MOST of us, either politicians or British people, agree there is a link between this country's foreign policy and the threat of a bomb attack in Britain.

Pro-war politicians and ministers used to claim there was no connection between us supporting Afghanistan/Iraq war and our country becoming a target for security threats.

It is becoming very visible that our foreign policy has aggravated more and more violent behaviour overseas and here in the UK for those who are waiting to disturb our stability and peace. Our foreign policy has given bombers an excuse to justify their action.

Is it worth it? Should we have handled the Afghanistan/Iraq crisis in a way that our present government has handled the situation? I don't think so.

Our present government has violated many political principles of human rights, civil liberty and valuing democratic voices of our society.

Tony Blair, Jack Straw and many other pro-war politicians are the people who have mocked the very idea of ethical foreign policy, who sell arms to undemocratic regimes, who accept Guantanamo Bay, who put trade before human rights, who are destroying our freedom of expression.

They may claim to be socialist, but they are in no position to wear the socialist mask.

It is time to renew our foreign policy with the sense of responsibility and liability.

We have to decide now what Britain's policy goals are and how they can be achieved with the minimum loss of life, both at home and abroad.

As for as the home-grown terror threat, we need to learn that rather than harsh policies and suspicion, what we need to do is to win the hearts and minds of British citizens, not to put labels and stereotype them.

We should change our foreign policy not as an act of cowardice but because it is ethically and morally wrong and as almost every British citizen can now see, except our present government, our foreign policy is increasing the problem of home-grown and international terrorism, not solving it.

DR IMTIAZ PATEL, Harwood Gate, Blackburn.