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Clinton Talk Annoys Pakistani Women

They wanted to discuss security; she channeled 'The View'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 30, 2009 12:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – Hillary Clinton was relaxed in her town hall-style address to professional Pakistani women today in Islamabad, discussing “habits of the heart,” like tolerance and compromise, and touting the female doctors sent on US aid missions to Pakistan. It was nice, she said with a chuckle, to not talk about security for once. But the women wanted to talk security, the Christian Science Monitor observes, and they left feeling frustrated.

“Frankly, it was a waste of my time,” said one assistant professor. Clinton “wasn’t interested in hearing about the layman’s problems.” The questions that earned the most applause from the audience concerned drone attacks, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, and the Kashmir conflict. Clinton’s responses were too “reserved,” said one woman. “Why were we here? What did they want us to ask?” The answer: one State Department rep said the meeting was designed to imitate The View.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, is seen prior to her meeting with residents of Pakistani tribal regions in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Irfan Mahmood)

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during an interview broadcast live in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Geo Tv)

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This meeting was as micromanaged as our country’s internal affairs. - An assistant professor from the Fatima Jinnah Women’s University

Emancipated women in Pakistan have a clear point
of view that did not
come across. - Shazia Marri, information minister of the Sindh province

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Clinton Talk Annoys Pakistani Women