Hague denies troop expulsion shows deterioration in Anglo-Pakistan relations

Published June 29 2011

British foreign secretary William Hague has used Twitter to respond to an exclusive Bureau story, saying that ‘UK and Pakistan [have] an unbreakable partnership.’

The Bureau revealed on Sunday that up to 20 British military advisers have been asked to leave Pakistan. A £15m front-line scheme to train the country’s Frontier Constabulary – crucial in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban – has now been paused. The affair has been linked to continuing fallout between Pakistan and the United States, following the killing of Osama bin Laden and ongoing CIA drone strikes.

We asked the foreign secretary: ‘@WilliamJHague – Do the Bureau’s revelations of British military advisers’ exit show poor UK-Pakistan relations? #askFS bit.ly/kK9Yq5 #tbij’

As part of his regular #askFS service, in which the foreign secretary takes questions on British foreign policy, Mr Hague tweeted in reply:

‘@TBIJ No. UK and Pakistan have unbreakable partnership. We respect Pakistani request, based on security concerns #askFS’

Read the original story here.