Latest news with #VikramDoraiswami
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Great sympathy and understanding in UK for what India has gone through due to cross-border terrorism: Indian envoy Doraiswami
London [UK], June 4 (ANI): India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami, has said that there is great sympathy and understanding in the UK for what India has suffered due to cross-border terrorism that has emanated from Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled territory. In an interview with ANI, Doraiswami emphasised that India's ties with the UK have gained traction. The UK's approach to challenges that have persisted in South Asia has been much more understanding of India's concerns and more willing to respect that these problems need to be solved by India and Pakistan. Responding to questions about the all-party Indian delegation's meetings in the UK, Doraiswami said, 'I don't want to put words into either our parliamentarians' mouths or those of our British friends, but I think there was a great deal of receptivity to the message. There is great sympathy and understanding in the UK for what India has gone through in terms of our long and painful journey with cross-border terrorism that has emanated from Pakistan-controlled territory and the state of Pakistan. There is a great sense of understanding of the anger and hurt in India that this scourge just doesn't go away.' 'That said, of course, the UK has its own position. It's a sovereign government. It will take its own decisions, but in the last decade and more, we see a steady evolution as our relationship with the UK has gained weight, traction, and strategic dimensions. The UK's approach to challenges that have long persisted in South Asia has been much more understanding of our concerns, much more willing to respect the fact that these are problems that have to be solved by India and Pakistan and indeed all other problems in the region by the region. And that India's rise is, in broader terms, the greatest benefit of the Indo-Pacific region and the world as a whole. So, that sense comes through to all our parliamentarians,' he added. Doraiswami emphasised that the all-party delegation's visit was aimed at conveying the sentiments of Indian citizens, and India welcomed the international community's understanding of the country's need to ensure national security. When asked about the Indian delegation's expectations from the UK, he said, 'I shouldn't, we should never set out expectations of a friend. We have come here as far as I can understand from our parliamentary leaders, the people of India as representatives, that we are not here to seek favour from anybody. We are here to explain our position. We are here to point out what the people of India feel, and of course. We welcome the fact that our partners understand what we have to do, but we will do what we need to do to secure the people of India, any government of India, the current government in particular, are committed and will always remain committed to do whatever is necessary to secure our people, and that message has landed.' The all-party delegation, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, was in the UK to garner widespread support for India's fight against terrorism and to expose Pakistan's role in fostering terrorism. The delegation led by Ravi Shankar Prasad includes BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari and Samik Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and former Ambassador Pankaj Saran. During the visit, they met with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)-India. They addressed the media there, during which the delegation delivered a strong message on the global threat of terrorism, highlighting Pakistan's misuse of international funds to support terrorism and arms proliferation. The delegation also received widespread support from British parliamentarians, think tanks, and the Indian diaspora for India's democratic unity and firm stance against terrorism. They were welcomed by APPG India President Sandy Verma, and the meeting was co-chaired by UK MPs Lord Karan Bilimoria and Jeevun Sandher. Many current and former MPs, including Lord Ed Vaizey, Bob Blackman, Barry Gardiner, Gurinder Singh Josan, Gagan Mohindra, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Kanishka Narayan, Shailesh Vara, Baggy Shanker, Mark Pritchard and others also joined the discussion. Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that during their time in the UK, the delegation met with key UK figures, including the Speaker of the House of Commons and Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, emphasising the need for international accountability on terrorism financing amidst appreciation for India's democratic approach. Prasad highlighted the global concern over terrorism as a 'cancer' and called for scrutiny of Pakistan's use of international funds, noting the novelty of the all-party delegation initiative. 