I won’t apologise for Pakistan terror remark: David Cameron

LONDON - Prime Minister David Cameron has refused to apologise for his comment that Islamabad is “exporting terror”, said a government source who insisted that “he meant it”.

Daily Mail quoted government sources as indicating that Cameron would not withdraw his suggestion that Pakistan was “exporting terror”.

A government source said Cameron would not apologise for his outspoken remarks and added: “No, he said it and he meant it.”

During his India visit, Cameron July 28 warned Pakistan against exporting terrorism to India, Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

Cameron said: “We want to see a strong, stable and democratic Pakistan, but we cannot tolerate in any sense export of terrorism, whether to India, Afghanistan or anywhere in the world.”

Pakistan reacted last week by cancelling a meeting on terrorism co-operation.

On Sunday, a British Labour MP said the comment were “inflaming” opinion among British Muslims.

“A lot of people of Pakistan origin are hugely inflamed by this. They feel their country of origin has been criticised for no reason other than point scoring. He (Cameron) is just trying to curry favour with the Indians,” Labour MP Khalid Mahmood was quoted as saying.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters that President Asif Ali Zardari would present Cameron with “the facts on the ground” during their Friday meeting.

“The president of Pakistan will explain and have a dialogue and good discussion and he will explain the facts to the new Government over here. We hope that the new leadership over here, when they get the exact picture, will agree with us.”