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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Poll Shows Pakistanis Support President and Taliban

Aired October 15, 2001 - 07:11   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to arrive in Pakistan later today. His visit comes amid heated anti- American protests against the U.S.-led military strikes in Afghanistan.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour joins me live from Islamabad with the latest -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just as Secretary of State Powell is due in the next couple of hours here in Pakistan, a poll has been released here, part of Pakistani's affiliation with Gallup International, which suggests that there is growing support for the Pakistani president's handling of this crisis, but also suggests that 83 percent of Pakistanis who are asked supported the Taliban against the United States, and something like 82 percent term Osama bin Laden a holy warrior and not a terrorist. Only 12 percent believe, of those asked, that bin Laden was responsible for those attacks on September 11.

So that an indication of support here for what's going on. And to that end, there was a national strike called here today and it was very, it was met with a very sort of lukewarm reception. Some shops were closed. Some were open. And so far there's been no disturbances on the streets.

But Secretary Powell is coming. Part of what he will discuss here is the political situation for a post-military Afghanistan, if you like. And today some delegation from the former Afghan king, Zahir Shah, came here to Islamabad to talk with the Pakistani foreign minister and maybe even will talk with Secretary Powell later today.

This former king, who is in exile in Rome, is, as you know, the focus of speculation about who might lead any possible interim national reconciliation government in Afghanistan.

Of course, at the same time, this was one of the heaviest days of air strikes on Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad, according to eyewitnesses that we've been speaking to. In Kabul, there were plumes of smoke from bombing attacks earlier today. But you saw residents sort of going about their daily lives as normally as they possibly can with all this bombing and smoke coming up. And we also know that there have been some mis-hits, as been reported by the Pentagon, and some civilian casualties, and that, of course, does tend to inflame emotions not just in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan and around the Islamic world -- Paula.

ZAHN: Christiane, I've got to tell you, those numbers you shared from the polls seem highly contradictory to me. Explain to us how you could have growing support for President Musharraf's handling of the crisis at a time when you also have 83 percent of the population supporting the Taliban.

AMANPOUR: Well, that is exactly the contradiction that happens in this part of the world. On the one hand, it is clear from all our interviews and all the people we've talked to that the people of Pakistan support the president in the stance that he has made. That was clear after he made his speech to the nation, when 77 percent of Pakistanis said they agree with the decision he had taken.

But, of course, you know that there are these militant groups here, sympathizers, who have not supported him. So that's for that side of this poll.

On the other hand, there are still, despite the support for their leader, many, many Pakistanis who feel that their first allegiance is to fellow Muslims. The Taliban are Muslims and their first allegiance is to Muslims in Afghanistan and they simply don't like the idea of the United States carrying out a bombing campaign.

So I think that explains the contradiction here.

ZAHN: Christiane, thanks so much.

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