CNews LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday said that he would contact world leaders to get economic and political support for Pakistan, as this will assist Pakistan a lot in war against terrorism and extremism.Addressing a joint press conference here at Downing Street after holding a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf, Gordon Brown said, ‘Thus, Pakistan will have poverty and ignorance alleviated and the educational facilities will be bettered.’
Gordon Brown said the first priority for Pakistan and the world community should be to ensure that Pakistan treads the democratic path, as stable Pakistan is vital for South Asia.
British premier said that he stressed President Musharraf to have negotiations with all political parties for peaceful democratic future in Pakistan.
Pervez Musharraf said he still believes that a strong democratic government would come into existence following February 18 general elections.
President Musharraf said: “Matters including February 18 general elections and bilateral cooperation in different fields were discussed during the meeting and that he is grateful to Britain for its financial aid.”
Musharraf Pervez Musharraf said Talibans have mostly been cleared from Tribal areas, however, he pointed out that the battle is long and vowed to persevere with it.
He said he had a "strong desire" to hold the general election, postponed since the December 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
"I am very sure that we will have a peaceful transition and we will have a strong democratic government following the February 18 election," he added.
On the wider fight against extremism, he said Pakistani efforts to tighten up the notoriously porous border with Afghanistan had seen a 42 percent reduction in cross-border movements of militants.
But he repeated that the fight would be drawn out and needed multilateral support.
"The battle is long and we will persevere with this. It may take a long time and the perseverance has to be on both sides, on the Afghan side and the Pakistan side. Winning on one side will not be enough," he told reporters.
Gordon Brown urged Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf to ensure next month's delayed elections pass without incident, saying the country's stability was vital for the whole of south Asia.
