Britain/Pakistan

London and Islamabad argue over blame for alleged terror plot

Article published on the 2009-04-10 Latest update 2009-04-10 14:57 TU

A forensic officer enters a house in Manchester
(Photo: Reuters)

Pakistan's High Commissioner to London Wajid Shamsul Hasan on Friday angrily rejected charges that his country is not doing enough to fight political violence, following the arrest of eleven Pakistani nationals in a British anti-terror swoop on Wednesday.

"We are at the fag end of our resources ... What else can we do?" Hasan asked Sky News television.

Following revelations that 11 of 12 people arrested were Pakistanis and that ten of them were in the UK on student visas, Hasan claimed that Britain does not vet student visas closely enough. He called on Britain to ask Islamabad to scrutinise applicants.

It is “extremely difficult” for Pakistanis to get a UK or US visa today, says Khaled Rahman, director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad. “There is a detailed investigation, especially in the case of youth and in case of students."

British government figures show that 9,544 Pakistani nationals were given student visas in 2007-2008.

But, Rahman adds, “Pakistani people would like to have some really credible evidence available to them because the happenings so far have not been proved in any court of law in most of the cases.”

The British Prime Minister's office said Friday that Gordon Brown phoned Zardari overnight.

"They agreed that the UK and Pakistan share a serious threat from terrorism and violent extremism, and committed to work together to address this common challenge," an official from the Prime Minister's office said.

On Thursday Brown said that he wanted to know "what Pakistan can do to help us in the future" in the wake of the "major terrorist plot".

The 12 suspects are being held in various locations in Britain while police search ten addresses in the north-west England. The supects can be held for up to 28 days without charge.

Wednesday's raids were brought forward by up to 24 hours after anti-terror chief Bob Quick was photographed carrying a file with details of the operation readable on them. He resigned over the breach in security.