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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pakistan Bans Militant Groups
Aired January 14, 2002 - 06:11 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: India is taking a wait and see attitude to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's pledge to crack down on militants who attack India.
CNN's Maria Ressa is in New Delhi with the latest on the border tensions between the nuclear neighbors.
Maria, hi.
MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. In New Delhi, some of those tensions really have eased -- at least on the diplomatic front -- particularly with words, with Mr. Musharraf's statements, which many here have said it could be revolutionary and could begin a new relationship. Not just between India and Pakistan, but also a new time for that disputed region of Kashmir.
However, it's going to be quite difficult for Mr. Musharraf, to put those words into actions. And India says -- its defense minister today said that, "they would not pull its troops back from the border until they do see action."
To get an idea of some of these difficulties, we took a look at two of the groups that Mr. Musharraf banned over the weekend. The two groups that India claims were responsible for the December 13th attack on India's parliament. It's really the trigger between these tensions, between the nuclear rivals. This is Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Let's take a closer look at them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RESSA (voice-over): Kashmir, the heart of the conflict between India and Pakistan, where acts of terrorism began in 1989; where a Pakistani boy like Mortaza Akib (ph) is sent to fight a jihad.
MORTAZA AKIB (ph) (through translator): They told me our Muslim sisters and mothers are being raped by the Indians. I came here to help them.
RESSA: Akib (ph) is a member of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, banned as a terrorist group Saturday by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf in a landmark speech, declaring war on religious extremism. Akib (ph) gives an idea of how difficult that war will be. In a room full of Indian soldiers, Akib (ph) told CNN he joined a madrassa, a religious school, because he had no money and wanted to be a teacher. Instead, he learned to fight. His monthly allowance, he said, came from Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI.
AKIB (ph) (through translator): An army major from ISI gave me $250 and told me, "Son, you're too young to go." But my seniors from Lashkar e-Tayyiba told him I was ready, and I should be sent.
RESSA: Lashkar is considered one of the most brutal groups operating in Kashmir and India.
(on camera): This is the site of what India claims is their most ambitious and audacious plot; the trigger for the recent military buildup between the nuclear rivals. On December 13th, India says Lashkar-e-Tayyiba carried out an attack on its parliament with the help of another group: the Jaish-e- Mohammed.
(voice-over): Both groups have been banned by the U.S. and Britain. This weekend, Pakistan banned not just Lashkar, but also the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Its founder, Massoud Azar (ph), was released by India in 1999 in exchange for the passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane. When U.S. troops entered Kandahar, inside one of the abandoned houses they found boarding passes and tickets for that hijacked flight, as well as stationery for the Kashmiri militant group Azar (ph) once headed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same model that is applied by Pakistan in Afghanistan, that is, the death by a thousand cops (ph), which is guerrilla war, was then transferred to Kashmir.
RESSA: Although before this weekend Pakistan denied all such charges, Mr. Musharraf now says terrorism in Kashmir must stop. India will be watching closely to see whether Pakistan can indeed break with the past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RESSA: China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji is in New Delhi. The first visit by a Chinese head of state in more than a decade. Ostensibly, he's here to develop economic ties with India, but analysts also point out that since China is a long-term ally of Pakistan. China -- India is looking to China to also help balance the U.S. role in the region, as well as perhaps being a forum for some back-room diplomacy. Both India and Pakistan have long said, although they're ready for war, they do not want war.
This is Maria Ressa, CNN, New Delhi. Back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Maria Ressa, for reporting for us live this morning.
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