'This has been really good. Our visit to England concludes today. We held a press conference at the India House here; we met the Speaker of the House of Commons this morning. We met the Chairman of the Conservative Party yesterday; we also met Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel. We also met Indian Friends in the Labour Party... We also interacted with Think Tanks. All of them are concerned that terrorism is a cancer... We also said that they (Pakistan) get loans from the IMF and World Bank and they get other funding too. So, is the funding being used for terrorism and weapon purchases or for the poor? This should be asked of them... Everyone said one more thing: that the all-party Parliamentary delegation visit is a new initiative,' Prasad said. The delegation met UK Minister for Citizenship and Migration and Minister for Equalities Seema Malhotra at the UK Parliament. The delegation also held a meeting with the UK's Shadow Foreign Secretary, Priti Patel, and her team on Sunday to share India's firm resolve to counter cross-border terrorism. In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in the UK stated, 'The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation met with Shadow Foreign Secretary @pritipatel and her team to share India's firm resolve in combating cross-border terrorism. They also highlighted how #OperationSindoor exemplifies the new normal set by India in this ongoing effort.' An all-party delegation, led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, visited London as part of India's global outreach program to convey the country's firm stance against terrorism. (ANI)
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
All-party delegation arrives in UK to convey India's policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism
'The All Party Delegation of MPs led by Ravi Shankar Prasad arrived in London this evening and was received by High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami,' the Indian High Commission in the UK said in a post on X. The multi-party delegation, comprising MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Ghulam Ali Khatana, Amar Singh, Samik Bhattacharya, M Thambidurai and former Union minister of state MJ Akbar and Ambassador Pankaj Saran, is scheduled to meet with community groups, think tanks, parliamentarians and diaspora leaders. London, May 31 (PTI) An all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad arrived in London on Saturday to reiterate India's zero-tolerance stance on terrorism. During their three-day visit to the UK, the delegation will be engaging with House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, UK Foreign Office Minister for Indo-Pacific Catherine West, parliamentarians, think tanks and Indian diaspora representatives, the High Commission said. The Prasad-led delegation is on a tour of six European countries as part of India's diplomatic outreach following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. The delegation arrived here after concluding its visits to France, Italy and Denmark over the past week. In Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, the delegation interacted with Danish parliamentarians, foreign affairs officials and Indian diaspora groups. 'The delegation emphasised on India's zero-tolerance towards terrorism and stance that any act of violence would be responded to befittingly. India's appreciation of Denmark's public stance condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the expression of solidarity with India was conveyed to the Danish side during the meetings,' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement earlier. From the UK, the delegation will head for discussions and meetings with a cross-section of parliamentarians, political leaders and diaspora groups in the European Union (EU) and Germany. The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community to emphasise Pakistan's links to terrorism. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. PTI AK AMJ AMJ AMJ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hampers, cufflinks … and a lot of alcohol: 20 gifts kept by Lindsay Hoyle
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the House of Commons, has declared hundreds of gifts he received from foreign dignitaries and others since 2021. Here is a small selection of the items he kept. 1) Bottle of rum Cayman Islands government office (30 January 2025) 2) Bottle of whisky Mr Vikram Doraiswami, high commissioner of India (20 December 2024) 3) The Whoo skincare products Mr Yoon Yeocheol, ambassador of the Republic of Korea (13 December 2024) 4) Hamper containing coffee, fudge, tea, hot chocolate, chocolates, ginger and butterscotch pudding, shortbread, biscuits, jam, honey, chutney and a Qatar magazine Embassy of Qatar (18 December 2024) 5) Model of HMS Bounty Mr Simon Young, mayor of the Pitcairn Islands (20 November 2024) 6) Hamper containing a bottle of champagne, two bottles of wine, tea, marmalade, strawberry preserve, chutney, brandy butter, Christmas pudding, shortbread, fudge and tea towel Anguilla UK representative office (17 December 