WASHINGTON, July 30: Two days after President George W. Bush assured Pakistan that the United States respected its sovereignty, a Pentagon spokesman told journalists that this respect would not prevent US forces from targeting militant sites inside Pakistani territory.

“We, of course, respect the sovereignty of Pakistan,” said spokesman Geoff Morrell. “But as the president said after 9/11, we will do whatever is necessary to protect the homeland from future attacks.”

The Pentagon’s statement, however, is seen as reiteration of the traditional US stance that it will hit targets inside Pakistan if it had reliable information suggesting that Al Qaeda or Taliban leaders were hiding there.

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama, however, appeared to have softened his otherwise hawkish attitude towards Pakistan after a meeting with Prime Minister Gilani on Tuesday.

“The only way we’re going to be successful in the long term in defeating extremists is to give people hope,” Mr Obama told his supporters while talking about his meeting with Mr Gilani. “If we are giving people opportunities, if people have a chance for a better life, then they are not as likely to turn to the ideologies of violence and despair.”

Pakistan also argues that the only way to defeat terrorists is to address the issues that agitate people in the Muslim world and to create economic opportunities for the masses.

Mr Obama angered Pakistanis last year when he said that as president he would take unilateral action if Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were found to be in Pakistan.

Making the point again this month, Mr Obama said: “If Pakistan cannot or will not act, we will take out high-level terrorist targets like bin Laden if we have them in our sights.”

Pakistan refuses to permit unilateral attacks saying that they infuriate Pakistanis and turn more people to extremism and against the United States.

Also on Tuesday, two top Democratic lawmakers requested a hold on the Bush administration’s plan to use $226 million of its proposed military equipment aid for Pakistan’s anti-terrorism programmes to help Islamabad upgrade its ageing fleet of US-made F-16 fighter planes. They requested more information.

“We are concerned that the administration’s proposal to use military assistance to pay for the F-16 upgrades will divert funds from more effective counter-terrorism tools like helicopters, TOW missiles and night-vision goggles,” Rep. Howard Berman, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Nita Lowey, chair of the Appropriations’ Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, said in a statement.