Pakistan lashes back at Clinton

Pakistani officials reacted angrily Thursday night to U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's remarks earlier in the day in which she said, she found it "hard to believe" that no one in Pakistan's government, including the country's "military security establishment," knew where al Qaeda leaders were hiding. The controversy could overshadow Clinton's first visit to the country as Secretary of State, especially as her remarks will be seen questioning the sincerity of the influential military, Pakistani officials said. "If we are going to have a mature partnership where we work together" then "there are issues that not just the United States but others have with your government and with your military security establishment," Clinton was quoted telling senior Pakistani journalists in Lahore. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they (al Qaeda leaders) are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to," she said. Pakistani officials said Clinton's remarks on the "military security establishment" probably referred to the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the counterespionage agency.