RETRIBUTION? November 12, 1997 NEWSHOUR TRANSCRIPT

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The murder of four American oil workers and their driver in Karachi raises the question of whether there is a link between this incident and the recent conviction of Mir Aimal Kasi, the Pakistani man who shot and killed two people outside the CIA Headquarters in 1993. After a background report, Charles Krause talks with Kenneth Cooper, the South Asian bureau chief for the Washington Post about recent developments.

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A RealAudio version of this segment is available. NEWSHOUR LINKS: June 18, 1997 Mir Aimal Kansi awaits trial. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Law and Asia. OUTSIDE LINKS The embassy of Pakistan in the U.S.

CHARLES KRAUSE: The four Americans were killed this morning when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their station wagon. The vehicle's Pakistani driver was also killed in what police described as a deliberate attack. According to police reports the car carrying the Americans was forced off a road in Central Karachi, then riddled with bullets at close range. The driver and the four passengers died instantly, according to the police. The four Americans worked for the Union Texas Petroleum Company--the largest international oil firm in Pakistan. Today, at Union Texas headquarters in Houston, John Whitmire, the company's CEO, said he and his colleagues were stunned.

JOHN WHITMIRE, Union Texas Petroleum: It's terrible. We've not lost employees like this in all of our history of Pakistan, we've not faced anything like this. And it's a great tragedy for us and our work force.

CHARLES KRAUSE: The port of Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and the country's principal international trading center. Union Texas maintains permanent offices near the waterfront, and the four Union Texas auditors were apparently traveling from their hotel to the local headquarters building when they were killed.

Pakistan was a long-time Cold War ally of the United States and a partner in the decade-long fight to oust the Russians from Afghanistan in the 1980's. In recent years the country has suffered from political turmoil, ethnic violence, and economic stagnation. So far, no one has taken responsibility for today's attack. But both Pakistani and U.S. officials speculated that it could be linked to the case of Mir Aimal Kasi--a Pakistani national charged with the murders of two men, both CIA employees.

Speculation has begun.

On Monday, a jury in Fairfax, Virginia, found Kasi guilty of murdering the two men and wounding three others outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, in 1993. Yesterday, after the verdict but before the shooting incident in Karachi, the State Department warned of possible retaliation, saying, "American citizens traveling abroad should pay close attention to their personal security practices overseas in light of the potential threat."

At the same time, the Virginia jury--now deliberating whether Kasi should be given the death penalty--told the judge that they too feared for their safety. At the State Department today Spokesman James Rubin was asked if today's attack was connected to the verdict in the Kasi case.

JAMES RUBIN, State Department Spokesman: As far as who is responsible for this, let me say I've heard one report of a caller claiming responsibility. We have no confirmation of any kind that that caller's responsibility was authenticated in any way. We do not know who is responsible for this murder. We do not know what the motives for the killing were.

CHARLES KRAUSE: Today's violence comes at a time of increased diplomatic activity on the part of the administration in Pakistan. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is scheduled to visit the country next week while President Clinton is expected there early next year.

CHARLES KRAUSE: For more on the story we're joined by Kenneth Cooper, the South Asian bureau chief for the Washington Post. I talked to him this afternoon by phone from Islamabad, Pakistan.

CHARLES KRAUSE: Ken Cooper, thank you for joining us. The attack was front-page news this morning here in Washington. What kind of attention has it received in Pakistan?

KENNETH COOPER, Washington Post: It's generated a lot of conversation among Pakistanis, as well as expatriates. This attack is unusual in the fact that it was targeted at foreigners. It has--the local newspapers, of course, haven't appeared yet to report this particular incident. It'll come out tomorrow morning. And television, it has not yet penetrated Pakistan the way it has the United States, and most people don't get their news from TV. So the reaction isn't quite what would be expected if this were a media society like the United States.

CHARLES KRAUSE: And what kind of reaction has there been from the government?

KENNETH COOPER: Late this afternoon the cabinet and the prime minister Nawar Sharif held a special meeting on this subject and appointed three of its members, including the foreign minister, and the governor of the state where the attack occurred to coordinate the investigation.

CHARLES KRAUSE: How strong is the speculation that there are linkages or may be linkages between the attack and the conviction this week of Mr. Kasi?

In retaliation to the conviction of Mr. Kasi?

KENNETH COOPER: Pretty strong. From our conversations with investigative authorities and security officials in Pakistan, as well as sources close to Mr. Kasi's family. They indicate that Mr. Kasi in conversations at the Fairfax County Jail indicated to his brother, his elder brother, Hamidullah, that the United States was going to pay for his arrest and prosecution. And those people seemed to think that this bombing--excuse me--this shooting this morning could have flowed from those threats. In terms of an official investigation it's been able to establish a connection that has not been done yet. But in the public mind there's a clear association, as well, that one thing led to the other.

CHARLES KRAUSE: In your report this morning in the Post you talked about a group of Harcat Ul-Ansar as being possibly connected to this. Who are they, and why--what might the connection be?

KENNETH COOPER: Yes. Harcat Ul-Ansar is in the view of the State Department, is a terrorist organization that has been involved in violence in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which, of course, India and Pakistan have been fighting for over 50 years. In the case of Kasi, Harcat Ul-Ansar trains its members, military tactics, at camps inside Afghanistan. This is a fundamentalist Islamic organization and may have been one of the groups which sheltered Kasi during the four and a half years he was hiding away from American investigators. And so that may be the lake.

CHARLES KRAUSE: But so far they have not claimed responsibility for this, I gather?

KENNETH COOPER: They have not.

CHARLES KRAUSE: And no other group.

KENNETH COOPER: No other group has claimed responsibility. I'd be very surprised if Harcat would ever do anything like that, given their recent designation of a terrorist organization in the State Department report.

CHARLES KRAUSE: How many Americans live in Pakistan?

KENNETH COOPER: That's a good question. I do not know the precise answers. I do know that the better part of the expatriates would probably live in Islamabad, the capital, and not in Karachi, which is the port in the largest city and the financial center. There are American business interests in Karachi, as well as Islamabad, of course.

CHARLES KRAUSE: And what is their reaction to all of this? Are people leaving? Are they taking special precautions?

KENNETH COOPER: Well, I've been staying the past few days in the best hotel in Islamabad. And the lobby has been full of Americans and other westerners who might be taken at first instance of being American. And I've seen no rush to the reception desk to check out of here and leave the country.

Sec. Albright heads to Pakistan.

CHARLES KRAUSE: The State Department is saying that Sec. Albright will also continue her plan to visit Pakistan on Sunday. Tell me, what is the purpose of that visit, and do you expect there will be any change as a result of this incident?

KENNETH COOPER: The visit is part of a tour that Sec. Albright will take of South Asia, beginning in Pakistan and then going on to India and Bangladesh. In symbolic terms it's important, sort of listing the importance to the State Department of this particular region, the last Secretary of State to visit India and Pakistan on a working visit was George Shultz, who came in 1983. One of the issues that the United States has talked to Pakistan about has been hosting terrorist groups or terrorist individuals who--in Pakistan and then leave the country and go to other countries and commit violent acts. This may reinforce that particular subject that was probably on the agenda anyway.

CHARLES KRAUSE: All right. Well, we're going to have to leave it there. Ken Cooper, thank you very much for joining us.

KENNETH COOPER: Thank you.

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