ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif sought on Wednesday British government’s help against the outlawed Hizbut Tahrir (HT) radical group and the Baloch dissidents living in exile in the United Kingdom.

Gen Sharif, who is on a three-day trip to the UK, opened his visit with a meeting with Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton.

He later held meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Defence Secretary Michael Fallen, National Security Adviser Sir Kim Darroch, Home Office Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill and Director General of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism Charles Farr.

Military Spokesman Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, speaking over phone from London told Dawn, that the issue of UK-based organisations creating security problems in Pakistan was forcefully raised in all the meetings and in particular with the Home Office.

The army chief specifically talked about the HT and the Baloch dissidents, who have taken up asylum in the UK.

The British authorities were reminded that the actions of these groups not only affected Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts, but also the security cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistan stepped up its counter-extremism and counter-terrorism operations after the Dec 16 Peshawar school tragedy.

The issue of terror financing was also raised at the meetings, Gen Bajwa added.

The HT is banned in Pakistan, but works freely in the UK. In Pakistan the radical group has been calling for overthrow of the government and rebellion against the military leadership for their alleged subservience to the United States.

The HT had in the past also tried to infiltrate into military ranks, but that attempt was foiled and five officers, arrested in 2011, were awarded prison terms for their links with the group.

Hizbut Tahrir started operating in Pakistan in late 1990s and was proscribed by Gen Musharraf in 2003-2004 when their links with military officers were first exposed.

Security agencies believe that Baloch dissidents living in the UK have been supporting the insurgents in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn January 15th , 2015

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