GORDON Brown yesterday sealed a "pact against terror" between the UK and Pakistan, promising £6 million to help the troubled south Asian state tackle extremists and break the "chain of terrorism" between the two countries.
Three-quarters of the most serious terrorist plots investigated by UK authorities are linked to al-Qaeda sympathisers in Pakistan, the Prime Minister told the country's President Asif Ali Zardari during talks in the capital Islamabad.
The pact w
ill see Britain offer training and equipment in exchange for assistance from Pakistan in tackling the threat of terrorism.
Mr Brown urged President Zardari to co-operate with the Indian authorities investigating last month's devastating terror attacks in Mumbai.
He received assurances that Pakistan will take action against the militants believed to be behind the outrage, which killed at least 170 people including one Briton and two with joint British nationality.
Mr Brown flew to Islamabad from the Indian capital New Delhi, where he told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that British police may want to question the sole surviving gunman from the Mumbai massacre in a bid to secure vital intelligence on extremist groups.
As he arrived in Islamabad, Mr Brown made clear he had no doubt the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was responsible for the attack, which has fuelled tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
He said it was "time for action not words" from the Pakistani authorities in rooting out the threat of terror. The new UK-Pakistan pact will see Britain fund anti-car bomb equipment and material to educate people out of becoming extremists, said Mr Brown.
And he told a press conference in Islamabad: "Our aim must be to work together to do everything in our power to cut off terrorism, so I have proposed to President Zardari a new UK- Pakistan pact against terror.
"My discussions with President Zardari have reassured me that his authorities are determined to act against those who are behind the Mumbai attacks.
"We will work to ensure that everything is done to make sure that terrorists are denied any safe haven in Pakistan.
"The time has come for action and not words and I want to help Pakistan and other countries root out terrorism.
"In return for this action we will continue to expand our counter-terrorism assistance programme with Pakistan and it will be, more than ever, the most comprehensive anti-terrorism programme Britain has signed with any country."
Mr Brown warned of a "chain of terror" linking militant activity in the remote mountain region on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with atrocities on the streets of Britain.
He said: "Let me just emphasise why we in Britain have an interest in making Pakistan more secure: it is not only because of the great friendship between our two countries and our desire to support president Zardari, but (because] people in Britain know that what can happen in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan can affect directly what happens in the streets of our cities and towns.
"What can happen in Afghanistan and Pakistan can end up with people in Britain and other countries feeling less secure.
"That is why I want to remove the chain of terror that links terrorists across the globe and impacts on every country, including suicide bombing attacks and other attacks in Pakistan.
"That is why I believe that reporting to President Zardari that three-quarters of the big investigations that our police and security authorities have had to undertake in Britain have links to al-Qaeda in Pakistan shows the importance to Britain of helping Pakistan, not just as a friend but because we all suffer – as President Zardari's family himself has suffered – from the evil acts of terrorists." The Prime Minister said he had been assured that the Pakistani authorities were "determined to act against those behind the Mumbai attacks" which had been a "tragedy on a terrible scale".
India has blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based extremists, and is putting huge pressure on its neighbour – which strongly denies any official involvement – to do more to combat terrorism.
President Zardari insisted his country was doing all it could but needed more information from India about evidence.
One militant leader accused of links to the attacks has been put under house arrest. A senior British source said that the UK had a right to question the Mumbai suspect as a crime had been committed against a UK citizen.
All of the different security agencies, including Britain's, were agreed that "LeT should be held responsible", the source said. Interrogating suspects could provide valuable intelligence on how the group works.
Though there is not believed to be any direct threat at present to the UK from LeT, there are strong links to Pakistan with other militant groups, making such information potentially vital to anti-terror agencies.
Among measures agreed in New Delhi were extra co-operation on airport security and big public events, such as the 2010 Commonwealth games in Delhi and the 2012 London Olympics.
Mr Brown's Islamabad visit ended a two-day southern Asia trip which also saw him meet British troops in Afghanistan and hold talks with the country's President Hamid Karzai.
The full article contains 874 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
