Islamabad : Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has taken a “diplomatic gamble by pressing the reset button" on his fraught relations with Pakistan government telling President Asif Ali Zardari in meetings
Tuesday in Islamabad that he wants to work with Pakistan's security forces to fight the threat of terrorism.A year ago Cameron put British relations with Pakistan in the deep freeze by claiming its leadership was facing both ways on terrorism, remarks that caused huge anger across the Pakistan government, military and intelligence services.During his one-day make-up visit, accompanied by his most senior defence and security officials, Cameron offered Zardari £650m in aid to spread education, extended unprecedented intelligence co-operation and set up a joint "centre of excellence" in Pakistan to exchange knowledge on how to counter improvised explosive devices, the weapon of terrorists in Pakistan & Afghanistan, Guardian newspaper reported.He also sought to reassure his hosts that he does not see India as Britain's preferred partner in the region, saying instead he wants to see trade between Pakistan and the UK rise from £1.9bn to £2.5bn by2015.Aid for education worth £650m over four years will go to train 9,000 teachers, purchase 6m new text books and build 8,000 schools. The scheme has been organized by Michael Barber, former head of Tony Blair's public services delivery unit. There are 17 million children in Pakistan not in school, including 7 million primary school age children. The money will make Pakistan biggest single recipientof UK aid.In what represents a remarkable turnaround, British officials say they are convinced that growing internal terrorist threat inside the country has led leadership of Pakistani intelligence services, the ISI, to take a tougher role in combating Pakistan Taliban, and al-Qaida, Guardian report said.Sir Peter Ricketts, national security adviser, Sir David Richards, chief of defence staff, and Sir John Sawers, head of overseas intelligence, are accompanying Cameron, and were in Islamabad only a month ago to prepare the ground for what is being billed as an enhanced security dialogue. At lunchtime talks, Zardari brought his intelligence and defence chiefs.UK officials say they are working to build a different, broader long-term partnership with Pakistan inwhat is described as a "less transactional relationship. We are not just coming with a set of immediate demands, but also listening about risks they face and their own security problems. It is about building trust." UK is buoyed by signs that Pakistan wants to do more to foster a political settlement in Afghanistan, and build better relations with India. Cameron began his visit by seeing Faisal Mosque, largest in South Asia. He was accompanied by Lady Saeeda Warsi, Muslim UK cabinet member.
