.British security for British PM

British security specialists arrived here heavily loaded with modern equipment late Monday to take charge of the security arrangements made locally for British Prime Minister David Cameron`s day-long visit on Tuesday.

Sources said they brought with them special explosive-proof vehicles and ambulances to ensure foolproof security to the prime minister and his entourage.

None of the Pakistani security personnel will be included in the motorcade during Mr Cameron`s journey from the airport to the capital city and back.

Britain has an important role to play in helping build a stronger, more secure Pakistan, analysts and former military officers said today as David Cameron paid his first visit to the country.

But several areas of bilateral tension remained of keen concern, they added, including British criticism of Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and "spillover" from the Nato-led war in Afghanistan.

"It's good that Cameron has come here. It helps create understanding and helps clarify the issues. Britain understands Pakistan better than the US. Britain is a leading EU country and we want good commercial ties with the EU," said Syed Noor ul-Haq, a retired army brigadier.

Cameron's visit might also give the prime minister a better appreciation of Pakistan's sacrifices in the "war on terror", he said. "We have suffered a lot. Pakistan has lost over 3,000 soldiers since 2001.We have big problems with infiltration of militants from Afghanistan and the influx of refugees."

India has tried to portray Pakistan as the "epicentre of terrorism" and Cameron appeared to endorse that view when he visisted Bangalore last year and accused Islamabad of "looking both ways", said Maqsudul Hasan Nuri, president of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).

"Pakistan is going through a rough patch. It is in transition. There are positive and negative features to Pakistani democracy," Nuri said. Given its historical connections, Britain could help fend off uninformed or malign interference at a difficult time for the country, he suggested.

"Anti-American sentiment is very high partly due to the drone attacks [on militants in the tribal areas] and to the [Raymond] Davis case [in which a CIA spy shot dead two Pakistanis]," Nuri said.

"But Pakistan's options are limited at this point in time. One day the government and the military may stand up [to the Americans]. I don't know. But the tensions and pressures are increasing."

Cameron has tried to defuse anger over his terrorism remarks, calling the affair a "misunderstanding". On Tuesday he announced new funding for Pakistani primary schools, part of a planned doubling of bilateral aidby 2015, and hailed the bilateral relationship as "unbreakable".

A lot of what Britain is doing passes relatively unnoticed among the mass of Pakistan's population, as did Cameron's brief visit to Islamabad, said one observer.

"The British help needs to be more publicised. If it is, then people will appreciate it," said Mohammed Hanif, a research fellow at the IPRI. "We have very strong connections with Britain. This help for primary school education is very good.We think the UK should help us convince the US about what we are doing [to combat extremism] and tell them of our concerns."

Britain also had a role to play in convincing the US to negotiate with the Taliban on ending the Afghan war, Hanif said. After nearly 10 years of fighting, a military solution was not feasible.