Michelle Obama makes surprise visit to Pak embassy in U.S

WASHINGTON: Pakistan got some respite from relentless American pressure on the diplomatic front with a personal gesture of support from First Lady Michelle Obama, who made a rare social visit to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington on Friday.<br /><br /> Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S Jalil Abbas Jilani broke the news on social media by posting a photograph of himself and his wife with the First Lady, with a message that read: ''It was an absolute delight hosting FLOTUS at Pakistan House today.''<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> A second photo appeared to show his family, including two sons, with the First Lady.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> Jillani later deleted both tweets and photos but by then they had been widely distributed in the media, particularly in Pakistan.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> No reasons were given for the First Lady's visit.Last October, Michelle Obama had announced a $ 70 million contribution to educate adolescent girls in Pakistan as part of her “Let Girls Learn” initiative during the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> Sharif's daughter Maryam Sharif, who appears to be his political heir, is heading the initiative from the Pakistani side. On Friday, it was Maryam who broke the news over Twitter that her father is to undergo an open heart surgery in London this week.<o:p></o:p><br /><br />The Embassy visit comes amid continuing mistrust between the two countries with the latest episode centering on the U.S drone attack in Baluchistan that killed Taliban leader and Pakistan's terrorist proxy Mullah Mansour. Pakistan is also sore that Washington is not subsidizing the purchase of F-16 planes that its military regards as a symbol of security and virility, and that it is projecting India as an Asian power and a global player.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> The Obama administration has dissed Pakistan numerous times as it continues the U.S policy of de-hyphenating Pakistan from India in the geo-political sweepstakes, much to the dismay of Islamabad, which believes it deserves parity with New Delhi. The country's leaders and analysts have also expressed dismay that Obama has not kept up his 2011 promise to visit Islamabad, although he has made two visits to India, once in each term.<o:p></o:p><br /><br /> But on a purely personal basis, the Obamas harbor no animus towards Pakistanis, counting many among their wide range of friends. <o:p></o:p><br /><br /> In fact, Barack Obama's closest pals during his college days, both in Los Angeles and New York, were Pakistanis Imad Hussain, Hasan Chandoo, and Mir Mahboob Mahmood. They facilitated his first -- and only, visit to Pakistan, mainly the city of Hyderabad in Sind. Obama's mother Ann Durham worked briefly in Pakistan as an NGO worker.<br /><br />