London, May 14 (Inditop) Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari held talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown here after making his first official visit to the US.
According to the Pakistani High Commission in London, Zardari is paying a two-day visit, during which he will also meet Foreign Secretary David Miliband and opposition Conservative leader David Cameron, among others.
Talks with Brown are expected to largely focus on bilateral cooperation and regional security, including the rising Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the role of the Pakistani army, IRNA reported.
Last month, Brown unveiled a new British strategy for both Pakistan and Afghanistan, underlining the threat from Al Qaeda and its allies in both countries. He also announced an aid package for Pakistan to tackle the radicalisation of students into Taliban fighters.
Zardari’s tour coincided with a diplomatic dispute over Britain’s plans to deport 11 Pakistani students, who were released without charge after being detained by police for 13 days in a recent anti-terror raid in northwest England.
The dispute led Zardari to pull out of a joint press conference with Brown during a visit to Islamabad last month. The Muslim Council of Britain also accused the British government of being “dishonourable” in seeking the deportations.
