Pakistani PM seeks support in Manchester

THE PRIME Minister of Pakistan has spoken to more than 4,000 Pakistanis in Manchester, calling on them to send money to their country to ease the pain of sanctions sparked by Islamabad's testing of the world's first Islamic nuclear bomb.

Nawaz Sharif addressed an outdoor meeting, hastily arranged during a private visit to the UK, appealing to expatriates to invest pounds 1,000 each in their home country.

Speaking in Urdu to roars of approval, he said the tests were justified "because our security was under threat and we had to do something about it. We could not sit still".

There was tight security around the premier and a heavy police presence. The overwhelmingly supportive crowd waved flags, chanted and sang.