Pak needs to do more to reduce terror threats to UK: May govt

London, Nov. 22: Britain has not witnessed a major incident of terror over the past few years, but other European capitals such as Paris and Brussels have, this year, and that has prompted the government of Prime Minister Theresa May to suggest to Pakistan that it needs to do much more to reduce potential threats to the UK from terrorists on its soil.

London is unconvinced about Islamabad’s promises three years ago during then home secretary May’s visit that it looked forward to working with the UK on counter-terrorism, immigration, serious crimes and narcotics. Sources said that things did not seem to have changed. They said that any observer of Pakistan would agree the situation had worsened, with terrorists increasing their influence within the country and outside.

In August this year, Pakistani cleric Anjem Choudary, one of the wellknown faces of extremism in the UK, was arrested, and there is a view that

Prime Minister May will visit Pakistan in 2017, and according to sources, she is likely to flag her government’s concerns of LeT fingerprints in UK there are still many like Anjem based in Pakistan or the Middle-East who are working to strengthen terror groups in the UK.

The sources claimed that with the help of British Pakistanis, Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ut-Dawa have made deep inroads in the UK.

PM May will visit Pakistan in 2017, and according to these sources, she is likely to flag on priority her government’s concerns of LeT fingerprints in the UK, and the fact that its founder, Hafiz Saeed, is allowed by Pakistan to hold public rallies where he openly threatens the destruction of the UK.