We are willing to talk to anyone who has any meaningful ideas for promoting peace and development,¡¯ he said during the speech in the company of the president of India¡¯s ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi.

Hardline separatists had called for a general strike against Singh¡¯s visit, continuing stoppages that started on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the start of Indian rule on October 27, 1947.

The strike crippled life in  playground equipment Srinagar and other towns of Muslim-majority Kashmir valley for the second day running on Wednesday, police and residents said.

In Srinagar, dozens of protesters burnt effigies of Singh and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during an anti-India protest broken up by baton-wielding policemen, they said.

Abdullah stressed that a political settlement of the dispute was necessary and promised his government  freshwater pearl jewelry would facilitate New Delhi¡¯s dialogue with Kashmiri groups.

Special commandos were deployed in Anantnag and roads were sealed off in the Srinagar where Singh was locked in talks with top state officials at a high-security lakeside convention center.

The dispute over Kashmir dates from the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 when the Kashmiri blister pearl region was split between Pakistan and India along a UN-monitored line of control.

In an example of the broader efforts, Clinton announced that the US would contribute $125 million to a project to increase Pakistan¡¯s electrical output and improve its energy efficiency.

Upon arriving on an overnight flight, Clinton went directly into talks with Qureshi. She was meeting later with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. She pearl necklace wholesale also planned to see Pakistani army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

One of the most sensitive issues facing Clinton is Pakistan¡¯s unexpectedly negative response to congressional passage of a bill providing $7.5 billion over five years for economic and social programs in Pakistan. The Pakistani military was especially critical, saying the bill amounted to US meddling in Pakistan¡¯s internal affairs.

Clinton arranged her three-day visit to get maximum public exposure. She planned to meet with akoya pearl jewelry students, business leaders, opposition figures and others.

¡®It is fair to say there have been a lot of misconceptions about what the United States intends for our relationship with Pakistan,¡¯ Clinton told reporters on her overnight flight, adding, ¡®It is unfortunate there are those who question our motives. I want to clear the air.¡¯

In addition to the US partnership with nuclear-armed Islamabad in fending off insurgent efforts to destabilize the government, Washington sees Pakistan as central to its tin cup pearl necklace strategy in neighboring Afghanistan. Taleban militants seeking to overthrow the government in Kabul find haven on the Pakistani side of the border.