Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his British counterpart David Cameron Thursday had a blessing in disguise as they remained stuck in slow moving London traffic for 45 minutes, as thousands of police officers marched through the capital. The two leaders who earlier had an extensive interaction at the 10 Downing Street for the first review of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, left together for the launch of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan forum at a nearby hotel. They however could barely move much further as all roads leading to the hotel were blocked by traffic due to the march.
The opportunity proved good for the two leaders, who availed the time to discuss whole range of issues between the two countries. Matters ranging from regional issues to building of personal ties were discussed which are likely to go a long way in building a strong relationship between the two countries. Despite the police escort it took them around 45 minutes to cover a distance of less than a mile that usually takes only three minutes for an ordinary commuter. However the peaceful march of over 30,000 officers from all over the country through the capital grid jammed the entire route.
They should learn from Pakistan….how to block all the routes for general public when there is VIP movement….
These were public sector employees who were protesting against government's austerity measures. There has been pay freeze for over 2 years and from the first of April this year the pension contributions have gone up. Pension contribution is set to go up to 14%. The retirement benefits which were exempt from tax are now taxable.
There is huge public discontent in the UK, a very big sense of dissatisfaction. The university fees have also gone up. Public is not happy.
The prime minister of Pakistan should have remained in Pakistan and the money spent on this useless trip could have been put to better use. This is not specific to this PM; any one who has come to power in Pakistan has the same mind set. Whether it is Nawaz Sharif, Musharaf or Shukat Aziz, they are all the same. The pathetic lot.
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