SAS troops plan to rescue Britons amid Pak military coup fears

LONDON - Amid fears of a possible military coup in Pakistan, SAS troops across the border in Afghanistan are reportedly firming up plans to remove British embassy staff from Islamabad within four hours.

The plan is indicative of Pakistan’s political fragility.

“There are more and more rumours that some people in the military view a military takeover as the best way to bring greater stability,” the Daily Express quoted, a diplomatic source, as saying.

At a time when Pakistan is struggling with severe floods and terrorist activity, Britain’s High Commissioner Adam Thomson and his staff have reportedly been working hard to ease the plight of those made homeless by the floods. Up to eight million are said to be still dependent on aid.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met British Prime Minister David Cameron at Chequers last month and said that his country was desperately in need of trade, as well as aid, and particularly wanted access to European markets.

Zardari appears desperate for an economic lift, and fears that without it, many young men could fall into the hands of extremists, the paper reports.

There are concerns that hardliners in the Pakistan Army are becoming impatient with the crisis and want faster solutions and a more determined effort to stamp out the terrorist menace. (ANI)