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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

“Pakistan has hard choices to make”: Hillary Clinton

London : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has clearly stated that Pakistan, which is facing not only political and economic problems, but also internal violence threats, has "hard choices to make".

"Pakistan has hard choices to make. We know the facts. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state, home to nearly 180 million people, making it the world's sixth largest nation," Clinton said while speaking at a joint news conference with her British counterpart, William Hague, at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"It needs international support to deal with political and economic problems and the threats it faces from internal violence," she added.

Clinton noted that the latest terror attack in Pakistan on a naval installation in Karachi is "another reminder of the terrible price the Pakistani people have borne in their own struggle against violent extremism."

Over 1,500 personnel comprising naval and military commandos and Rangers regained control of the PNS Mehran, 16 hours after a band of heavily-armed Taliban militants attacked the naval base, destroying two US-supplied maritime surveillance aircraft and killing 10 military personnel.

Clinton and Hague also reviewed the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan during their talks, she said.

"We have killed more terrorists on Pakistani soil than anywhere else in the world, and that could not have been done without the cooperation of the Government of Pakistan. But there is more work to be done and the work is urgent," said Clinton.

"Over the long haul, both the United Kingdom and the United States seek to support the Pakistani people as they chart their own destiny, away from political violence, toward greater stability, economic prosperity, and justice," she added. ANI