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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Pakistan, India at Odds Over Kashmir

Aired October 17, 2001 - 08:13   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 saying that the United States and India are standing shoulder to shoulder in the war against terrorism. Powell stopped in India -- followed a visit to Pakistan, which is playing a key support role in the U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour joins us live from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad with the very latest.

Good morning again Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

And rather an extraordinary development in the last hour. Colin Powell has been here, not only talking about the war on terrorism, but trying to calm tension between India and Pakistan over a recent dispute that seemed to be flaring over Kashmir. Instead of calming tensions, it looks like tensions are rising. Just a few minutes ago, President Musharraf of Pakistan's spokesman entered a regularly scheduled briefing and told reporters that Pakistan has just put its army on high alert because it is detected Indian military movement.

Here's what he said just a moment ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MAJ. GEN. RASHID QURESHI, PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: We have information where India has moved some troops and relocated some air force assets which may prove to be a threat. This action when seen in the context of the irresponsible remarks of their newly appointed defense minister, and also the unprovoked fighting that they resulted to two days earlier against civilians, and across Kashmir as well as across the working boundary, has become a cause of concern.

The Pakistan armed forces are fully alive to the situation and are on a high state of alert, ready to thwart any attempt at mischief or misadventure.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

AMANPOUR: We have been reporting that the night Colin Powell set foot on Pakistan India had said that it was taking punitive measures against what it called Pakistani insurgence into Kashmir. And we've had these reports of firing over the last couple of days. And we've seen Colin Powell try to ask the Pakistani president and the Indian prime minister to stand down over Kashmir, echoing what President Bush said a few days ago.

Of course, these two countries are nuclear powers, and the last thing the international community wants to see is any dispute emerge into conflict over Kashmir, particularly at this time.

The war on terrorism continues. The United States military raids on Afghanistan continue around the clock. We have had sources inside Kandahar tell us about what's been going on there today. They have been showing pictures that our sources there have been taking and sending out, broadcasting out of Kandahar. In one incidence, Taliban there claim that a bomb hit a bus; they said 18 civilians were on board that bus and were killed.

In the last half an hour, we've spoken to our sources again in Kandahar, and they are now describing the bombing as heavy on populated areas. They're saying that they've gone out and looked at some houses, and in one at least, they say, they just saw women and civilian casualties. We are waiting further confirmation and further details on that report -- a tense day today Paula.

ZAHN: Yes, Christine, I'm still trying to sort through some of those details that President Musharraf just shared in that news conference. When he talks about moving some troops and air force assets which may prove to be a threat to Pakistan, have you got a better sense of the numbers of troops we're talking about and how many aircraft have been moved?

AMANPOUR: That was President Musharraf's spokesman who were talking about detecting Indian military movement, and I don't believe that they made any numbers. This is a statement that they were just making in this foreign ministry briefing, and we can be sure that we're going to be going down there in a few minutes and getting as much detail as we can.

But suffice to say, the tensions are meant to have calmed down after Colin Powell's visit, and right now, it appears that Pakistan is responding to what it calls unprovoked threats, and now it says that it detects further attempts at what the spokesman calls misadventure and mischief, and it's just put its forces on high alert. So we need to find out more about what's exactly going on.

ZAHN: And what does that mean when the spokesperson mentioned the state of high alert? Do you see any evidence, or have any of our reporters seen any evidence where they are stationed?

AMANPOUR: It's just been announced. We will have to wait and see what exactly that means and go out and have a look and certainly, we have our camera people out. But it's just been announced. As you know, right now, in any event, there has been a higher state of military activity in terms of security precautions because of this war on terrorism and some of the demonstrations that have been taking place in Pakistan. But obviously, it's high alert when a country fears that another country may be mobilizing its forces; it means that they are going to be watchful around the borders, taking precautions over their strategic assets and that kind of thing.

ZAHN: And thanks for clarifying that, that it was the spokesperson that gave out the information. I never saw the picture, that it was not President Musharraf, but his spokesperson after all.

Christiane Amanpour, we'll be checking in with you within the next hour. Thanks again.

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