Emphasising that the Pak-US relations have entered a turning point, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has cautioned Pakistan that “anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make their problems disappear”.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with top Pakistani civil and military leadership here on Friday, Hillary said Pakistan urgently needed to take decisive steps against militancy.

She also reiterated that there was no evidence that any senior Pakistani officials knew Osama’s whereabouts. She, however, said that even the Pakistani leadership acknowledged that “someone, somewhere” provided support to Osama.

Clinton hoped that current probe being conduct by the Pakistan army would uncover that support network.

Clinton and US Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen held a long session with top Pakistan civil and military leadership, including President Asif Zardari, PM Yousaf Raza Gilani, army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, ISI chief Gen Shuja Pasha and other senior officials.

Clinton and Mullen, the most senior US officials to visit Pakistan since US Navy SEALS killed the Al-Qaida leader on May 2, described the meeting as “constructive, candid and productive”.

But the brief officially released TV footage betrayed the prevailing tension. During her press talk also, she looked somber. When a questioner suggested that initially the meeting was reported to be “incredibly tense” and wanted to know if that atmosphere persisted or not, she replied: “I would not characterise the meeting as tense, though we were very candid to each other on the issues involved.”

She said this was an especially important visit because “we have reached a turning point” and added that the US looked to Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead. Referring to growing anti-Americanism in Pakistan, Clinton said Pakistan must understand that this would not help resolve any problem. “America cannot and should not solve Pakistan’s problems. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear,” she observed.

Clinton acknowledged that similar feeling are portrayed against Pakistan in US political discourse and the media, but insisted that it did not reflect reality. She regretted that although the US had contributed lot more in economic, defence and distress assistance to Pakistan than any of its closest friends, including Saudi Arabia and China, there is little recognition at the public level. She attributed it to communication gap and failure of respective governments to correct the distortions.

She pledged her country’s continued support and cooperation, including intelligence sharing, in combating terrorism.