At Downing Street

Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with his British counterpart, David Cameron, at 10 Downing Street seems to have gone well, with Mr Cameron promising all possible assistance in Pakistan’s battle against terrorism, and agreeing both countries would work together against extremism. Britain, of course, remains one of Pakistan’s most important allies, and PM Sharif will be glad the talks went well with Islamabad also stating it was willing to work towards a stronger relationship with India and play a positive role in Afghanistan. The general body language from the meeting also suggested both premiers had got along well.

This, of course, is good news for Pakistan, which currently needs as many allies as possible. But behind all the bonhomie and the friendly banter for the cameras are the tensions in Islamabad’s relations with London, which could take on a more ominous tone in their future. On the eve of PM Sharif’s visit, a group of British MPs making up the International Development Committee released a rather damaging report asking if British aid was really helping fight extremism in Pakistan. This, of course, is the purpose why aid goes over from the UK to Pakistan, with Islamabad being the biggest recipient of assistance from that country in the world. The MPs asked if the 446 million pounds allocated for Pakistan this year would really come to any good at all. A debate on this is really not something Pakistan needs at a time when it is desperately short of funds and requires all the help it can get from any quarter.

An indication of this also comes in PM Sharif’s plan to call on investors to show confidence in Pakistan and put money in the country. The large Pakistani diaspora based in the UK is, in many cases, a wealthy one and could play a key role in the economic growth of its own country. While Mr Sharif promised to protect foreigners coming in, it will remain to be seen if his words are believed. Nevertheless, on the whole, the trip has gone well. The right things have been said and in the future, we may see positive results emerging from the interactions which took place in London.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2014.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.