LONDON, Oct 3: The Pakistan High Commission launched what is called the Conservative Friends of Pakistan Group on the opening day of the three-day annual conference of the Conservative Party which began early last week in Birmingham.

Appreciating the move, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said the group would go a long way in cementing ties between the two countries.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the High Commission for the delegates attending the conference, Mr Hague recalled his recent visit to Pakistan with the party leader, David Cameron.

He said the Tory party was mindful of the difficulties Pakistan was currently facing and the loss of precious lives in the recent Islamabad hotel bombing.

This huge loss together with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto for the cause of democracy, he said, had moved the people of UK. He spoke of optimism and hoped in Pakistan and said that during the visit the delegation had good exchanges of views with leaders of all the major political parties.

“We expressed our strong support for all their efforts, including those by the newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari, for consolidating democracy.”

Mr Hague said the British delegation saw the real and secure establishment of democracy with independent judiciary, strong diverse media and political parties. “The future of Pakistan will be different from the last few decades and we look forward to working together in many areas, including economy and development.”

High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan termed the launching of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan Group a “historic move” and expressed his gratitude to MP Rob Wilson, Lord Altaf Sheikh and others for taking keen interest in the formation of the group.

He said relations with the UK formed the centre piece of Pakistan’s foreign policy as both countries shared history and a common vision of partnership for global peace in the 21st century.

“Nearly a million strong Pakistani-origin Diaspora has given multi-dimensional facet to this relationship that covers cooperation in trade and economy to countering the challenge posed by global terrorism.”

Mr Hasan noted that the new democratic government led by Pakistan People’s Party envisioned the country as a modern, liberal and progressive country and was making efforts for the prosperity and welfare of its people.

He said that beset by internal and external challenges, the government from the very onset had pursued a policy of national reconciliation with all major political forces and was of the firm view that only when there was a broad national consensus could there be effective implementation of policies.

The High Commissioner said Pakistan expected from its friends in the UK and elsewhere to support and cooperate with it and provide space to the democratic government to find solutions to problems such as terrorism and Kashmir.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Sajjad Karim, member of the European Parliament and Chairman, Friends of Pakistan Group in EU, Barrister Rahman Chishti, a prospective Tory party candidate for Gillingham constituency, Lord Altaf Sheikh, MPS Rob Wilson, Alan Duncan, Baroness Saiyeda Warsi, Baroness Varma and Baroness Neville Jones.

Rob Wilson was elected chairman of the group with Lord Sheikh and Steven Hammond as vice-chairmen and Stewart Jackson as secretary. A four-member Executive Committee was also elected.