ISLAMABAD — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad on Friday in a surprise visit amid frayed relations with the U.S. nuclear-armed ally after the death of Osama bin Laden.
The United States wants to soothe nerves and hurt feelings following the raid nearly a month ago by U.S. Navy SEALs on bin Laden's compound, a strike that was kept secret even from Pakistan's top Army and intelligence officials.
But Clinton and Mullen also were telling Pakistan it must show renewed commitment to U.S. security interests, chiefly to eradicate safe havens for militants who attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The pair hammered home a warning that lower-ranking U.S. officials have been making to Pakistan since the bin Laden raid: The billions of dollars in military and development aid that flow to Pakistan annually will dwindle if Pakistan is seen to play both sides.
Clinton's visit was not announced in advance for fear of an assassination attempt or terror strike.
Video: Pakistan allows CIA to search bin Laden compound (on this page)
Senior administration officials told NBC News that Clinton will discuss in detail the steps the U.S. wants the Pakistanis to take going forward but would not go so far as to say funding to Pakistan is in jeopardy. She plans to meet with senior Pakistani officials including President Asif Ali Zardari, Acting Foreign Secretary Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and ISI Chief General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
"This remains a consequential relationship, essential to America's national security," one U.S. official said, noting congressional and public pressure to end or reduce aid.
Pakistanis "are still trying to come to grips" with the raid on bin Laden's compound, the official said.
"The sense of urgency and receptivity ... may be somewhat different now versus in previous conversations," the official said.
The official also called on Pakistan to focus less on India and more on the internal threats they face. The official said it is significant that that dialogue is now occurring in public in Pakistan.
Growing distrust The Pakistan government welcomed the death of the al-Qaida leader but has criticized the U.S. secret mission in Abbottabad, where bin Laden lived for years, as a breach of its sovereignty.
In a sign of deepening distrust, Pakistan has told the United States to halve the number of military trainers stationed in the country.
Slideshow: Pakistan: A nation in turmoil (on this page)But just a day before coming to Pakistan, Clinton said working with Pakistan was a strategic necessity for the United States, even as she pressed Islamabad to act more decisively to counter-terrorism.
She praised Pakistan as a "good partner" in global efforts to fight terrorism, though she acknowledged that the two countries have disagreed on how hard to fight al-Qaida, Afghan Taliban fighters and other militants.
"We do have a set of expectations that we are looking for the Pakistani government to meet but I want to underscore, in conclusion, that it is not as though they have been on the sidelines," she told a news conference in Paris on Thursday.
"They have been actively engaged in their own bitter fight with these terrorist extremists."
NBC News, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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