The senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned on Sunday night after the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom was vandalised.
In a disgraceful incident, the Indian national flag at the Indian High Commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan activists on Sunday, prompting the Indian External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi to summon the senior-most British diplomat to lodge a protest.
British deputy high commissioner Christina Scott was summoned late yesterday evening to convey India’s strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and extremist Khalistan elements against the Indian High Commission in London earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Sunday.
An explanation was demanded for the complete absence of British security that allowed these elements to enter the High Commission premises.
She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention.
“India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK,”
the MEA press release said.
On the other hand, Australian authorities are being reminded by geopolitics academicians to be on their heels to tackle growing Khalistan extremist activities in the country.
Brisbane-based Prof Ian Hall is co-editor of the Australian Journal of International Affairs and Hon. fellow at Australia India Institute.
Prof Hall took to social media to remind the Australian government that if the “Sikh separatist activities are not checked by authorities they can potentially complicate the Australia-India relationship.
However, the lack of knowledge and understanding of the Khalistan extremist ideology and its terror roots is evident in Australian media, academia and security agencies.
Prof Hall says,
“If anyone has a good account of why we’re seeing this resurgence, I’d be grateful for the reference. I’m finding it hard to explain.”
Earlier PM Anthony Albanese said while addressing a press conference in New Delhi, “Australia won’t tolerate any extreme actions and attacks that took place in religious buildings, and there is no place for such action against Hindu temples.”
“And we will take every action through our police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law.
We’re a tolerant multicultural nation, and there is no place in Australia for this activity,”
said PM Albanese.
In India, demanding “immediate steps” from the UK Government, Indian Ministry of External Affairs officials said, “It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in today’s incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”
The British High Commissioner Alex Ellis condemned the attack on the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom today. He condemned the “disgraceful acts” and called it totally unacceptable.
“I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the High Commission of India – totally unacceptable,” British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted.
