LONDON, Sept 15 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will engage in crucial talks here on Tuesday aimed at finding ways to diffuse the current explosive situation in Pakistan’s tribal region exacerbated by unprovoked US missiles firing.

This will be Brown’s first meeting with the newly elected democratic civilian President of Pakistan who is on private visit to the United Kingdom.

While the bilateral ties between the two countries are already on a sound footing with UK being Pakistan’s third largest trading partner within the European Union, it is the prevailing situation along the Pak-Afghan border and in FATA which is causing concern and anger in Pakistan.

The people of Pakistan have felt outraged over five attacks in the past 10 days including incursion into the village of Angoor Ada by US forces, which left at least 20 people including women and children dead.

President Zardari will stress on the British Prime Minister to exert his influence on US Administration to halt the unauthorised bombings.

Officials at the Pakistan High Commission said President Zardari will underscore the importance of giving the newly established democracy in his country enough space to secure its mooring and help revive sagging economy.

The officials further noted that Pakistan’s economy was

already passing through a testing time and the country could ill afford serious

flare up on its western borders, which could destabilise not only the country but

the region as well.

The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of UK support of US plans to commission a new and more comprehensive military strategy covering both sides of Pak-Afghan border.

Brown at his monthly press conference last week had spoken about the new strategy to meeting the growing Taliban threat.

This raised further suspicion in Pakistan and among the British Pakistani Diaspora on the possible new Anglo-US approach to the extent that British member of Parliament Lord Nazir Ahmed dispatched a letter to Brown questioning his Government’s support to US on the cross border attacks.

Lord Ahmed said the American policy was against the international law and is fanning extremism and religious fanaticism and endangering the whole region.

However, British Minister for International Development Shahid Malik  in the defence of his government said UK respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity which Brown will reiterate to President Zardari in their meeting.       

President Zardari while emphasising Pakistan’s key role in the war on terror will recount the services rendered by country’s armed forces in this regard and the fact that Pakistan forces casualties are far higher than those of the coalition forces in Afghanistan.

At present there are 8100 British troops in Afghanistan, majority of them in the southern province of Helmand. They have lost 120 soldiers since 2001 US-led invasion.

The President’s other significant engagement of the day will be his meeting with the MQM leader Altaf Husain who will personally congratulate Mr.Zardari on his election as the new Head of the State.

They will discuss the current political situation in Pakistan and strengthening their coalition Government in Sindh and the chances of MQM joining the Federal Cabinet following the decision of the PML-N to pull out of the coalition Government in the Centre.