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American Morning

War Tensions Rise in Kashmir

Aired May 30, 2002 - 08:05   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 CORRESPONDENT: This Kashmir issue continues to gain steam overseas. That's where we start now, a move that could affect the U.S. war on terror. Pakistan has started shifting troops from the Afghan border over toward Kashmir.

Ash-Har Quraishi, our bureau chief in Islamabad, by way of video phone now -- Ash-Har, good afternoon. What's happening?

ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon -- Bill.

Well, the tensions here continue to be high, India and Pakistan trading heavy fire and mortar overnight, killing more civilians as well as military. We've heard from the Pakistani president today in a joint press conference he held with the president of Turkmenistan as well as the interim Afghan government Chairman Hamid Karzai, saying that this is something that they're going to have to look into, is how this is affecting their military deployment in terms of what they can do on the western border with Afghanistan, as well as what they can hold on the eastern border with India.

Let's take a look at what the president had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: We had held them back. Actually, we had stalled their induction into the interior of the western borders. But the movement has not yet started. We are very seriously contemplating on moving some elements out of these, on to the east, if at all the tensions remain as high as they are now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QURAISHI: Well, the president's spokesman said to me earlier today that they were planning on readjusting their strategy right now, moving some of those troops from the western border to reinforce the troops along the line of control as well as the working boundary and the international border with India. And that's something that we're still waiting to see happen.

They're not saying how many troops they may be moving, but, in fact, they are seriously contemplating moving some of them. Right now, though, they say that that's something they're looking to do at this point. Also, we heard from interim government leader of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, regarding what he thinks should happen in this region, saying that the destruction in Kabul is something he recommends for most leaders to see and decide whether or not they want war -- Bill?

HEMMER: Ash-Har, thank you.

Ash-Har Quraishi, by video phone, in Islamabad.

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