ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived here on Thursday on what observers here said was a dual mission — to convey a tough message to Pakistan to act against the Haqqani network and dismantle militants’ ‘safe havens’ on this side of the border and try to repair the dents relations between the countries have suffered in recent months.
The officials accompanying her, CIA Director Gen David Petraeus, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Martin Dempesy and President Barack Obama’s Adviser on Afghan War Lt-Gen Douglas Lute, indicated the nature of talks she wanted to hold in Islamabad.
And the civil and military leaders of Pakistan who held the first round of talks immediately after her arrival testified to the seriousness Islamabad attached to the visit.
Her meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was attended by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI Chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
Officially it was said that bilateral relations, war on terror and the situation in Afghanistan were discussed at the meeting.
Diplomatic sources told Dawn that Ms Clinton expressed the US desire to maintain strategic partnership with Pakistan, but stressed that Pakistan must sever ties with militants as a prerequisite for that.
She urged Pakistan to support efforts for Afghan reconciliation.
Official sources said the prime minister renewed Pakistan’s commitment to a peaceful Afghanistan and said it was in the interest of Pakistan to have a stable neighbour.
The Pakistani side urged the US to play its role to stop attacks from across the border by militants who had safe havens in Afghanistan.
According to an official press release, the Secretary of State recognised the importance of Pakistan in the context of peace and security in the region. She appreciated resolution of the All Parties Conference which she said was a right message from Pakistan to the world.
Both the sides urged the importance of the positive messaging in public diplomacy to promote an enabling environment between the two countries. The prime minister said both the countries should complement each other to counter terrorism, adding that the relationship should go beyond terrorism.
He called upon Secretary Clinton to give peace a chance as envisaged in the APC resolution which reflected the sentiments of the Pakistani nation.
He reiterated the collective view of the nation on the issue of peace in Afghanistan as articulated in the APC resolution.
He said disagreements between the coalition partners in the war on terror should not undermine the strategic relationship which was vital for promoting interests of both the countries.
The discussion focused on bilateral relations, especially in the fields of security, economy, energy and investment.
Ms Clinton will also meet President Asif Ali Zardari and hold talks with Foreign Minister Khar. The visit is seen by many as the last chance for the two uneasy allies to salvage their relationship.
Earlier in Kabul where she held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other Afghan leaders, she spoke in an unusually tough language about what she intended to say in Pakistan.
“We intend to push the Pakistanis very hard as to what they are willing and able to do with us... to remove the safe havens and the continuing threats across the border to Afghans,” she said.
Using a joint press conference with President Karzai to step up pressure on Pakistan, she said it was time for Islamabad to decide whether it would help or hinder the US-led war on militants.
“We must send a clear, unequivocal message to the government and people of Pakistan that they must be part of the solution and that means ridding their own country of terrorists who kill their own people and cross the border to kill in Afghanistan,” she said.
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.