India has reportedly “disengaged” from pursuing trade talks with the UK after it accused the country of failing to effectively condemn and counter the Sikh extremist group that staged an attack on the Indian High Commission in London last month.
A British government source told The Times, “Indians don’t want to talk about trade until they get a very public demonstration of condemnation of Khalistan extremism in the UK.”
India Denies Claim
An Indian foreign ministry official on Monday denied the “baseless” claim and reiterated to Reuters that trade talks with the Western nation had not been suspended.
UK's Department for Business & Trade spokesperson says both the UK and India are committed to delivering an ambitious and mutually beneficial FTA and concluded the latest round of trade talks last month. https://t.co/WLp6MiB5jr
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 10, 2023
Similarly, a British diplomat in New Delhi confirmed that trade talks between the two were continuing as scheduled.
Fallout
Ties between the two countries strained last month after the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned the senior-most diplomat in the UK’s embassy in New Delhi to voice opposition to the UK’s inaction against the pulling down of the Indian flag outside the Indian High Commission (IHC) in London.
The MEA lamented the “complete absence of the British security” that allowed the protestors to trespass onto the premises, which the Ministry said violated London’s obligations under the Vienna Convention. Further, New Delhi found the UK’s “indifference” to be “unacceptable.”
India-UK Trade Ties
Although India and the UK have been discussing upgrading trade relations for a while now, they remain extremely fragile. Last October, Indian officials told The Times that their landmark deal is on the “verge of collapse” after British Home Secretary Suella Braverman criticised Indian migrants for overstaying their visas.
According to the report, Indian officials were livid about Braverman’s remarks, who stated that the deal would allow Indians free movement in the UK and more visa flexibility, making it a bad deal for the UK as Indians comprise “the largest group of people who overstay are Indian migrants.”
India responded that the “relationship has taken a step back” due to the comments.