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Mariane Pearl Writes Plea to Husband's Captors

Aired February 14, 2002 - 10:36   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are following a breaking story out of Pakistan. The wife of American journalist Daniel Pearl has issued a plea to his captors. We received a copy of it just about a half hour ago, and we are going to go ahead and read it to you as we show you pictures of Mariane Pearl, an interview she did with Ben Wedeman over two weeks ago. But here is today's statement, and she writes:

"To the people holding my husband Danny Pearl. It has been more than three weeks since my husband disappeared while reporting for an article on "The Wall Street Journal" in Karachi, Pakistan.

I want to appeal again to you to please release him, or at let me know how he is doing.

As you know, Danny is an innocent man, a journalist who has come to you as a guest with an open mind and the sole objective of writing about your views for a global audience. He has never harmed anybody. Instead he has been quite sympathetic to the pain caused by others. Danny and I are both gentle, peace-loving people. This is the frame of mind with which we came to Pakistan. It has allowed us to befriend so many Pakistanis who have upheld the rich tradition of the culture of honoring and respecting guests."

She also writes, "as I do not have any news about Danny's health and his well-being, this has been a very difficult time for me. As you know, I am six months pregnant. Danny and I learned just two days before his disappearance that we would be bringing a boy into the world. I'm sure you can understand the difficult effects this struggle might have on a perfectly innocent unborn child. Our child is a living soul."

Then she writes "nafs al ru" (ph), we're checking on the meaning of what that is, "since his father's disappearance, he is now breathing into his being the worry and apprehension I have about my husband's well-being. My husband and I are looking forward to creating a family that will help make this world a better place through better dialogue and understanding between civilizations."

And she closes by saying that, "from the bottom of my heart, I appeal to you, to please release Danny and enable us to continue carrying out the path we have chosen to pursue. I have faith you will trust the sincerity of my message to you as a wife and expectant mother, and that you will let him go free to join me."

And she signs it, "Mariane Pearl."

You know, in her interview earlier with Ben Wedeman that we saw a video of, I think she did that about a week after Danny Pearl was missing, she talks about that they chose this path, that came to Pakistan and to India.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Together.

KAGAN: Together, but their path in life as -- both as journalists, they want to write about cultures that perhaps the Western world wasn't familiar with, and educate people and bring the world together, and the fact that Danny Pearl would end up being a victim of that world just -- is just a terrible irony.

HARRIS: It just shows how ridiculous the path that the kidnappers have chosen. They have a perfect person here to help them get their message out and perhaps educate the world to whatever it is, whatever cause it is they happen to believe in, and they are making sure that no one ever gets the message.

KAGAN: Or that will not be sympathetic to that message.

HARRIS: Or we'll ever -- exactly, exactly. Perhaps what we ought to do is ask anyone out there, if anyone is familiar with this language, I'm assuming it's...

KAGAN: Yeah, "nafs," N-A-F-S...

HARRIS: N-A-F-S.

KAGAN: "Al," A-L...

HARRIS: "Al ru," R-U. If you what that means, e-mail us, let us know.

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