Brown holds talks with Musharraf on Pakistan election

UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown will hold talks with Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf today over the troubled country’s impending general elections.

Brown and Mr Musharraf are also expected to discuss the fight against terrorism and the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons when they meet in Number 10.

Pro-democracy protesters are set to gather outside Downing Street amid concern that the president will try to delay or rig the poll.

But Mr Musharraf pledged during a speech in central London last week that the election would go ahead on February 18 in a “free, fair and transparent” fashion.

He also rebuffed a US offer of military and intelligence personnel to help with the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban on the Pakistan borders.

Fears over the security of the country’s nuclear weapons have been heightened by growing unrest and an increased level of terrorist attacks.

Last month opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated outside a rally, and the authorities have been accused of trying to cover up exactly how she died.