Obama censures Pak govt; says "very fragile"

In an extraordinary censure of the civilian government of Pakistan, US president Barack Obama on Thursday described it as "very fragile" and not seeming to have the capacity to deliver even basic services to its people.

As a consequence, it is very difficult for the government to gain the support and the loyalty of the people, Obama said in unusual remarks.

"I'm more concerned that the civilian government there right now is very fragile and don't seem to have the capacity to deliver basic services -- schools, health care, rule of law, a judicial system that works for the majority of the people," Obama said in a prime-time news conference marking the 100th day of his presidency.

Obama, who has voiced serious concern over the situation along the restive Pak-Afghan border, has called president Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan president Hamid Karzai for a meeting in Washington next week.

During the press meet, the third since he assumed office on January 20, Obama also made it clear that with the US having "huge" strategic and security interests, it will make sure that Pakistan is stable and its nuclear weapons do not fall into militant hands.

"We want to respect their sovereignty, but we also recognise that we have huge strategic interests -- huge national security interests -- in making sure that Pakistan is stable and that you don't end up having a nuclear-armed militant state," Obama said.

When pressed whether the United States would intervene if Pakistan's nuclear arsenal were under threat, Obama said he would not respond to a "hypothetical question."

"I am gravely concerned about the situation in Pakistan, not because I think that they're immediately going to be overrun and the Taliban would take over in Pakistan," he said.

"I feel confident that the nuclear arsenal will remain out of militant hands," the US president said.

Obama said Pakistan, which is facing Taliban militancy, is beginning to recognise that viewing India as a "mortal threat" is misguided and that its biggest threat came internally.

"And you're starting to see the Pakistani military take much more seriously the armed threat from militant extremists," he said.

Thus, Obama said the US should help Pakistanis.

"So we need to help Pakistan help Pakistanis. I think that there's a recognition increasingly on the part of both the civilian government there and the army that is their biggest weakness," he said.