As I ready for the PM’s visit to India where she will speak at the event where I am chairing sessions, one of the most idiotic things I have read from anti-UK-India relationship messengers in the past week is:
‘The UK government is soft on condemning terror from Pakistan’
This comes about because the FCO in reply to a public petition seeking condemnation of the terror attacks issued a statement which some people thought was not strong enough; presumably because we didn’t undertake from Britain a missile strike, or drone strike, on terror camps in Pakistan.
The statement from the Foreign Office however was brilliant for India and far more than what the petitioners, myself included, had hoped for. It’s just that the subtlety of was lost on the public – but the public were not the audience, the Government of Pakistan and India were the audience – regardless of how self-important we petitioners think we were.
That UK Foreign Office statement said that not only were the terror camps in Pakistan but that Pakistan had to do more to stop the exporting of terror. But that wasn’t the best bit.
By also saying that the UK Government stands to help poor Pakistan because it is suffering from this disease of terror, it makes it impossible for Pakistan to deny assistance, interference and Britain acting as India’s de facto proxy and taking sides.
You see, if the UK Government had simply said ‘Pakistan exports terror’ – as the petitioners wanted, then what about getting UK involved? Those words would have been the end of it. But actions are better than words. So how can Britain involve itself in the internal matters of Pakistan on India’s behalf?
This way is how. By effectively stating, we agree with your difficult problems, so since we both agree, let us help you. And how can you refuse our help, when you yourself say you have suffered. The British are good at this type of diplomacy.
And anyone claiming Britain is soft on terror shows a disturbing lack of knowledge of politics, because they forget the words of Prime Minister Camerson in India that ‘Pakistan cannot allow itself to export terror’ and of Minister Liam Fox, who will also be with PM May in India in November, who said ‘Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world’.
So the grandstanders need to sit down. The British have actually done more than you even thought to ask for. So don’t call us Brits soft on terror. It’s an insult to those who died on 7/7 and to our soldiers in armed conflict. We do a lot more to counter terror than any other country in the world, including India.
