Pakistan president will 'put David Cameron straight' over terror claims
Asif Ali Zardari will demand more support at Chequers meeting and warn against using India as a platform for accusations
The row over David Cameron's claim that Pakistan is exporting terrorism threatened to escalate tonight as a senior Pakistani official revealed President Asif Ali Zardari planned to "put him straight" when he meets the prime minister at a showdown summit at Chequers on Friday.:happy_2:
"David Cameron has been doing some plain talking. Now Zardari will be doing the plain talking," the official said. "We have to tell him [Cameron] what the reality is, to educate him about what we have suffered, and that if we are not supported at this time, how things will get worse.":happy_2:
The official said Zardari would press Cameron to be "more forthright in supporting [Pakistani] democracy and more careful in what he says, especially in countries like India that are very hostile".
Cameron's comments, in which he accused Pakistan of looking "both ways" on home-grown terrorism, were made during a visit to India last week, where they were greeted approvingly. But the senior Pakistani official suggested the timing smacked of inexperience and showed how the prime minister had been "taken in" by the Indians. "Cameron was enamoured by so-called Indian democracy and attractive markets – he was suckered by the Indians."
The prime minister risked encouraging insurgents in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the official said. But he added the Pakistani side was confident the row could be defused and there would be no lasting damage. "The president believes the dialogue must continue," he said.
Pakistan's furious reaction to the prime minister's speech in Bengalooru last Wednesday has raged unchecked despite British government attempts to play down the row. A visit to Britain by Pakistani intelligence chiefs was cancelled at the weekend as Zardari resisted intense opposition and public pressure at home to cancel his trip in protest.
Earlier today the Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, summoned Britain's high commissioner to Islamabad, Adam Thomson, reportedly to deliver a dressing-down.
"The foreign minister emphasised that terrorism was a global issue and had to be dealt with by all countries in a spirit of co-operation, rather than putting the entire onus on any one country," the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement. "He [Qureshi] said Pakistan was itself a victim of terrorism and its efforts against violent extremism could not be negated."
The diplomatic carpeting was apparently not enough to assuage Pakistani wrath. Information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said Zardari would "forcefully take up" the issue when he saw Cameron.
Downing Street said Cameron would not apologise for his remarks when he met the Pakistani leader but would absolve the Pakistan government of any blame for promoting violence and extremism. "Pakistan is already, as the prime minister has acknowledged, taking action against extremism. Friday's meeting will be a good opportunity to discuss further what action is being taken [by Pakistan]," a spokeswoman for No 10 said, in words designed to lower the temperature without backing down. Cameron's spokeswoman insisted the two countries had very strong relations. Cameron sent a message of condolence to Pakistan about the flood disaster.
But the attempt to differentiate between the Pakistani authorities, including the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) which helped create the Taliban, and Taliban and foreign jihadi groups operating from Pakistani soil, seemed unlikely to placate Pakistan's leaders.
The depth and longevity of Pakistan's anger stems partly from the location chosen by Cameron to air his criticisms – at the heart of the Indian political and business establishment. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since partition in 1947 and remain deeply at odds over divided Kashmir.
But there was also concern in Islamabad that Cameron's accusations could adversely affect Pakistan's relations with the Obama administration – and may have reflected private White House thinking.
The White House initially reacted sharply to last week's WikiLeaks war logs intelligence leaks that alleged deep-seated collusion between the ISI and Afghan insurgents fighting US and British troops. The US has provided Pakistan with more than $10bn in military and other assistance since the 9/11 attacks.
The senior Pakistani official said fears of a rift with Washington had been discounted because the Obama administration had offered no support for Cameron's remarks. "We are not worried about the Americans. Cameron was not supported by the Americans, he did not have their approval," the official said. He added that Friday's talks would cover other less controversial areas of bilateralco-operation including education and foreign investment. He said Zardari would be looking for "concrete gestures" in terms of enhanced British support for Pakistan, such as possible lobbying of the EU for favourable trade concessions for Pakistan.
The official said Pakistan would also urge Cameron to offer a more balanced appraisal of regional problems in any future speeches. This should include mention of Kashmir, where he said India maintained "the largest occupation force on earth of 500,000 troops" and committed daily human rights violations in defiance of numerous UN resolutionsEmerging today after talks in Paris with President Nicolas Sarkozy, Zardari said in brief remarks to reporters that "France feels that Pakistan is a responsible partner". French officials said Sarkozy was conciliatory in the talks, which did not touch on Cameron's comments, and that he "encouraged Pakistan to continue its efforts against terrorism".
After meeting Cameron, Zardari is expected to address a public meeting of the British-Pakistani community in Birmingham on Saturday.
The US defence secretary Robert Gates has tried to strike an emollient note, pointing out that "we walked out on Pakistan and Afghanistan in 1989 and left them basically holding the bag. And there is always the fear that we will do that again. And I believe that's the reason there's a certain hedge."
