Clinton issues blunt warning to Pak, India calls for calm

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Thursday warned Pakistan leaders that they would face serious consequences if they continued to tolerate safe havens of extremist organisations that have crossed the border to attack Americans and Afghans. Jayanth Jacob reports.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Thursday warned Pakistan leaders that they would face serious consequences if they continued to tolerate safe havens of extremist organisations that have crossed the border to attack Americans and Afghans.

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Clinton arrived in Islamabad on Thursday from Afghanistan, where she pointedly told Pakistan that it must be part of the solution to the Afghan conflict.

India urged the two sides, "two friendly powers", to resolve differences across the table, warning that any serious fallout would have consequences for the entire region.

The comments come at a time when efforts are being made to have a meeting between India and Pakistan prime ministers on the sidelines of the Saarc summit in Maldives next month, sources told HT.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the meeting from November 9 to 12.

"Efforts are for a meeting there, but can't say anything more," said a senior official on condition of anonymity.

Clinton's warning, sent out in Kabul, came a day after Pakistan reminded US of it nuclear status and warned it against a military adventure in North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. The Haqqani network, which the US blames for targeting its interests in Afghanistan, is based in this tribal area.

Clinton, who is accompanied by new CIA director David Petraeus and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Martin Dempsey, said "the terrorists are on both sides" of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "They are killing both peoples."

"No one should be in any way mistaken about allowing this to continue without paying a very big price," Clinton said.

Her remarks underscored the fact that the war in Afghanistan - along with the hopes for a smooth American withdrawal by 2014 - has become fully intertwined with Pakistan's own insurgents, some of whom have the support of the country's security services."

In Delhi, external affairs minister advised caution.

"It is India's desire that all outstanding issues between them should be settled across the table… anything which upsets the region will have devastating consequences for the developmental agenda of other countries, particularly for India," SM Krishna said.