Britain and Pakistan smooth over terrorism row

Britain and Pakistan agreed on Friday to do more together to fight militancy, smoothing over a diplomatic spat that followed British criticism of Pakistani efforts in countering extremism.

British Prime Minister David Cameron had said on a trip to India last week that Pakistan should not "look both ways" in combating militant groups, sparking anger in Islamabad and putting a strain on relations between the two countries.

The dispute has overshadowed President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to Britain this week. But, after meeting Cameron at his rural English official residence, the Pakistani leader said the diplomatic friendship would "never break, no matter what happens".

"Storms will come and storms will go and Pakistan and Britain will stand together and face all the difficulties with dignity, and we will make sure the world is a better place for our coming generations," he told reporters.

Battling militancy was high on the agenda at their meeting and Cameron said they would do more to improve cooperation on security and policing.

"That is a real priority for my government and somewhere where, with Pakistan, we are going to work together," he said.

The two leaders signed a communiqué vowing to intensify counter-terrorism efforts and strengthen trade ties, and Cameron also accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.