf promised President Bush, that they would provide intelligence, that they would provide logistical support and they would allow the flights hitting Afghanistan to have over fly protection in Pakistani air space.

So the logistics is part of that. When pressed on whether, what the mission might be for these planes and personnel on the ground, Pakistani officials would say it goes in the area of logistical support and we won't comment any further on it.

HEMMER: OK, Tom. Tom Mintier live in Islamabad.

We watch the streets of Pakistan and other Arab and Muslim nations around the world because diplomats will tell you, it is such a critical point in the ongoing air war over Afghanistan on Taliban targets. We will watch that -- certainly critical at times, reaching a fever pitch, as we have seen, but not overwhelming, at least to this point anyway.

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