British PM Praises 'Unbreakable Bond' With Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani (left) welcomes his British counterpart, David Cameron, to Islamabad today.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, on a visit to Islamabad today, said Britain and Pakistan have an "unbreakable" bond.

"Britain's friendship with Pakistan is unbreakable," Cameron said. "From the grassroot links between our peoples, with 1 million strong Pakistani diaspora in the U.K. and 1.4 million journeys between Pakistan and the U.K. every single year, right through our links between our governments, and the enhanced strategic dialogue we've just signed, there is no doubt about the strength of the Britain-Pakistan relationship."

At a press conference following talks with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Cameron praised Pakistan's efforts to fight Islamist extremist groups and pledged more cooperation on that front.

Relations between Britain and Pakistan have been tense since Cameron, during a trip to India in July 2010, accused Pakistani authorities of failing to seriouisly address the export of terrorism from Pakistan.

compiled from agency reports