In an interview with ABC News, Clinton said: “It’s a very challenging relationship because there have been some problems,” she said. — File Photo

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that America had “a very difficult relationship” with Pakistan and relations were far from ideal.

In an interview with ABC News, she said: “It’s a very challenging relationship because there have been some problems,” she said.

“We are very appreciative of getting our diplomat out of Pakistan and that took cooperation by the government of Pakistan.”

She was referring to the release of Raymond Davis, the American CIA contractor recently released after months in a Pakistani prison on charges of murdering two men in Lahore.

“We have cooperated very closely together in going after terrorists who pose a threat to both of us and the Pakistanis themselves. But it’s a very difficult relationship because Pakistan is in a hard position trying to figure out how it’s going to contend with its own internal extremist threat,” Secretary Clinton said.

“But I think on the other hand, we’ve also developed good lines of communication, good opportunities for cooperation, but it’s something we have to work on every day,” she added.