David Cameron yesterday risked a diplomatic rift with Pakistan after accusing Islamabad of “looking both ways” on exporting terrorism, soon after he paved the way to closer nuclear and military ties with India.
The British prime minister's warning to Pakistan to stop “promoting terror” or face isolation in the international community came during a public appearance in India's IT hub in Bangalore, during a trip to strengthen the UK's links with the fast-growing Asian country, which he called a “responsible global power”.
Britain has traditionally enjoyed close ties with Pakistan. But Mr Cameron's words are a strong condemnation of Islamabad's suspected links with extremist groups. They follow the publication by the website WikiLeaks of classified US files detailing allegations that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, the country's spy agency, armed and trained the Taliban.