New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Tuesday warned that Sikh separatists are a “matter of concern” for countries like the UK, as the space given to them “impacts social cohesion and social order” in these countries.
Speaking at a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-nation visit to the UK and Maldives from 23 July till 26 July, Misri pointed out that the issue of Sikh separatists existing within the Western European nation is “something” that India has brought “to the attention of our partners” and that it will continue to do so.
“This is a matter of concern not only to us, but it should be a matter of concern to our partners as well, because this impacts social cohesion and social order in these other countries as well,” added Misri.
In recent years, Sikh separatists have posed a security challenge for the Indian mission in the United Kingdom. In March, India had issued a stern warning to London, demanding “action” not “words” after Sikh separatists broke a security cordon and tore an Indian flag in front of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s vehicle as he was exiting an event in the country.
India lodged a strong protest, summoning the British charge d’affaires Christina Scott and handing over a demarche, as reported by ThePrint earlier. In March 2023, Sikh extremists breached India’s High Commission in London and detached the tricolour in retaliation to the Punjab Police’s attempt to arrest Amritpal Singh, the Sikh separatist turned Member of Parliament.
Later that year, Vikram Doraiswami, India’s High Commissioner to the UK was prevented from entering a gurdwara in the city of Glasgow by protesters linked to the Sikh separatist movement.
PM Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with his British counterpart Keir Starmer, and is also expected to call on King Charles III. It would be his third meeting with Starmer, following their meeting last month in Canada on the margins of the G7 and the meeting on the margins of the G20 last year.
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Security, FTA on the cards
The Indian Foreign Secretary further highlighted that New Delhi has been in discussion with the UK on the extradition of fugitives living in the United Kingdom, while the visit by PM Modi would be an opportunity to discuss important security matters, including the cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
“You are aware of recent developments, also in that regard, the United States State Department has recently designated the TRF [The Resistance Front] as a foreign terrorist organisation, and especially designated global terrorists and a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. I’m sure our UK colleagues are updated on this development, but this will give us the opportunity to share further views on issues such as cross border terrorism and the need to respond in fashion to such challenges,” Misri said on the potential discussion on the role of the Resistance Front and the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.
The visit will also likely see the free trade agreement signed between both countries. India and the UK had announced the conclusion of the negotiations for the FTA on 6 May. The agreement is currently going through the required legal scrubbing and processes to allow for its signing during the visit.
The FTA is India’s first bilateral agreement with a European nation. Its other agreement is with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which is a regional grouping that includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway.
It will see the elimination of nearly 99 percent of tariff lines for India covering almost 100 percent of its total trade value with the UK. India will give the UK access to a number of sectors including leather, textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, along with other areas such as auto parts and engineering goods.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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