THINGS are becoming more ridiculous in Pakistan in terms of US antics. As if the new restrictions imposed by Congress on military aid to Pakistan were not bad enough, we are now seeing the Secretary of State, Ms Clinton targeting the Pakistani press. She has, in an imperial mode declared that the US had not responded properly to criticism of the US and the Kerry Lugar Bill in the Pakistani media, all of which was based on lies, but now it will give a befitting response. According to her, the Pakistani media is full of exaggeration and does not present a factual position. This is laughable given how every line of the KLB had been discussed threadbare in the media - so there was no exaggeration at all just as the status of the meaningless explanatory note was reiterated by Kerry himself when he last visited Islamabad. Unfortunately, it is the US media that targets Pakistan and its nuclear assets at every given opportunity with fanciful claims and insinuations far removed from reality. However, Clinton's attack on the Pakistani media should not be ignored because it covers a veiled threat as well as an overt insult - something we should not tolerate because the press has fought hard for its independence and sacrificed much, including in terms of lives lost. Clinton is scheduled to visit Islamabad soon and at least the press should make its views on her derogatory remarks clear on this occasion. Meanwhile, this Clinton outburst should be taken as the beginning of the direct intrusion into our affairs that has come about as a result of the KL Act and other agreements conceded to by this government and its predecessor. A far more serious threat that has become more visible is the access the US has gained physically to vicinities close to Pakistan's sensitive installations, including nuclear installations. The case of Sihala is simply one such instance and one is at a loss to understand why the government, despite the issue having come into the open, continues to allow this unwarranted access to the US. Alongside this, it is disturbing to find that import licenses were given to the US by the Interior Ministry, without proper procedure being followed, for importing arms into the country. Now it is the same Ministry that is pressurising the Pakistani commandant of Sihala academy for telling the truth and voicing his concerns as a nationalist Pakistani, rather than exposing US antics in the American Enclave in Sihala and removing their presence from this sensitive area. In linked issues, the same Ministry is also trying to end the Inter-Risk and DynCorp cases as well as refusing to admit the presence of Xe Worldwide (Blackwater) in Pakistan despite glaring evidence. By all accounts, the Ministry of Interior seems highly sensitive to safeguarding US interests even where they do Pakistan harm. Why?