Gordon Brown Demands Greater Action From Pakistan in Fighting Terror

Gordon Brown today confronted Pakistan over its record of exporting terrorism, revealing that three quarters of serious plots investigated in the UK were connected to the country.

The prime minister arrived in Islamabad to announce that British police now want to interview the surviving suspect in the Mumbai terror attacks, as part of broader inquiries into the extremist group blamed for the atrocity, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In private talks he also questioned Pakistan's president, Ali Asif Zardari, over what action could be taken to eradicate training camps based in Pakistan through which woud-be suicide bombers from Britain have passed. Brown offered assistance in tracing and shutting them down.

"Three quarters of the most serious plots investigated by the British authorities have links to al-Qaida in Pakistan. Our aim must be to work together to do everything in our power to cut off terrorism,'"he told a press conference in Islamabad.

In return, Brown offered a new pact between the two countries to combat terrorism "to make sure terrorists are denied any safe haven in Pakistan".

This would involve British help to Pakistan with training in bomb disposal, airport security, anti-car bomb measures and a £6m-package to counteract radicalization and bolster democratic institutions in return for cooperation in the investigation.

One of the July 7 2005 London bombers, Mohammed Siddique Khan, was among key terror suspects known to have traveled to Pakistan ahead of committing atrocities, and the well-trodden trail leading from the UK's northern cities to the mosques, madrassas and jihadi camps of Pakistan is causing increasing concern. Brown has spoken repeatedly in recent days of wanting to break a "chain of terror", leading from the region back to Europe.

The increase in pressure from the international community on Pakistan to curb jihadi activities followed Brown's talks with both the Indian prime minister, Mahoman Singh, and the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, on Friday and Saturday.

The Indian government is concerned that while Pakistan has clamped down on Lashkar-e-Taiba now in response to international outrage, in the past it has taken action which fizzled out once international attention faded.

Brown also passed on concerns from Karzai over terrorists infiltrating Afghanistan via the Pakistani border, after his Saturday trip to the frontline in Helmand province. The deaths of four royal marines last week, three of them in an incident involving a child bomber, has ensured Afghanistan cast a longer shadow than expected over the trip.

<h2>British police look to interview Mumbai suspect</h2>

Meanwhile, government sources said Scotland Yard's interest in interviewing the surviving suspected gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pakistani national now in custody in India, stemmed not only from the death of a British national in Mumbai, but from inquiries into the activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba and other attacks potentially linked to the militant group.

They believe Kasab may be useful in building up a picture of the web of organizations linked to al-Qaida currently operating out of Pakistan.

Brown said British police could attempt to pursue suspects in Pakistan as a result of their developing inquiries, adding he had asked the president if he would be prepared to allow that. Zardari however gave no guarantees today.

Zardari insisted at a press conference in Islamabad today that his government was cooperating with the investigation into the Mumbai attacks, adding: "Terrorism and extremism is a common problem which requires collaborative efforts. Problems are not specific to one country."

Pakistan has said it will respond in more detail when the Indian government shares more details of their investigations so far.

Brown said that it was now known Lashakar-e-Taiba was behind the attacks and "they have a great deal to answer for".