India reminds UK about ISI role
India on Wednesday conveyed its concerns over Pakistani spy agency ISI’s role in Afghanistan and the proposed reintegration of the Taliban when the foreign ministers of India and Britain met here, a day ahead of the talks between their Prime Ministers. External affairs minister S.M. Krishna met British foreign secretary William Hague
and discussed a range of bilateral issues, including trade and investment, the new British immigration policy and closer educational and cultural ties. During the talks, India raised its concerns over the British government’s cap on non-EU immigration of skilled labour and stressed that it could come in the way of ambitions to energise business ties. Mr Hague assured this policy will be fine-tuned after consultations with India, sources said. Mr Krishna and Mr Hague also shared views on the volatile situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and its repercussions on regional security.
Mr Krishna spoke about the recent leaks of classified documents by an online whistleblower that documents in detail the ISI role in fomenting insurgency and anti-India activities in Afghanistan and aired his concerns about the threat to India’s security interests, sources said. Britain took note of India’s concerns and agreed to deepen bilateral counter-terror cooperation in the region. The AfPak issues will figure in discussions between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart David Cameron on Thursday. Downplaying divergences with India on Afghanistan, New Delhi described London as “a very valuable interlocutor.”
“India is supportive of the Afghan government’s efforts to integrate those elements who abjure violence and abide by the Afghan constitution and are respectful of the economic and political gains that Afghanistan has made in the past several years,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash told reporters here.
“We are also of the view that any such initiative should be Afghan-led and Afghan-driven,” he said the spokesperson.
—IANS
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India, BAE ink deal for 57 Hawks
AGE CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU
July 28: British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to India started off on a sterling note on Wednesday in Bengaluru, when Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed a £700 million deal with military equipment giant BAE Systems and aircraft engine-maker Rolls Royce to build 57 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers for the Indian Air Force and Navy under licence from BAE Systems, in addition to the 66 Hawks that India contracted to buy in 2004.
Mr Cameron, 43, who came to power promising, among other things, to build a new “special relationship” with India, said business and trade relations were uppermost on his mind on this two-day visit. He urged India to reduce barriers to foreign investment in banking, insurance, defence manufacturing and legal services and called for greater Indian investments in Britain.
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