British High Commisioner 
Sir Rob Young
in conversation with Saurabh Shukla

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The Indian Express
31 August 2000

Close on the heels of British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's visit, India will play host to Home Secretary Jack Straw. The issues stay the same -- counter terrorism, drug trafficking, immigration, and the release of Peter Bleach -- but this time round, India hopes for a response that will push Indo-British ties into a more meaningful realm...

India and Britain have come closer in recent years. What are the areas of co-operation that shape this relationship?

INDIA and Britain are natural partners and there is a mutual desire to see more co-operation. There are many areas of international convergence such as terrorism, drug trafficking, UN reforms and the growth of bilateral trade that has been the backbone of our relationship. In the first five months, British exports to India have increased by 44 per cent. Investment is growing at both ends. We have also embarked on attracting small and medium British firms to invest in India. 

There have been several high-level visits to India from Britain. Your Deputy Prime Minister was here besides some important secretaries, and now Home Secretary Jack Straw is arriving here on September 4. What is the agenda for Straw's visit?

THE visit by British Home Secretary Jack Straw is the first by a British Home Secretary in many years. It will focus on areas such as our co-operation in counter-terrorism. We have been listening to what the Indian government has been saying for years on obstacles in doing business with UK. He will also try to address the issue of immigration and other related problems. There are more than one million people of Indian origin in UK who are contributing immensely. He will go to the heartland of one of the great Indian communities, in Amritsar. 

Will the British government raise the issue of the release of Peter Bleach in the Purulia arms drop case? 

THE subject of British national Peter Bleach will certainly come up during the visit of Home Secretary Jack Straw. I cannot prejudge what he will say, but the issue has caused concern in Britain and has been raised in the Parliament and the British media. 

There have been a spate of incidents of foreign tourists being killed in Himachal Pradesh, and some British nationals have gone missing as well. Do these incidents concern you? 

OBVIOUSLY, we are concerned about the fate of British tourists or tourists of other countries. We have already issued a travel advisory to tourists about travelling alone in Himachal Pradesh and have advised them to travel in groups and take experienced guides along. I am yet to raise the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs, but I don't know if this will come up during talks with Straw. 

There is some concern in India over the resumption of the sale of military hardware to Pakistan. Is it the beginning of business as usual with Pakistan? 

THIS is not business as usual with Pakistan. We continue to calibrate our relationship with Pakistan according to steps taken by the Commonwealth. We will continue to work for an early restoration of a civilian democratic government in Pakistan. The military equipment in question comprised minor spare parts related to radar and naval equipment. We refused Pakistan licensing of other military hardware that may have been used for external or internal aggression. 

What is the British government's stand on Kashmir? 

THE Kashmir dispute cannot be solved through violence...We thoroughly welcomed the Indian government's intiative to have talks with the Hizbul Mujahideen. It was a very important step in the right direction, but at some stage, India and Pakistan need to talk. There are two ingredients here: one is talks and other, restraint. And the killings of innocents must end. 

Are you endorsing the Indian government's position that cross-border terrorism should end before resumption of a dialogue wih Pakistan? 

WE have made it clear both publicly and privately that Pakistan has to first stop cross-border terrorism. 

India and Britain have been concerned with developments in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime is promoting the illegal drug trade to finance its activities. 

IT is a very big problem for both of us, and one of the important items on the agenda during Jack Straw's visit will be to intensify our consultations on the Taliban. More than 90 per cent of heroin on the streets of UK comes from Afghanistan. We are working with countries like India so that this nexus can be broken. 

Britian seems to be thinking beyond the CTBT. Are you willing to move ahead independent of India's position on the issue? 

CTBT is still on our agenda. We are still very concerned about the need for real measures towards nuclear disarmament. Both India and the UK wish to see global nuclear disarmament. But we will continue to urge the Indian government to build a positive national consensus on signing the CTBT.