India's Strong Warning to UK Over Security Breach During S Jaishankar's Visit
The government strongly condemned the "provocative activities" of a small group of "separatists and extremists" in response to the security breach that occurred during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the UK on Thursday.
Ankush Pandey
HighLights
- Khalistani extremists demonstrated outside the London location where Jaishankar gave a speech.
- In front of the police, one man tore the Indian national flag while they were chanting slogans.
- The UK must "fully live up to diplomatic obligations," according to the MEA.
- Khalistan supporters raised slogans in front of the Foreign Minister
- The Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over the incident.
In a harsh response to the security lapse during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's trip to the UK, the Indian government denounced the "provocative activities" on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs denounced in a statement how a few "separatists and extremists" were abusing "democratic freedoms".
The breach occurred outside the Chatham House in London, where Jaishankar was holding talks, when a group of Khalistani extremists brandished loudspeakers and the Indian national flag while chanting slogans. As the situation turned into a security breach, a man later ran towards his car and tore the Tricolor in front of police officers as he was leaving the venue.
"We have seen the video of a security breach that occurred during EAM's visit to the UK. We denounce the aggressive actions of this tiny faction of extremists and separatists. We regret that these elements have abused democratic freedoms. The MEA's statement stated, "In such situations, we expect the host government to fully fulfill their diplomatic obligations."
Khalistani extremists were seen outside Chatham House in videos of the chaos, chanting slogans and waving flags. Another video showed the man who tore the tricolor sprinting violently in the direction of Jaishankar's convoy. The police on the scene later removed the man and other extremists, although they initially seemed reluctant to take action.
Attempt to attack Jaishankar
Even before the Foreign Minister reached Chatham House, Khalistan supporters were raising anti-India slogans there. They had Khalistan flags in their hands. After attending the program, when the Foreign Minister had sat in his car, a man came in front of his car. He tore the tricolor flag while raising slogans. The video of this incident is becoming very viral on social media.
???? : Khalistani goons attempt to heckle India’s External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar in London while he was leaving in a car. A man can be seen trying to run towards him, tearing the Indian national flag in front of cops. Police seem helpless, as if ordered to not act. pic.twitter.com/zSYrqDgBRx
— THE SQUADRON (@THE_SQUADR0N) March 5, 2025
Jaishakar also had a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his visit to the UK, which ends on March 9. The two leaders discussed a wide range of subjects, such as strategic coordination, people-to-people interactions, education, mobility, and political cooperation.
During the Chatham House discussion, a Pakistani journalist asked the External Affairs Minister a question that made Jaishankar "a little nervous." After that, the journalist charged that India was "illegally occupying Kashmir." The journalist further asserted that Kashmiris are "up in arms" and that India has allocated "one million troops to control seven million Kashmiris" before requesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi use his friendship with US President Donald Trump to end the protracted conflict in Kashmir.
Jaishankar adamantly rejected any outside interference and supported India's strategy for resolving the Kashmir dispute, asserting that significant steps had already been taken to deal with the issue on its own.
"I believe that the return of the stolen territory in Kashmir, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan, is what we are waiting for. "I promise that Kashmir will be resolved once that is finished," the External Affairs Minister stated.
Foreign Ministry expressed concern
The Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over this incident. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said we have seen the video of the crime committed by a group of extremists in London. We strongly condemn this incident. The Foreign Ministry said, "We expect that in such cases the host government will fulfill its diplomatic obligations."
Why is the Foreign Minister's visit to Britain special?
The aim of the Foreign Minister's visit is to promote India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership, which includes trade, health, education, people-to-people ties and defence cooperation. After the UK visit, Jaishankar will travel to Ireland on March 6-7, where he is scheduled to meet Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris, interact with other officials and meet the Indian diaspora.
