Pakistan and Britain rift deepens over Afghan claim

THE spat between Pakistan and Britain deepened last night after President Asif Ali Zardari warned the war in Afghanistan was being lost.

The premier delivered his blunt assessment of the Nato campaign’s progress against the Taliban as he arrived in Britain for what promises to be a fraught visit.

He also made clear he would be challenging prime minister David Cameron personally over his suggestion elements in Pakistan were promoting terrorists.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Zardari said coalition forces had “underestimated the situation on the ground” in Afghanistan.

“The international community, to which Pakistan belongs, is losing the war against the Taliban,” he said. “This is above all because we have lost the battle to win hearts and minds.”

Referring to the controversial comments made by the prime minister while visiting regional rival India last week, Zardari said he would be raising them when the men have talks at Chequers on Friday.

“The war against terrorism must unite us and not oppose us,” he said. “I will explain face to face that it is my country that is paying the highest price in human life for this war.”

But speaking on BBC WM radio, Cameron flatly rejected the idea that Nato was “losing the battle of hearts and minds”.

“We’re protecting a large percentage of the population (in central Helmand province), keeping them free from terror and, in the areas that we are in, you now see markets functioning and schools open ... and life is actually able to go on,” he said.

“So I don’t accept that we’re losing the battle of hearts and minds.

“It is very difficult, it’s very tough what we’re asking our troops to do, but there’s a basic programme here, which is to protect the people in a classic counter-insurgency programme, build up the Afghan army and police and as they are capable of taking care of their own security, we will be able to leave.”

Cameron also insisted he had no regrets over his comments about Pakistan’s involvement in terror, and said the countries’ relationship could “survive speaking frankly about problems”.

The prime minister also expressed “enormous sympathy” for the people of Pakistan over the catastrophic floods engulfing parts of the country and stressed that Britain had boosted aid there.

Criticism of Zardari’s decision to press ahead with the visit has been heightened by the disaster — which has claimed up to 1,400 lives and affected two million people — with critics saying he should be at home to deal with the devastation.