Top British diplomat in cigarette lobbying row -FT (April 7)

(Corrects paragraph 3 in April 7 story to say the regulations were to come into effect last week, not from May 31)

April 7 (Reuters) - Britain's high commissioner to Pakistan, Philip Barton, has drawn harsh criticism from medical experts and campaigners for attending a lobbying meeting by British American Tobacco in Pakistan, the Financial Times reported.

Barton broke government rules by participating in the meeting on March 13 at which the London-listed company raised its opposition to the use of pictorial health warnings that will cover about 85 percent of a cigarette packet's surface area, the FT said. (http://on.ft.com/1ahCk3d)

The regulations were to come into effect last week, but have since been delayed until May 31 to allow the industry to comply with the legislation, the paper said.

UK officials explained Barton's presence at the meeting, also attended by Pakistan's finance minister Ishaq Dar and health minister Saira Tarar, saying he was there to "help push attempts to combat counterfeit packaging," the daily reported.

UK's foreign office could not be reached for comment outside regular business hours.

(Reporting by Ankush Sharma in Bengaluru)