16 February 2005	Wednesday	06 Muharram 1426

LAHORE, Feb 15: Britain's foreign minister Jack Straw has visited the cities of Lahore and Gujrat in a bid to win over sympathies of London-based Pakistanis for himself as well as for the ruling Labour Party in the forthcoming general election , it is learnt.

Mr Straw was on a two-day visit to Pakistan, which concluded on Tuesday. Sources in the foreign ministry said the request for the tour and its schedule had come from the foreign minister himself.

By Monday afternoon, he had completed his official engagements in Islamabad while in the evening he visited Lahore to deliver a lecture on the Pakistan-UK relations, besides calling on Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

The next day (Tuesday) he visited a seminary in Gujrat and spoke to a select gathering of locals. During the speech, he gave various references to the Quranic verses.

At least 13,000 voters of Pakistani origin, mostly from Gujrat and Lahore, are living in his constituency in the UK. He has visited Lahore and Gujrat for the first time during his last five tours to the country.

Sources privy to the situation say that the tour is aimed at winning back Muslim voters annoyed at the Labour Party's 'unconditional' support for the US policies being considered as anti-Muslim.

A majority of Muslims had voted against US President Bush in the presidential election on Nov 2 last and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to avoid this situation in the local polls, the sources add.