ISLAMABAD, Sept 27: Sir Michael Jay, Permanent Secretary British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, here on Tuesday made it clear that United Kingdom did not equate terrorism with Islam.

During a meeting with the Senate standing committee on foreign affairs headed by Mushahid Hussain Sayed, he said Islam was a religion of peace and tolerance, but certain elements resorted to terrorism with the belief that they were serving the cause of Islam. He said there was a need to spread the true message of the religion.

He said Britain was not against Madressah education but was only opposed to the seminaries involved in extremism. He said UK would continue to welcome Pakistani students as had been the practice in the past.

British High Commissioner Mark Lyall Grant informed the committee that 5,000 Pakistani students were issued visas to study in the UK this year.

Sir Michael Jay exchanged views on bilateral relations, fight against terrorism and various other subjects including Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine with the committee members. Senator Mushahid Hussain underlined the need for addressing the root causes of terrorism to ensure peace and stability in the world.

He said Pakistan was opposed to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and had been itself a victim of the menace.

He expressed the view that double standards were being followed on various issues confronting the Muslim world, such as Kashmir, Iran and Iraq and a blame game was going on.

He said without just and speedy solution of Palestine and Kashmir dispute, issues of terrorism and extremism could not be tacked effectively.

He called for joint efforts aimed at averting the “clash of civilizations”.

He said people of Pakistan felt that British government should play a proactive role in the resolution of Kashmir issue; otherwise peace in the region would remain elusive.

He pointed out that the settlement of Kashmir issue was an unfinished agenda of partition of the subcontinent.

Senators Wasim Sajjad, Nisar Ahmed Memon, S.M. Zafar, Gulshan Saeed, Prof Khurshid Ahmed and Maulana Samiul Haq also spoke on the occasion.