Cameron stirs diplomatic row with 'terror' remark
Pakistan assails British PM for his comments made in India
New Delhi: British Prime Minister David Cameron was mired in a diplomatic row with Islamabad Thursday over comments made on a trade-driven trip to India about the “export of terror” from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Britain accused Cameron of “damaging the prospects of regional peace” while the foreign ministry in Islamabad reminded him of the nation’s commitment and sacrifices in the fight against terror.
Cameron’s trip to India was meant to showcase his new foreign policy based on commercial interests, but the minefield of India-Pakistan relations and regional security risked overshadowing his pitch for investment and open trade.
Asked about unrest in South Asia, Cameron on Wednesday responded that Pakistan could not be permitted to “look both ways” in promoting the export of terror while publicly working for stability in the region.
Thursday he sought to clarify his remarks, which were seized on by the Indian media as endorsing New Delhi’s view that Pakistan’s intelligence agency covertly funds insurgents in India and Afghanistan.
“I don’t think the British taxpayer wants me to go around the world saying what people want to hear,” Cameron told reporters travelling with him.
“I don’t think it’s overshadowed anything. I think it’s important to speak frankly and clearly about these issues.”
In London, Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hassan voiced his government’s deep disappointment over Cameron’s comments, saying he had chosen to ignore Pakistan’s “enormous role” in the war on terror.
In Islamabad, foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said: “Terrorists have no religion, no humanity, no specific ethnicity or geography.
Cameron arrived in India late Tuesday with a large British delegation. He met the Indian prime minister later Thursday.
What is your reaction to Cameron’s comments on Pakistan? How do you think this will impact UK and Pakistan’s relationship?
