December 13, 2008	Saturday	Zilhaj 14, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is likely to visit Islamabad in a few days as part of diplomatic efforts to defuse tension between Pakistan and India in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks.

Mr Brown is scheduled to go to New Delhi on Sunday.

According to diplomatic sources, he would be telling the leaders of both countries that they stand to lose a lot from the renewed tension and that the Mumbai incident indicates that both of them share the threat posed by global terrorism.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband who spoke to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday and President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday is said to have discussed Prime Minister Brown’s likely visit to Islamabad.

The sources said the British prime minister’s trip to the region was unscheduled and it specifically pertained to the tension between the neighbours.

However, a spokesperson for the British High Commission refused to confirm or deny Mr Brown’s plan to visit Islamabad, ostensibly because of security concerns.

It may be mentioned that Foreign Secretary Miliband was dining with President Zardari in Islamabad when the Mumbai attacks started and he has made at least three calls to Islamabad since the incident.