Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Official Describes Pearl Case as 'Inching Forward'

Aired February 03, 2002 - 08:07   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.
O'BRIEN: Now to the case of missing journalist Daniel Pearl. As we told you earlier, Pakistani police have detained three men in the case. It's in connection with making false claims about Pearl's status. Specifically, whether Pearl is dead or alive.

Our Ben Wedeman joins us live now from Karachi, Pakistan, where he has been following the often conflicting developments. Ben, what's the latest?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, well inching forward is how one Pakistani official describes the progress in this case. And, certainly, that appears to be a very apt description. The home secretary of Pakistan tells CNN that he believes that Mr. Pearl is somewhere in the Karachi area. And the Pakistani authorities do believe he is still alive. However, they are searching adjacent provinces, looking basically under every rock to try to find out where he could be.

Now one of the persistent problems in this case has been the problem of hoax e-mails and hoax calls, claiming either -- rather demanding ransom or claiming that Mr. Pearl, for instance, is dead. One of those claims regarding his execution sparked off a frantic search of the more than 200 cemeteries in Karachi. Fortunately, that search was fruitless.

Now, at the same time, there have been a variety of appeals going out to the kidnappers. One of them in the local newspaper here called "The Jang" (ph), in which the wife of Mr. Pearl, Marianne Pearl -- she's a 38 -- rather she's a six-month pregnant freelance French journalist -- she called upon the kidnappers to release her husband. Other appeals coming from personalities such as Yusef Islam (ph), also known as Cat Stevens. But until now, however, those appeals have been fruitless.

Now one of the problems also facing the investigators here is the fact that two very key individuals -- suspects we can call them -- are missing. These two individuals were basically serving as go-betweens between Mr. Pearl and the leader of a hard-line Islamic group who is also in detention at the moment. And it was on his way to meet that leader that Mr. Pearl was kidnapped. Back to you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Ben Wedeman in Karachi. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com