'Pakistanis hate Americans from their soul'

New York, Aug.20 (ANI): The United States is trying hard to change the mindset of the Pakistanis regarding its policies, but it seems that all such efforts have hardly had an effect.

During an interview recently, the new US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale was at the receiving end of flak showered at her by a Pakistani journalist, Ansar Abbasi.

Abbasi, who is known for his criticism of American foreign policy, told McHale that even though America is offering huge humanitarian aid to Islamabad, people in Pakistan still have same disregard for it that used to be there earlier.

"You should know that we hate all Americans. From the bottom of our souls, we hate you," McHale quoted Abbasi, as saying.

"He told me that we were no longer human beings because our goal was to eliminate other humans," McHale said recounting her conversation with Abbasi.

"He spoke English very well, and he said that thousands of innocent people have been killed because we are trying to find Osama bin Laden," she added.

The Obama Administration has been trying vigorously to build bridges between America and the Muslim world, The New York Times reports.

US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke's fifth consecutive visit to the region since being appointed on the post in January this year highlights America's concerns, but American officials including Holbrooke and McHale have certainly discovered that it is 'not going to be easy'.

Meanwhile, McHale has said that stationing US Marines in Islamabad was a routine affair and Pakistanis should not be worried about it.

"A small number of US Marines would be deployed in the Islamabad embassy, which is a 'routine matter' and it must not be a cause for concern for Pakistani people," McHale said.

She added the US was focused on efforts to expand its relations with Pakistan and intended to fulfill its commitments with the people of the country.

"The expansion of US assistance to Pakistan in the years ahead requires more personnel in our embassy as we are going to assist Pakistan in various fields of economy," McHale said. (ANI)