Amidst efforts to resolve the diplomatic row over David Cameron’s comments in India on Pakistan’s role on terrorism, President Asif Ali Zardari and the British Prime Minister met over dinner during which assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto was remembered.
The dinner last night was originally organised by the International Development Minister Alan Duncan, who struck up a friendship with Bhutto during their time together at Oxford University in the 1970s.
Downing Street sources said the dinner was moved to Chequers at the Prime Minister’s request.
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The dinner provided an occasion to meet informally before formal talks today morning between Mr. Cameron and Mr. Zardari.
According to official sources, a joint press conference after the talks was unlikely.
On the formal talks, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister is looking forward to welcoming President Zardari to Chequers. It is an important opportunity to reinforce the strong links between the U.K. and Pakistan and continue to support stability, security, democracy and prosperity [there].”
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On the agenda will be the international response to the floods, co-operation in fighting terrorism, Pakistan’s economy, strengthening educational ties and the situation in Afghanistan.
Mr. Zardari yesterday met Home secretary Theresa May and Conservative party chairperson Baroness Sayeeda Warsi. He also met four parliamentarians at lunch at the Pakistani High Commission, including Conservative MPs Rehman Chishti and Sajid Javid and the former Labour MPs Shahid Malik and Mohammad Sarwar.
Other Labour MPs did not attend the meeting, including Sarwar’s son Anas who is an MP from his father’s Glasgow Central seat. Another MP, Khalid Mahmood, said he had boycotted the meeting.
Mr. Mahmood said: “I am disgusted with him being here. He should be looking after his own people. His visit shows his indifference to his own people.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Zardari’s son Bilawal announced last night that he will not participate in tomorrow’s convention of the Pakistan People’s Party in Birmingham.
The forum was supposed to be the launch-pad for Mr. Bilawal’s political career.
Instead, he said in a statement that, he would spend Saturday working to help the victims of the country’s devastating floods.
He said: “I will not even be attending the (Birmingham) event and instead I will be opening a donation point at the Pakistani High Commission in London for victims of the terrible floods which have ravaged northern Pakistan“.
Mr. Bilawal also sought to play down speculation over his political future, by saying that he intended to further his academic and political knowledge and was considering studying law.