Leaders meet amid rift

Downing Street said the meeting was an opportunity to "reinforce the strong links" between the UK and Pakistan.

Their meeting comes amid strained relations between the two countries following remarks last week by Mr Cameron while he was in India. He provoked anger in Islamabad when he said that elements in Pakistan should not be allowed to "promote the export of terror whether to India, whether to Afghanistan or to anywhere else".

The two are expected to discuss terrorism and trade today. A No 10 spokesman said: "The PM and the President are likely to discuss how we can boost bilateral trade from its current levels of around 1bn of trade flows annually."

Following their talks, Mr Zardari will head to Birmingham where he will host a rally of his Pakistan Peoples Party and speak to members of the Pakistani community about the issues facing the country.