New York: For the first time since the Pakistan government conceded the Swat valley to the Taliban, the US government has openly criticised its policies.
Speaking at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton slammed the Pakistani Government and warned that a nuclear-armed Pakistan is becoming a "mortal threat" to the world.
When Pakistan's government accepted the Taliban's demands to impose Islamic law on the Swat valley, the Obama Administration had a muted response saying it was an internal matter. But the news that the Taliban has now taken over the northwestern district of Buner, just 60 miles from the capital Islamabad had the US Secretary of State issuing the stark warning - that nuclear-armed Pakistan posed a "mortal threat" to world security.
"I cannot underscore the seriousness of the existential threat posed to the state of Pakistan by the continuing advances now within hours of Islamabad that are being made by a loosely confederated group of terrorists and others who are seeking the overthrow of the Pakistani state which as you all know is a nuclear state," said Hillary Clinton.
A week after the US took the lead to raise $5 billion for Pakistan at the Tokyo donors' conference, Secretary Clinton has blamed the Pakistani government for appeasing rather than challenging extremists.
"I think that the Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists. I want to state unequivocally that not only do the Pakistani government officials, but the Pakistani people and the Pakistani diaspora need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents," she said.
The Taliban are now just 100 km from the capital Islamabad with reports that they have taken over government offices in Buner.
Almost immediately, an alarmed Pakistani Prime Minister issued this warning trying to allay fears that the Taliban is slowly but steadily gaining control.
"The Taliban must lay down arms in Swat. There is no question of a parallel government," said Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Secretary Clinton did not mince words as she took on the country the US calls its ally in the war against terror.
The new Obama administration's Pak-Afghanistan policy has promised increased aid but no blank cheques to Pakistan.
It seems now that Secretary Clinton is asking for accountability from Islamabad on its pledge to fight extremism.