Clinton said Pakistan’s attitude toward fighting terrorists had changed remarkably.
WASHINGTON: Pakistan faces “very severe consequences” if a terror plot like the failed Times Square bombing was traced to that country, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in remarks made public on Saturday.
However Clinton also acknowledged Pakistan’s increased cooperation in the war on terror, but said the United States expected more.
“We’ve made it very clear that if – heaven-forbid – an attack like this that we can trace back to Pakistan were to have been successful, there would be very severe consequences,” Clinton told CBS’s “60 Minutes” program, according to excerpts released by the TV network.
The interview is scheduled to be broadcast Sunday.
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born US citizen whose large but poorly-made bomb failed to detonate in New York’s Times Square a week ago, has been grilled since he was arrested Monday aboard a plane as it prepared to take off for Dubai.
The 30-year-old son of a retired Pakistani Air Force officer is facing five terror charges.
Shahzad’s family knew at least two key Pakistani militants who were involved in terrorist activities, The Los Angeles Times reported late Friday.
Clinton said Pakistan’s attitude toward fighting terrorists had changed remarkably.
“We’ve gotten more cooperation and it’s been a real sea change in the commitment we’ve seen from the Pakistan government,” she said.
“We want more. We expect more,” she added.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported Saturday that a Federal Bureau of Investigation team arrived in Pakistan on Friday, with investigators focusing on whether foreign terrorist money helped finance the operation.
Saturday, 08 May, 2010
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