WASHINGTON, March 30: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sought to dispel a perception that the United States sent top State Department officials to Pakistan last week to persuade the country’s new rulers to cooperate with Washington in the war against terror.

A transcript released by the State Department over the weekend quotes her as saying that the arrival of the US delegation in Islamabad on the day the new prime minister took the oath was just a coincidence and was not intended to influence the new government.

“Well, first of all, as to John (Negroponte) and Richard (Boucher) being there, they planned that trip some time ago,” she said. “The timing turned out to be pretty coincidental.”

Ms Rice hoped that the people of Pakistan will see the good intentions behind this visit and “would take it as a sign of respect” for a close ally.

Since Pakistan is a close US ally and a country with which Washington has had “deepening ties, it’s a good thing to engage the government early,” she added.

“We respect the democratic process in Pakistan and we respect its outcome and we welcome its outcome, and it’s now time, therefore, to engage that government,” she said.

Despite Ms Rice’s clarification, Washington’s decision to send a delegation to a government which had not yet taken control has been criticised strongly in both Pakistan and the United States.

“It was very ill-advised,” said Dennis Kux, a former US ambassador and a South Asian expert. “I think the timing could have been better.”

“We should let Pakistanis work out their own problems and be happy that there is a democratically elected government there.”

Mr Kux said the Pakistanis were as concerned about the situation in the tribal areas as the Americans were and saw the extremists as a threat to their stability.

“We need a little patience and need to give the new government more time to cool off,” he added. “I don’t think this was the right time to arrive in Islamabad.”