Cameron's just like a cuttlefish squirting out ink - David Miliband

Asif Ali Zardari is due to arrive in Britain tomorrow for a five-day visit which looks likely to be overshadowed by Mr Cameron's claim that Pakistan was promoting the "export of terror".

The comment has sparked fury in Pakistan, not least because it was made during a visit to the country's arch-rival India.

Last night a spokeswoman from 10 Downing Street said there was "nothing to add" to Mr Cameron's comments.

However, Pakistani officials insisted that the country's president will go-ahead with his visit to Britain, which is part of a European tour.

Mr Miliband said the Prime Minister should have recognised Pakistan's suffering at the hands of terrorists and the democratic progress achieved in Islamabad over recent years, rather than highlighting allegations of covert support for the Taleban in Afghanistan.

He compared the Prime Minister to "a cuttlefish squirting out ink", creating a mess in Britain's foreign policy in his desire to create a splash with his comments about Pakistan and his description of Gaza as a "prison camp".

"Mr Cameron has used the last two weeks to make a verbal splash on foreign policy. Like a cuttlefish squirting out ink, his words were copious and created a mess," said Mr Miliband.

Mr Zardari is expected to meet the UK Prime Minister on Friday at Mr Cameron's official country residence, Chequers, where officials say he will attempt to put the record straight.

The Pakistani president is due to fly in to the UK following talks with French President Nicholas Sarkozy on security and economic issues.

The head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency General Shuja Pasha, who had been due to visit London today, scrapped his trip in protest at the comments Mr Cameron made in India.

Mr Cameron's comments have caused outrage in Pakistan, with protesters burning effigies of the UK Prime Minister during heated street demonstrations. The Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Gilani has now stepped into the row and said Mr Cameron should raise issues through diplomatic routes rather than trailing his view in speeches.

Mr Gilani said: "In India, he has given a statement that we in Pakistan promote terrorism. We want to say to him, we've had good relations with you for 60 years."

He went on to directly address Mr Cameron over alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir, a territory which both Pakistan and India are in dispute over.

Mr Gilani said: "You talk about terrorism but you don't say anything about Kashmir.

"You forgot about the human rights abuses going on there. You should have spoken about that too, so that we in Pakistan would have been satisfied.

"India, you talk about terrorism but you don't say anything about Kashmir.

There are fears that Mr Zardari's UK visit, which will include talks on counter-terrorism, could be overshadowed by the comments Mr Cameron made in the Indian city of Bangalore last Wednesday. The row could also lead to anger among the one million-strong Pakistani community in Britain, representatives of whom Mr Zardari will address at a rally on Saturday.

Further diplomatic tension could also be sparked following reports that an official from the British high commission in Islamabad could be summoned to Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs today for a formal dressing down.

The row comes at a time when Pakistan's help is viewed as crucial to the United States and British-backed efforts to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan has launched a large military offensive against al-Qaeda and Taleban militants in its northwestern provinces bordering Afghanistan.

However, recent criticism of its alleged ties to the insurgents has put the government on edge.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, who is already in London, said the Pakistani president would focus on informing Mr Cameron about Pakistan's fight against "violent extremism".

He said: "If we go back into history, our relations with the UK are very good. And we want to keep up those relations, strengthen those relations."

Mr Kaira went on to claim the Pakistani government's response to the UK Prime Minister's comments in India had been "reasonable." He said: "This statement from the Prime Minister of the UK is contrary to the facts and is not in good taste, but our reasonable reaction is we will discuss this matter at the highest level of the leadership and give them the facts."

The row comes after classified US military reports published on the WikiLeaks website revealed concerns that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency had aided the Taleban.

Conflict zone

THE parties to the Kashmir dispute are India, Pakistan, China, and the people who live in Kashmir.

India administers approximately 43 per cent of the region. Pakistan controls about 37 per cent of Kashmir, while China accounts for 20 per cent.

India's position is that Kashmir is an integral part of India, while Pakistan says that Kashmir is a disputed territory whose final status must be determined by the people of the region. China says the part of Kashmir it controls is a part of Tibet, which is a part of China.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir: in 1947, 1965, and 1999. Armed groups of militants have continued to fight running battles, leading to a widescale loss of life.

On a visit to Pakistan in 2006 Chief Minister of Kashmir Omar Abdullah said foreign militants were engaged in killings and mayhem in the name of religion.