ISLAMABAD, Aug 12: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi, who arrived here earlier this week for the International Judicial Conference, has rushed back to London where several people of Pakistani origin were arrested in connection with the foiled terrorist plot.
Dr Lodhi, who was supposed to read a paper at the conference, took the Saturday morning flight back to London.
Before leaving, she met the prime minister and held meetings at the Foreign Ministry and other key institutions.
When queried prior to her departure about the arrests in the UK, she emphasised that they were all British nationals.
Highlighting Pakistan’s role in countering international terrorism, Dr Lodhi noted: “Terrorism is a threat to us all and there is need to address the root causes of radicalism.”
She said Pakistan and the UK had been cooperating in the area of counter-terrorism and they would continue to do so.
Answering a question, she said the Pakistani population in the UK was close to a million, of which a large proportion was dual national.
KASURI’S VISIT: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri leaves on Tuesday morning for Damascus to join the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) contact group for a visit to Beirut to show solidarity with the government and people of Lebanon.
“Mr Kasuri will arrive in Damascus on Tuesday and from there he will proceed to Beirut the following day as part of the OIC contact group delegation,” a Foreign Ministry source told Dawn on Saturday.
During the three-day visit Mr Kasuri will be accompanied by two officials of the Foreign Ministry including director-general (OIC Division) Miangul Akbarzeb.
The group will call on the Lebanese prime minister and the president in Beirut on Wednesday, diplomatic sources said. It is also expected to hold talks with the Syrian leadership in Damascus where all members will first assemble.
The UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on the Israel-Lebanon conflict calling for a cessation of all hostilities would be a key talking point, sources said.