Pak envoy warns US raids on Taliban, Qaeda in Pak could lead to terror attacks in UK

Pak envoy warns US raids on Taliban, Qaeda in Pak could lead to terror attacks in UKLondon, Sept 14 : Pakistan’s high commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan has reportedly said that American raids on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan could provoke terror attacks in London.

He said the US bombings had killed hundreds of civilians, but had failed to eliminate any Al-Qaeda leader.

“This will infuriate Muslims in this country and make the streets of London less safe. There are one million Pakistanis in the diaspora here and resentment is mounting. I’m being flooded by text messages from community leaders saying we must organise our anger. The Americans’ trigger-happy actions will radicalise young Muslims. They’re playing into the hands of the very militants we’re supposed to be fighting,” timesonline. co. uk quoted Hasan as saying.

The Pakistani diplomat added: “We hope they will help convince the Americans to stop it, to give space to our fledgling democracy and revive our economy. Otherwise, the army will take over. Is that what they want?”

The Pakistani envoy’s remarks followed outrage in Pakistan over five attacks in the past 10 days, including a ground assault in the village of Angoor Adda in which 20 people were killed.

While US officials say that all those dead were Al-Qaeda supporters, but Pakistan has maintained that they were civilians, including women and children.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari, who will be arriving in London on a private visit, is likely to hold talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Zardari is expected to appeal to them to exert their influence to halt the unauthorised bombings, said the paper. (ANI)