2024) 7) A bottle of Smidgin gin and a bottle of wine Ms Katerina Stavreska, ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia (19 November 2024) 8) Mosaic portrait of the speaker Mr Ahmed Mohammad Ali Safadi, speaker of the house of representatives of Jordan (5 August 2024) 9) Fountain pen in presentation box King Abdullah II of Jordan (26 May 2024) 10) Three candles, two perfumes Mr Badr Mohammed Badr Almantheri, ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman (19 December 2023) 11) A bottle of vodka Mrs Rukhshona Emomali, ambassador of Tajikistan (19 December 2023) 12) Bottle of champagne and book on Bangladesh churches Ms Saida Muna Tasneem, high commissioner of Bangladesh (21 November 2023) 13) Ararat brandy (20 years), Ararat brandy (10 years), red wine (Van Ardi reserve 2019) Mr Varuzhan Nersesyan, ambassador of Armenia (7 June 2023) 14) Cufflinks and two commemorative coins Mr Washington Misick, premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (17 November 2023) 15) Bottle of mezcal and tie Ms Josefa González-Blanco Ortiz-Mena, ambassador of Mexico (17 October 2023) 16) White wine (Auxerrois Vin de Paille 2013) Mr Georges Friden, ambassador of Luxembourg (14 June 2023) 17) Ron Varadero 15-year-old gran reserva rum Mrs Bárbara Montalvo Álvarez, ambassador of Cuba (16 May 2023) 18) Churchill's 20-year-old tawny port Mr Nuno Brito, ambassador of Portugal (21 March 2023) 19) Tie, panettone and sparkling wine Mr Inigo Lambertini, ambassador of Italy (13 December 2022) 20) Bottle of cognac Mr Elin Suleymanov, ambassador of Azerbaijan (14 December 2021)
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On UK TV, Indian Diplomat Shows 1 Photo To Expose Pakistan Army's Real Terrorist Boss
India's ambassador to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, exposed Pakistan amid the ongoing Operation Sindoor. Speaking with Sky News on May 10, Doraiswami said that the brother of a prominent Pakistani terrorist led funeral prayers for those killed in Indian strikes on May 7. He showed a picture of Hafiz Abdur Rauf standing in front of Pakistani soldiers at a funeral. Doraiswami said Rauf was Masood Azhar's brother, the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief. Watch this video to know more.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Indian envoy urges Pakistan to take the ‘off-ramp' and stop escalating the conflict
LONDON: India's high commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami has said that India's conflict with Pakistan could end right now if Pakistan takes the opportunity of an 'off-ramp'. 'If Pakistan stops attacking our military facilities, the matter ends there. But it is for them to decide,' he told Sky's Yalda Hakim on Thursday. 'We have made it abundantly clear we are not looking for an escalation. But if Pakistan responds, we will respond along exactly the same lines. We did not attack their military. As they have now started trying to attack our military bases, we have hit back at their air defence systems.' He said the original escalation was the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack at Pahalgam. Operation Sindoor PM Modi meets NSA, chiefs of armed forces amid spike in tensions with Pak India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan Several airports in India to be closed till May 15 - check list 'Our response was focused solely on terrorist infrastructure. The object of this exercise was clearly to avoid military escalation.' Hakim referred to a Reuters report claiming Pakistan aircraft had shot down Indian fighter jets. 'There is no evidence of that. We haven't confirmed any such thing,' he said. 'You had the Pakistan defence minister on your show who said the evidence for that was on social media. If it satisfies Pakistan's ego to say they have done something, they could have used that as an off-ramp . But they chose not to and have continued to escalate. What is Pakistan retaliating about? They are retaliating against attacks on terrorism infrastructure so what does that tell you of their relationship with terror groups?' Asked if India was concerned at the loss of a Rafale jet, he said 'We don't know if this has happened. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo As a famous British admiral once said, the purpose of military hardware is that it has been used. If Pakistan escalates, we have the capacity to really punish them harder.' When asked if India funded the Baloch Liberation Army, he pulled out a photo of US-designated terrorist Hafiz Abdul Rauf, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar, at a funeral for terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor, with the Pakistani military present and coffins draped in Pakistan's national flag. 'If you are going to give terrorists state funerals, what does that make of your system? The simple solution is for the international community to tell Pakistan it has an opportunity for an off-ramp. The world should have compelled Pakistan 30 years ago to take down this infrastructure. They have not done so.'
