LONDON, Feb 21: Pakistan's High Commissioner to UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi called on the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams here on Thursday and they agreed on the need to intensify and broaden the dialogue between civilizations.

They discussed ways and means for promoting inter-religious harmony.

Dr Maleeha briefed the Archbishop on steps taken by Pakistan to ensure protection of the minorities, including the introduction of separate electorate for them.

She also briefed the Archbishop on the President Pervez Musharraf's concept of enlightened moderation, which envisaged a two-pronged strategy to deal with extremism and intolerance. She also briefed him about the reform process underway in Pakistan to promote the vision of a modern, tolerant, Muslim state.

Briefing him on Pakistan's role in the war against terrorism, she said it was necessary to avoid identification of terrorism with any religion or faith, and it was also essential to address its root causes, as an effective long-term strategy.

Dr Maleeha appreciated the Archbishop's initiatives for inter-faith harmony, including the decision to establish a Muslim-Christian council later in 2004.-APP