Thaindian News

Washington, Oct 21 (IANS) Making clear the United States was not buying Pakistan’s explanation of hedging against India, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has bluntly told its key ally it would not tolerate terrorists in Pakistan’s safe haven.

“In recent months, we’ve seen the Haqqani Network turn from being a fighting force to one that is deliberately targeting American targets,” like the US embassy in Kabul, she told CNN in an interview in Kabul Thursday.

“We cannot tolerate that,” Clinton said. “And the safe haven in Pakistan from which they launch these attacks has nothing to do with the Taliban coming back into Afghanistan.”

“It has nothing to do with Pakistan hedging against India or whatever the explanation is,” she said according to a transcript of the interview released by the State Department.

“It has to do with this group that has a safe haven in Pakistan targeting Americans. And that changes the calculation for us, and it should change the calculation for the Pakistanis.”

Her extraordinarily strong words against Islamabad was “not frustration; it’s resolve,” Clinton said. “I mean, we have a job to do. And the job consists of fighting, talking, and building.

“And Pakistan can either be part of the solution on all three of those tracks or part of the problem, and we want to pose the choice as clearly as we can,” she said.

“We also believe, and have always believed, that what we are seeking in terms of cooperation from Pakistan is very much in Pakistan’s self interest and national security,” Clinton said.

The United States had “made it very clear that we cannot tolerate safe havens on either side of the border,” she said noting American and Afghan troops were making a “concerted, successful effort” to target Haqqani Network leaders.

“That will continue, because it is intolerable for us to stand aside and allow these attacks against anyone, but in particular… against Americans,” Clinton said.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)