Zardari 'snubs' Brown: Report

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has "snubbed" Gordon Brown by pulling out of a planned press conference with the British premier in Islamabad on Monday, a news report said.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has "snubbed" Gordon Brown by pulling out of a planned press conference with the British premier in Islamabad on Monday, a news report said.

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Brown arrived in Islamabad on a day-long visit after a whistle stop tour of Afghanistan. In a move seen as a "snub" to Brown, Pakistan prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani will take part in the press conference instead of President Zardari, the Guardian online reported.

A Pakistani media report had earlier indicated that Brown is expected to get a lukewarm reception amid a diplomatic row between London and Islamabad over the arrest and subsequent release of 11 Pakistani students in an alleged terror plot in the UK.

Tension marked the diplomatic ties between the two countries following the British Prime Minister's remarks disparaging Pakistan for not doing enough against terrorism.

Asif Ali Zardari's "snub" follows British premier's announcement of a switch in anti-terror strategy, whereby greater effort will be directed towards the border with Pakistan, which he described as "a crucible for terrorism" responsible for fostering up to three-quarters of terror threats faced by the UK, the British report said.

"We know that three-quarters of the terrorist activities that happen in Britain arise from the areas around here. Therefore, the safety of people on the streets of Britain is immediately being safeguarded by the action being taken here," Brown said in Kabul at the news conference with Afghan president Hamid Karzai.