With the Taliban becoming emboldened in Pakistan, the US has said the civilian and military leadership of that country, which had for long viewed India as its prime threat, was confused with regard to identifying the real danger facing the Islamic state.
"In Pakistan, it's a very difficult environment because of the confusion among the civilian and military leadership about how to prioritise what is the greatest threat to Pakistan going forward," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a Town Hall meeting held on the occasion of Foreign Affairs Day on Friday.
Her comments came a day after President Barack Obama, while voicing concern over situation in Pakistan, said that Islamabad was beginning to recognise that viewing India as a "mortal threat" was misguided.
"You're starting to see some recognition just in the last few days that the obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now comes internally," Obama had said.
Ahead of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai's first trilateral summit with Obama to be held next week, Clinton said the meeting will see "very intense sessions" on the specifics of the goals.
"They will meet -- we've had one of these already which we thought was quite helpful in beginning to change mindsets and, frankly, set forth some requirements about what we expect from these governments," said Clinton.
This will be the second trilateral meeting among three countries. The first held in March was at the level of Foreign Ministers.
"The President will meet with both of his counterparts, and we'll have some very intense sessions on the specifics of what we're trying to accomplish," she said.
