London/Islamabad: Pakistan was "seriously
focussing" on the investigation into the Mumbai attacks but
its ties with India could not be held hostage to the 26/11
probe, President Asif Ali Zardari said during a meeting with
British Premier Gordon Brown in London on Friday.
Zardari, who is in Britain on a three-day visit, met
Brown at 10, Downing Street and told him that Pakistan was
"seriously focussing on the Mumbai attacks' probe."
"But as agreed in the joint statement at Sharm
el-Sheikh (after a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani), the
bilateral relations between the two countries could not be
held hostage to the Mumbai probe," Zardari said during the
meeting.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman Farhatullah
Babar in Islamabad quoted Zardari as saying that the joint
statement of Sharm el-Sheikh "should provide necessary impetus
for the resumption of the Pakistan-India dialogue."
The joint statement last month had said that "action on
terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue
process and these should not be bracketed."
The two Prime Ministers had agreed that "terrorism is the
main threat to both countries." They also decided that both
would "share real time, credible and actionable information on
any future terrorist threats."
Five Lashker-e-Taiba operatives, including its operations
commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, are currently facing trial in
an anti-terrorism court following their arrest by Pakistani
authorities on charges of planning and executing the Mumbai
attacks that killed over 180 people.
However, Pakistan has said the information provided so
far by India is not adequate for arresting Hafiz Mohammad
Saeed, the founder of the LeT.
India has made it clear that peace talks can be resumed
once Pakistan takes action against the perpetrators of the
Mumbai attacks.
Zardari also apprised Brown of Pakistan's successes in
the fight against militants and the rehabilitation of people
displaced by military operations against the Taliban. He said
the international community should step forward and "help
Pakistan in this arduous task."
The two leaders discussed bilateral ties, the regional
and international situation "with focus on economic
rehabilitation and strategic support to Pakistan in the wake
of the fight against militancy."
Zardari also emphasised the need to carry forward the
improvement of relations between Pakistan and Britain in the
political, economic, investment, education, science and
technology and cultural fields.
Referring to the regional situation, Zadari said Pakistan
will work with international partners to promote the
stabilisation of Afghanistan.
Zardari expressed the hope that trilateral consultations
among the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan will gather impetus
after the recent presidential election in Afghanistan.
A Downing Street spokesman also said that Zardari and
Brown discussed a number of regional issues, including
Afghanistan.
Britain and its allies fighting in Afghanistan want
maximum cooperation from Pakistan in controlling the border
regions between the two countries.
The Zardari-Brown talks come after 22 guards were killed
by a suicide bomber at a checkpoint in the Khyber Pass in
Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. The bomber approached
on foot as the guards were breaking their Ramadan fast
yesterday.
Brown recently renewed his warning that three quarters of
terror plots against Britain come from the area, where
Pakistani security forces were fighting the Taliban.
During the one-on-one meeting, President Zardari also
discussed the security situation in Pakistan's tribal areas.
He also focused on the forthcoming Friends of Pakistan
meeting in New York which will be co-chaired by the US
President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister and himself.
The president also focused on Malakand Plan for the
rehabilitation of displaced people and reconstruction of the
area.
President Zardari arrived at the British premier's
official residence accompanied by Interior Minister Rehman
Malik and his youngest daughter Aseefa Zardari Bhutto.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, August 28, 2009, 20:32