Cameron defends ‘frank’ comments about Pakistan terror

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) As Pakistan seethed over his remarks about exporting terror, British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday said ‘it was important to speak frankly’ and stressed that while Islamabad had ‘made progress… we need them to do more’.

‘I think it’s important to speak frankly about the problems as you see them. I mean I think that is what people expect of their government,’ Cameron told BBC here.

‘To be fair to the Pakistan government, they have made progress in chasing down militants and terrorists in Pakistan that threaten their own country and threaten others,’ he said.

‘But we need them to do more and we should work with them to do more because as I said yesterday, it’s not acceptable to have those within Pakistan who are supporting terrorist groups that can do so much damage to their own country and to British people whether in Afghanistan or back home in Britain.’

Cameron, who is on his maiden visit to India as prime minister, had said in Bangalore Wednesday that Britain can’t tolerate the idea that Pakistan can look both ways and export terror to India, Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

Cameron’s comments have angered Islamabad. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan has slammed Cameron’s remarks, saying they were ‘an immature reaction from an immature politician’.

Cameron defends ‘frank’ comments about Pakistan terror

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) As Pakistan seethed over his remarks about exporting terror, British Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday said ‘it was important to speak frankly’ and stressed that while Islamabad had ‘made progress… we need them to do more’.

‘I think it’s important to speak frankly about the problems as you see them. I mean I think that is what people expect of their government,’ Cameron told BBC here.

‘To be fair to the Pakistan government, they have made progress in chasing down militants and terrorists in Pakistan that threaten their own country and threaten others,’ he said.

‘But we need them to do more and we should work with them to do more because as I said yesterday, it’s not acceptable to have those within Pakistan who are supporting terrorist groups that can do so much damage to their own country and to British people whether in Afghanistan or back home in Britain.’

Cameron, who is on his maiden visit to India as prime minister, had said in Bangalore Wednesday that Britain can’t tolerate the idea that Pakistan can look both ways and export terror to India, Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

Cameron’s comments have angered Islamabad. Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan has slammed Cameron’s remarks, saying they were ‘an immature reaction from an immature politician’.