India and Pakistan Rattles International Community
HOWELL: We are following the rising tensions between two nuclear armed neighbors. India is waiting for one of its air force pilots to be released by Pakistan. The Pakistani foreign minister saying the release will happen at a border crossing in the coming hours. We'll continue to follow that of course. The pilot's plane was one of two shot down over the disputed region of Kashmir on Wednesday, this during a dogfight in the sky between Indian and Pakistani fighter jets. Pakistan's prime minister said the pilot would be released on Friday as a gesture of peace. We are covering this story all aspects of it with our own Nikhil Kumar. Nikhil is following the story live in New Delhi, and Ben Farmer joining us. Ben in Islamabad with The Daily Telegraph. Ben, I do want to start with you. In Pakistan, the release of this pilot in the coming hours from India, how important will that be to de-escalate the tensions?</s>BEN FARMER, CORRESPONDENT, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Well, there's lot of expectation here about what this could do. It comes at the end of a really quite alarming week. This week we've seen, as you mentioned, air strikes from India inside the Pakistani territory for the first time since their 1971 war. That was then followed up by an aerial dogfight over the skies of Kashmir with the shooting down of two Indian planes. So, this is, these are after all two nations which have nuclear weapons and they've been shooting at each other this week. So, a lot of tension. Mr. Khan has now said that he wants to make a peace gesture after this very fraught week. He wants to release the pilots and he's also called on his Indian counterpart Mr. Modi to talk. So, there's a lot of expectation that this could be an opportunity for the two sides to take a deep breath and maybe step back.</s>HOWELL: Let's bring in our Nikhil Kumar. Nikhil, I also want to show our viewers, if we could, just asking the director to show that map again, because it's important to understand this disputed region that we're talking about. And India concerned with terrorism in that part of the world. India taking a more assertive approach there, Nikhil. And you explained to us earlier that really resets the stage for something different.</s>NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: It does, George. It really, really does. And so, as Ben said, it's been a very fraught week, tensions have risen. Now it looks like we might have an offramp for both countries to go back, step back a little bit. But make no mistake. This week or this whole month has left this region in a much, much more dangerous place than it was until quite recently. We've seen terrorist attacks in India in the past, the Mumbai attacks, the attack on parliament in 2001. When India has blamed terrorists that it says that base in Pakistan has blamed the Pakistani establishment of handing a hand. And then Islamabad denies this but that's what India has been saying. India has provided evidence. At various stages it says to the Pakistanis and to others in the international community in the past this used to be resolved diplomatically. We've never seen, as Ben pointed out these air strikes air power being deployed in such cases, and therefore what India did two days ago on Wednesday when it sent its jets across the line of control the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region it set in place a new doctrine. That if we are hit, India says, we are hit by terrorists and we think we have evidence that they were coming from Pakistani soil. Well then India reserves the right effectively to go in there and go after them. Pakistan's response of course, was if you breach our borders, then we will hit back as well. And so, we are in a dangerous new place with this conflict that's been going on for decades. And the problem of course, is that no matter how a conflict between these two countries begin no matter what the pretext is over here, it was the 14th of February car bomb attack that left 40 Indian paramilitaries dead, but no matter how it starts the worry always is, how is it going to end. And that's because both of them of course have nuclear weapons. George?</s>HOWELL: How is it going to end? You know, that is definitely the question of the moment. Again, we're awaiting any information about the release of this pilot. Nikhil, we'll stay in touch with you to bring that reporting to us. And Ben Farmer, again, thank you for your time today. Now let's bring our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. Nic has been following the story with us in Abu Dhabi. Nic, good to have you as well. Again, two nuclear armed neighbors in this, and we're talking about this disputed territory of Kashmir. India showing a more assertive approach as we just heard from our Nikhil Kumar. Your thoughts on how that changes the dynamic on things that have been in the past negotiated diplomatically.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. What we're talking about here and you raise a question in that conversation, they are very clear one, which is how is this going to end. And the concern is two nuclear power of nation that it could end very badly. And there is a huge amount of international diplomacy going on at the moment. Typically, in the past, the United States has weighted very heavily when there's been confrontation between these two countries to try to tamp down the rhetoric, to try to tamp down the anger and frustration is being felt on both sides to bring about a calm response. And I think the very fact that we've seen China involved this time diplomatically, the foreign minister calling on both sides to tamp -- to tamp the situation down, that we've seen Russia are involved as well this time offering as a place for resource of mediation between the two countries. The United States at a military level at a political level. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well all getting involved to try to calm this down really makes us realize it is that how could this end so de- escalate the offramp person. Nikhil says very clearly, potentially the handing back of this pilot -- Indian air force pilot. But it's when will it end. And of course, this is something that goes back to 1947. And that's -- that is the enduring problem, the enduring question. But, you know, the current focus here is one that has huge international attention is what the Indian foreign minister has spoken about at the organization of Islamic conference today here in Abu Dhabi talking about the need to sort of confront, if you will, international terrorism. And this is what India says. It was doing and sending its air force planes into Pakistan's airspace to attack what it said was a terrorist training camp inside Pakistan. But from Pakistan's side they've been very clear. The foreign minister telling CNN's s Christiane Amanpour that if India does have evidence present that evidence, he says, India cannot act as judge, jury, and executioner.</s>SHAH MEHMOOD QURESHI, FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN: If they give us evidence which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan, after all we will have to justify it, they will go to the court. And if they have solid and alienable evidence share it with us so that we can convince, we can convince the people and we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan.</s>ROBERTSON: So, when does this confrontation this long-running confrontation between the two countries and as the United States continues to add its pressure on Pakistan not to support Taliban and its territory who are using it as a base to resupply from reequip from for to fight U.S. and Afghan forces inside Afghanistan. This question, perhaps now, as Nikhil says, it become center focus and perhaps there will be more dialogue, but the track record is dialogue hasn't produced a lot so far.</s>HOWELL: Nic, we probably have about 30 seconds left, but I do want to post this question to you about the upcoming election in India. How might that play into this?</s>ROBERTSON: Well, certainly, Narendra Modi, the prime minister who wants to be reelected. Certainly, he's perceived as being a populist prime minister. Certainly, there are -- there have been international and domestic criticisms that his policies or his actions haven't done enough to tamp down an anti-Muslim attack within India at the moment. So, there is a possibility that he could be seen, and certainly Pakistan believes that potentially he is using this confrontation with Pakistan to win support in the election, but also, history shows us in recent Indian election cycles prime ministers who pursue a path of peace with Pakistan tend to be rewarded. So, the confrontation path may not be his best option. But the perception from Pakistanis at the moment, Indian election cycle plays into what we're witnessing right now.</s>HOWELL: Nic Robertson on the story for us with context and perspective in -- thank you so much, Nic. Still ahead, the U.S. president's skills as a dealmaker are being questioned by Russia. In fact, mocked by Russian state TV for his failed talks with North Korea. Russia now suggesting it can do a better job with that. Plus, clashes at the Security Council on how to respond to Venezuela's humanitarian and political crisis. When we return, the latest efforts from the U.S. and Russia they just failed. Do stay will us.