Day 2: Hillary visits Lahore
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan’s cultural capital Lahore on Thursday — the second day of a diplomatic mission overshadowed by a massive bomb attack killing 105 people.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan’s cultural capital Lahore on Thursday — the second day of a diplomatic mission overshadowed by a massive bomb attack killing 105 people.
The top US diplomat was due to visit historical and religious sites, meet politicians in Punjab and take part in talks with students and businessmen.
“I’m here not just to do the official diplomacy,” Clinton said during an interview broadcast by leading Pakistani television channels.
“It is especially critical that we do more of what you’re doing today with your colleagues so that I have a chance to answer the questions that are on the minds of the people of Pakistan,” she said.
Clinton, who says the US wants to “turn the page” on its relationship with Pakistan, is devoting significant energy to public diplomacy to counter rising Pakistani criticism of the alliance with Washington.
Clinton has committed 85 million dollars to countering poverty and 125 million dollars to improving Pakistan's woefully inadequate electricity supply.
Clinton's visit to Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan, has been accompanied by draconian security measures a day after a massive car bomb attack killed 105 Pakistanis in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
