India will never countenance 'perpetrators of evil' being put on par with victims: Jaishankar
New Delhi: India expects partners to understand its policy of "zero tolerance" against terrorism, and it will never countenance "perpetrators of evil" being put on par with its victims, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during extensive talks with his British counterpart David Lammy. Jaishankar's remarks, which seemed to be an attempt to send an unambiguous message to the global community, came against the backdrop of unease in New Delhi over several countries hyphenating India and Pakistan following their four-day clashes last month. Lammy arrived in New Delhi this morning on a two-day visit to review various aspects of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
A British readout said bolstering economic and migration ties and delivering further growth opportunities for British businesses are set to be at the top of the UK foreign secretary's visit to India. Before holding talks with Jaishankar, the British foreign secretary met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his televised opening remarks at the meeting with Lammy, Jaishankar thanked the UK for its strong condemnation of the "barbaric" Pahalgam terror attack and London's solidarity and support to New Delhi's fight against terrorism. "We practice a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and expect our partners to understand it, and we will never countenance perpetrators of evil being put at par with its victims," he said. It is understood that the Indian side explained its challenge of dealing with cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The UK was among the countries which were in touch with both India and Pakistan in an attempt to de-escalate tensions during their military conflict from May 7-10. Lammy paid a two-day visit to Islamabad from May 16, during which he welcomed the May 10 understanding between India and Pakistan to stop the military actions. Jaishankar also described the recently finalised India-UK free trade deal and the double contribution convention as "truly a milestone". "The recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA and the double contribution convention is truly a milestone which will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties," Jaishankar said. The UK readout said, Foreign Secretary Lammy will also welcome progress in "our migration partnership, including ongoing work on safeguarding citizens and securing borders in both countries.
It said addressing migration remains a top priority for the government, and Lammy is focused on working internationally with global partners to secure the UK's borders at home. "India was one of my first visits as foreign secretary, and since then has been a key partner in the delivery of our 'Plan for Change'. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength -- securing our future technologies, adding over 25 billion pounds in trade every year between our countries and deepening the strong links between our cultures and people," Lammy said. He said the signing of the free trade agreement with India is just the start of the ambitions for the two countries. "We're building a modern partnership with India for a new global era. We want to go even further to foster an even closer relationship and cooperate when it comes to delivering growth, fostering innovative technology, tackling the climate crisis and delivering our migration priorities, and providing greater security for our people," he was quoted in the readout. The British foreign secretary is also scheduled to meet leading figures in Indian business to discuss how both sides can unlock greater investment by Indian business in the UK.
In 2023-24, India was the UK's second-largest source of investments in terms of the number of projects for the fifth consecutive year. In his remarks, Jaishankar listed various initiatives which were rolled out recently to bolster the ties. "Since your last visit to India, there have been significant initiatives which both of us have taken, and those initiatives have progressed well," he said. Jaishankar singled out the Technology Security Initiative (TSI) and said it will enable deeper collaboration in strategic technology sectors of AI, semiconductors, telecom, quantum, health-tech, bio-tech, critical minerals and advanced materials. "We have also launched the strategic exports and technology cooperation dialogue, the first meeting of which was held, I believe, this week. "This will enhance, among others, the TSI's effectiveness in promoting trade in critical and emerging technologies, including the resolution of relevant licensing or regulatory issues," he said. Jaishankar also pointed to the UK-India infrastructure financial bridge and said it can unlock quality long-term capital flows from the United Kingdom to India, and "that would surely contribute to our infrastructure development." "There is very good collaboration in the education sector with many more universities, I believe, planning to establish their campuses in India, and on the people-to-people ties front, we had the privilege, I myself had the honour, to open two new consulates in Manchester and Belfast," he said. The overall focus of the talks was to further deepen and diversify the India-UK partnership.
