Clinton in Pakistan on surprise visit

The US Secretary of State has met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Islamabad. She’ll also hold talks with army chief Ashfaq Kayani and the head of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

Clinton told President Zardari and other officials that the US maintains “very strong support for the relationship and our commitment to working with and supporting Pakistan”.

But she warned that Pakistan must reign in militants and that anti-American “conspiracy theories” would not help the country.

It is the highest profile visit since the the discovery of Osama Bin Laden on 2 May in Abottabad, a garrison town just 50 km (30 miles) away from the capital, Islamabad.

Clinton has emphasised the need to continue working closely with Pakistan, but her visit to Islamabad, kept secret for security reasons, came as U.S. lawmakers questioned whether Pakistan should be receiving billions of dollars in aid.

“They have cooperated; we have always wanted more,” a U.S. official told reporters travelling on Clinton’s plane ahead of the surprise visit.

“They have actually, from their perspective, done a lot. What they have never really grasped is how much more they have to do in order to protect themselves and, from our point of view, protect our interests and assist us in ways that are going to facilitate our transition in Afghanistan.”

The visit came a day after the US military announced plans to reduce the number of troops in Pakistan after an official request made by the Pakistani government.

The US has more than 200 troops in Pakistan helping to train the army. But the number of intelligence and special forces operatives in the country is not known.

The move comes amid rising instability in the country and a growing number of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The latest was an assault on a major naval air base in Karachi on Monday that killed 13 military officials.

Signalling deep cynicism about US activities within Pakistan, former ISI boss Hamid Gul exclusively told Channel 4 News that he was “100 per cent sure” that it was an “American operation”.

Read more: Karachi attack 'a US operation', claims ex-Pakistan general

Also in Karachi, thousands of anti-US protesters gathered last weekend near the port of Pakistan’s largest city to stage a two-day sit-in against what they regard as violations of Pakistan’s territory by US and NATO forces.

They were led by Imran Khan who said that the “war on terror” is not Pakistan’s war and said he blamed the government for supporting the strikes.

“On the face of it, they always condemned drone attacks but, underhand, they have given the Americans permission,” Khan said before joining the sit-in in the port area.