Brown, Zardari for normalisation of Indo-Pak relations

LONDON: The need to "normalise"Indo-Pak relations figured prominently during Pakistan President Asif AliZardari's meeting with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown here on Wednesday asBritain pledged 665 million pounds in development aid to the country that isfighting a raging Taliban insurgency. Emerging after their one-hourlong meeting at 10, Downing Street, Zardari and Brown spoke about the vitalimportance of normalising relations between Islamabad and New Delhi to forgestability in the region. "Both Pakistan and the UK are committed todeepening stability in the wider region, including by strengthening relationsbetween Pakistan and its neighbours. In particular, both Pakistan and the UKrecognise the vital importance of Pakistan and India normalising theirrelations," the two leaders said in a joint statement. The relationsbetween India and Pakistan soured after the Mumbai terror attacks last year thatled to New Delhi suspending the bilateral composite dialogue process.Brown announced 12 million pounds immediate humanitarian aid toPakistan to provide basic amenities to thousands of people displaced in the Swatvalley, where the Pakistani army is battling the Taliban. Britainalso announced a commitment of 665 million pounds of development aid to Pakistanover the next four years. As part of the 665 million pound aidpackage, the UK will provide nearly 200 million pounds to support education,over 130 million to help improve health care and 120 million direct assistanceto Pakistan's budget, which will support macro economic stability,implementation of the IMF programme and social protection for poor people.Zardari's visit comes after UK announced an additional 10 millionpound humanitarian aid for Pakistan to rehabilitate people displaced fromPakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) due to conflicts as wellas to tackle the radicalisation of students into Taliban fighters.Zardari and Brown also announced that they had agreed to broaden theUK-Pakistan partnership by establishing a strategic dialogue in a structuredmanner to promote mutual prosperity and stability. India and the UKalready have a strategic partnership. Noting that the strategic dialogue wouldaddress a number of areas and priorities, Brown said: "We will focus mutualefforts to overcome threats from militancy, terrorism and extremism, to bringstability and to reduce poverty. "We recognise that these threatscan only be overcome in the long term by improving prospects for sustainableeconomic development, education and opportunities for young people. We arecommitted to a long term partnership on these issue." Zardaritravelled to London from Washington, where he met his American counterpartBarack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a trilateral summit of thethree countries, to discuss common strategies in tackling Taliban and al Qaeda.In the joint statement, Zardari and Brown said Pakistan and the UKare bound together by a long-standing strategic partnership based on sharedhistory, values and close ties. "It is a partnership of sovereignstates and of equals, strengthening by a community of almost one million Britishcitizens of Pakistani heritage, their personal and families ties to Pakistan andtheir major contribution to development of the United Kingdom," the statementsaid. The UK, it said, would continue to support efforts of Pakistangovernment to safeguard the sovereignty, political independence, unity andterritorial integrity of Pakistan. President Zardari expressed hisgovernment's commitment to the people of Pakistan to defeat terrorism andviolent extremism and the British Premier expressed his faith in Pakistan'sability to meet the challenges it faces. "We will work together tohelp create the long term conditions for greater security and prosperity inPakistan," the two said in the joint statement.