UK Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel made a hard-hitting statement in the House of Commons debate on ‘India-Pakistan: Escalation’ following India’s Operation Sindoor to strike at nine terrorist camp target sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
During the debate, UK Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer laid out the government stance over the incredibly delicate moment in an evolving and fast-moving situation. “De-escalation is of the utmost importance, not least given the large number of British nationals in the region. The safety of British nationals will always be our priority,” he said.
Patel, who reiterated some of her questions to the government raised last week in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attacks, reminded Parliament of the brutal killing of 26 tourists in a barbaric and savage act of violence.
She said: “This is clearly a precarious moment. We want to see tensions ease between India and Pakistan. We want to avoid state-on-state military escalation. We are also clear that India has the right to take reasonable and proportionate steps to defend itself, and to dismantle the vile terrorist infrastructure that has caused death and continues to threaten it.
“Terrorists based in Pakistan threaten India and western interests — it was the country that Osama bin Laden was hiding in — and because of the long history of violence being inflicted by terrorists on India, the UK has in place long-standing security cooperation agreements with India.
“Given those links, the UK government should be at the forefront in working with our friends and allies to tackle the terrorist threats that we face collectively. The Minister will not be able to speak about intelligence sharing between the UK and India, but will he at least confirm whether our intelligence and security services have been in contact with India about the incidents that took place, and whether they are supporting its investigations? Have the Government provided any specific security assistance to India in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Kashmir? Could Britain offer specific support that might help avert escalation?
“Does the Minister agree with India’s assessment that the Resistance Front, which claims responsibility for the 22 April attacks, is a front for the proscribed Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has a clear history of committing acts of terror against India, and has reported links to Hamas? There are reports that Hamas representatives met it earlier this year. Will the Minister confirm whether the UK government are aware of any cooperation and links between Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hamas? I asked him that last week, and he did not respond, so I would welcome an answer on that important point today. Does he know which terror groups are currently operating in Pakistan, and their links to other terrorist groups that threaten our interests?
“The British government have a role to play, and need to leverage their influence to help ease tensions. What direct discussions have been taking place between the India and Pakistan governments since those attacks two weeks ago? Was the UK informed in advance of the actions being undertaken? Does the minister have a plan to support easing those tensions?”
The minister responded to say that while Foreign Secretary David Lammy is travelling, he is certain that regular discussions remain ongoing.
