"We have been determined, as a government to ensure that the money is not just pledged but is spent to benefit those most severely affected by the recent earthquake in Pakistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir", says British Minister for State at Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dr Kim Howells.
Addressing the students and faculty members of the Institute of Business Administration (IBM), City Campus here, Dr Kim Howells said the people throughout Britain, irrespective of their race or origin, had felt and continued to feel profound solidarity with the people of Pakistan, who had suffered so much as a result of this earthquake.
He said his country had also supported the Nato relief efforts by contributing cargo flights, helicopters, and engineering battalions, including members of UK's own Royal Engineers arriving this week, whereas over the past weeks, Nato helicopters and planes had delivered 2,000 tonnes of relief goods to remote areas.
Private individuals and groups of volunteers from the UK, including doctors, had come to Pakistan to help in whatever way they could, he said. British officers associated with the UN Joint Logistics Chondri had devised a plan to supply 100 tonnes of food a day by helicopter to help keep three and a half million people alive in quake-hit areas, he addded.
Dr Kim Howells informed that last week, UK announced an increase in British funds to support the relief effort bringing the UK's total pledged assistance to over 220 million dollars so far, and 72 million dollars more had been donated by the British public through our national appeal.
He also recognised the generous contribution to the relief effort made by British companies based in Pakistan and by the business community in Britain. After United States, the UK was now the second largest bilateral donor in response to this disaster.
Of course, there is still a great deal to be done to help those in need. The British government and the people of Britain remained fully committed to supporting the continuing relief effort and the long-term reconstruction of Kashmir, he said.
Dr Kim Howells said during his stay in Pakistan over next few days he would love to discus with members of the Pakistan Government and other hosts the common challenges we face and how - by working together - we could best meet them.
He said as a minister it was his first visit to Pakistan, and it had been a key objective for him since he was appointed as Foreign Office Minister earlier this year. It was a matter of special pleasure to be in Karachi.
Speaking on international terrorism and extremism, thew UK minister said he knew that Pakistan fully understood the horror of indiscriminate violence and that as President Musharraf had recognised extremism was one of the biggest challenges facing Pakistan.
Dr Kim Howells said some maintain that democracy was a Western value and that promoting democracy reflected a Western agenda. Others said that Islam and democracy were incompatible. Both assertions were wrong. There were strong traditions within Islam of consultation and consensus. And surveys, such as those cited in the United Nations's Arab Human Development reports, show a significant demand amongst ordinary people for more democracy.
He welcomed President Musharraf's continued commitment to strengthening the democratic process in Pakistan and encouraging wider political participation, particularly amongst women.
The national election in 2007 should be a major milestone on the road to full democracy, he said. The UK and other members of the international community stand ready to assist in any way. Critical to the democratic process and self-esteem was economic empowerment, he added. He said Pakistan's economy is strong, but poverty was still widespread. The UK was working closely with the government to support Pakistan's Poverty Reduction Strategy, he added.
The UK state minister said that his country had contributed $450 million to Pakistan, over three years, to support economic reform, healthcare and education.
UK was also intensifying trade links with Pakistan, and British businessmen's interest in Pakistan was growing. The UK was the second largest foreign investor in Pakistan. And, this year, the trade between two countries would exceed $1.5 billion.
The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce's mission is in Karachi on a trade mission with 17 business representatives. Other missions to Pakistan would follow, including one from Glasgow.
He said he had a particular interest in the role of universities as major drivers of modern economies. The world ranking lists of top universities were dominated by American and British universities. It is no coincidence that they are also two of the strongest, most flexible and advanced economies in the world.
"No country can hope to compete in the world economy without strong, vibrant universities acting as power houses of research, debate and high quality teaching - universities that reach out to business sectors and to the communities around them. I hope that Pakistan and the United Kingdom will seek to develop ways that enable our universities to enhance education in general in Pakistan so that it becomes fit for purpose", said Dr Kim Howells.
He said: "International terrorism took advantage of any weaknesses it detects, in individuals, in institutions, and in nation states. So we must redouble our efforts to ensure that those responsible for terrorist attacks face justice. They were against democracy. Those who believed in democracy, whatever their political affiliations, need to come together to defend their values and defeat the terrorists."
Dr Kim Howells said terrorist attacks, wherever they occur, were not religious acts. True believers of a religion would not slaughter innocent people, including members of their own faith. Those were evil attacks on civilisation. They were an attack on all of us.
But he believed there was more that could be done by the mainstream in Islam to reclaim their faith's image from the grip of extremists, he added.
"We all know that Islam is a faith of tolerance and peace. Yet the extremists are harming Islam's image with their twisted interpretations. It is time the mainstream stood up to the extremists and reasserted the true values of Islam that I understand it teaches", said Dr Kim Howells.
In London on July 7, the people from 19 countries and many different faiths - Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews - were killed or injured. The leaders of Britain's diverse faith groups had all spoken out forcefully that people of every faith should stand together to fight terrorism, he said.
The UK minister underlined the need for continuing speaking out against the maligned misinterpretation of Islam, which teaches young people to turn themselves into human bombs.
He welcomed President Musharraf's commitment to tackling extremism in Pakistan, including through the registration and regulation of Madrassas, the banning of extremist organisations and the detention of known extremists.
Dr Kim Howells said the UK was working with Pakistan, particularly in Interior Sindh and Southern Punjab to raise awareness and promote debate about the murders known as "honour killings."
The UK minister called for joint efforts to try to resolve the conflicts which fanned the flames of intolerance and injustice and fuel extremism. That we need to encourage democratic change and strengthen the unity and understanding between the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds.
"Our first priority must be to resolve long-running conflicts that continue to sow mistrust and deep divisions between the Muslim and non-Muslim world. They include, of course, the Israel/Palestine conflict; the rebuilding of Afghanistan; and the search for peace and democracy in Iraq", he noted.
It came as a great relief, therefore, to be able to say that, as a close friend of Pakistan, the UK welcomes very warmly the ongoing rapprochement between Pakistan and India, said Dr Kim Howells.