LONDON - A member of British parliament of Pakistani origin and Minister for Community Cohesion Sadiq Khan has called upon his government to distance itself publicly from the American policy regarding drone attacks to avoid inflaming Pakistani opinion which is very damaging for UKs interests. Sadiq Khan, who has just returned from Pakistan after a fact-finding trip said he had listened to the anger and frustration of students in Islamabad over US attacks inside Pakistan. It was quite clear that many of the Pakistanis were considering the UK in the same terms as the US. We want to explain that our foreign policy, especially on the issue of drone attacks, is distinct from US foreign policy, he added Sadiq Khan, Londons first Muslim member parliament whose parents are from Pakistan, was of the view that unmanned US drones attacks had provoked fury in Pakistan, where scores of militants had been killed in the countrys remote border regions, along with innocent civilians. He suggested that the UK should look to reach out to disaffected Muslim youths by emphasising close linkages between the two countries. Most of the Pakistani population doesnt realise the good we are doing Khan said while adding that the UK was to double the aid to Pakistan to the tune of 180m by year 2011. He is of the view that Pakistanis have not understood the issue, as it is purely a matter pertaining to the Americans. They lumped us together with the US, which to me is a poison. It demonstrates to me we have a big problem. Crucial to winning hearts and minds, Khan said, was dismantling the perception that the US and the UK were one having the same foreign policy. Acknowledging the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had mobilised Muslim opinion against the UK, he said, Because of the things that happened in 2003, there is an uphill battle. We need better to explain that there has been a distinct change in UK foreign policy. For example, this month the last troops will come home from Iraq. Thats very different from the US. The drone attacks are US, not UK; our development policy doesnt have the strings that come with US aid. Khans comments come as ministers seek to increase the numbers of security officials in Pakistan to help in vetting those applying for visas to Britain. At present there are fewer than 10 security service officers assessing the backgrounds of more than 20,000 applications a year. At present, we are reliant on a small number of officials who do the ground work; that is reliant on the Pakistani government giving us what it knows. That should improve in the near future, and can be done with the co-operation of Pakistan, a Home Office source said. Government figures show that 42,292 student visas were issued to Pakistanis between April 2004 and April 2008.