Clinton vows US will stand by Pakistan

Thursday, October 29, 2009

By Christophe Schmidt for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

– 3 hours ago
LAHORE, Pakistan — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended US policy and said Washington would not abandon the fight against the Taliban as she faced critical questions from Pakistani students Thursday.
On a day devoted to public diplomacy, Clinton covered her head and chest with a royal blue scarf to visit the shrine of a Muslim saint in the capital Islamabad before touring the 16th century Badshahi mosque in Lahore.
Accompanied by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Clinton closed her eyes and pressed her fingers together in prayer, then gave alms to the needy at the Bari Imam mausoleum near the heavily guarded seat of government.
Clinton's visit to the second largest city in Pakistan, which has been hit by a series of gun, suicide and grenade attacks this year, has been accompanied by draconian security measures a day after a car bomb killed 105 in Peshawar.
Clinton said the "horrific bombing" in the northwestern city left no doubt that "Pakistan is in the midst of a battle against extremists".
"This is not your fight alone... You're standing on the frontlines of this battle but we are standing with you," she said.
Answering questions from students on US intentions and perceived failings, Clinton acknowledged past mistakes and called for a new era, but was treated to applause when she voiced opposition to former US president George W. Bush.
Around 200 students attended the session at one of the country's most elite universities, Government College University Lahore, a breeding ground for public servants and often referred to locally as the Oxford of Pakistan.
Following a series of multi-million-dollar investments, Clinton unveiled US support for Pakistan's first mobile phone-based social network, designed to enable Pakistanis to connect around shared interests, themes and subjects.
Pakistan's relations with the United States, on whom it depends for cash and weapons to fight Islamist militants bombing the country, can be uneasy.
Many Pakistanis blame the US-led "war on terror" and the government's alliance with Washington for the attacks sweeping the country, and US missile attacks on Al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked extremists have inflamed sensibilities.
Following previous announcements of cash for poverty, border security and energy development, Clinton pledged a 45-million-dollar investment for higher education in Pakistan and was to meet business leaders later Thursday.
Fending off a question about perceived US bias towards Pakistan's arch rival India, Clinton told the hand-picked audience that peace was the way forward.
"If there were peace between Pakistan and India, and the outstanding issues were resolved, Pakistan would take off like a rocket in terms of economic development.
"Pakistan has such an opportunity to be a powerhouse. You are so strategically located," she said -- referring to the possibility of trade opening up to the north, east and west and with the Arabian Sea.
Clinton, who says the United States wants to "turn the page" on its relationship with Pakistan, is devoting significant energy to public diplomacy to counter rising Pakistani criticism of the alliance with Washington.
President Barack Obama's administration wants to engage with Pakistan, which traditionally sees the United States as interested only in securing its military cooperation in the fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Clinton has already committed 85 million dollars to countering poverty, 125 million dollars to improving Pakistan's woefully inadequate electricity supply and 104 million dollars to law enforcement and border security assistance.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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