‘UK, India launching anti-extremist task force’: Boris Johnson on countering Khalistani groups

Concluding his two-day visit to India, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said talked about countering pro-Khalistan groups in Britain, saying that his country does not tolerate such elements. He further talked about launching an anti-extremist task force.

After holding wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Johnson also said that economic fugitives seeking to use the British legal system to evade the law in India are not welcome in Britain.

While addressing a press conference jointly with PM Modi, Johnson said, “We've set up an anti-extremist task force to help India...UK govt ordered extradition...We don’t welcome people who want to use our legal system to evade the law in India.”

#WATCH| On being asked about Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya &Khalistani extremists,British PM Boris Johnson said,"We've set up an anti-extremist task force to help India...UK govt ordered extradition...We don’t welcome people who want to use our legal system to evade the law in India." pic.twitter.com/rK3nV9xRG2

— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2022

Earlier, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringhla had said that Johnson has a “zero-tolerance” policy on the Khalistani issue, against which the Modi government has been seeking constant action.

Further, the UK PM responded to a question about concerns over reports of human rights violations and the rise of Hindu nationalism in India, saying that the UK raises these issues in a "friendly way" but added that India is a great democracy and it has constitutional protection for its communities.

"On our relations with India and how we deal with questions around human rights and democratic values, of course, we have these conversations but the advantage of our friendship is that we can have them, and we can have them in a friendly and private way," he said, as per PTI reports.

The Britain prime minister further added, “It's very important to realise that India has constitutional protections for communities. India is very very different from autocracies around the world. It is a great democracy. It is a stunning shining fact that 1.35 billion people live under a democracy, and that's something we should celebrate.”

During his two-day visit to India, UK PM Boris Johnson visited Gujarat and New Delhi and held bilateral talks with PM Modi. The talks between two world leaders revolved around a free trade agreement, disturbances in Afghanistan, and the Ukraine war.

(With PTI inputs)

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