London: Forces with “extremist ideologies” must not be allowed to misuse democratic freedoms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday after meeting his British counterpart Keir Starmer, in remarks that came amid increasing concern in India over activities of pro-Khalistani elements in the UK.
With Starmer by his side, Modi also said that both India and the UK are “united in our view that there can be no place for double standards in the fight against terrorism” as he thanked the British government for its “strong” condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack.
He made the remarks after Starmer hosted him at Chequers, the countryside residence of the British PM located 50 kms northwest of London.
“We agree that forces with extremist ideologies must not be allowed to misuse democratic freedoms. Those who misuse democratic freedoms to undermine democracy itself must be held to account,” Modi said in his media statement.
There have been increasing concerns in India about the activities of pro-Khalistani elements in the UK, especially after an attack on the Indian High Commission in London in March 2023.
India has been flagging its concerns to the UK over the activities of pro-Khalistan elements on British soil.
It is learnt that the issue figured in the delegation-level talks.
The prime minister also underlined the need to confront the challenge of terrorism with a firm approach.
“We thank Prime Minister Starmer and his government for their strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. We are united in our view that there can be no place for double standards in the fight against terrorism,” Modi said.
It is understood that India’s challenge of cross-border terrorism figured in the talks.
The talks between Modi and Starmer largely focused on boosting bilateral ties in an array of areas, including trade, investment, defence and security, education and clean technology.
The two sides inked a landmark free trade agreement that seeks to boost both economies, slash tariff lines across 99 per cent of Indian exports, unlock thousands of jobs and cut tariffs on British whisky, cars and an array of other items.
The pact, officially named the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in the presence of the prime ministers of India and the UK.
The CETA, firmed up after three years of negotiations, is expected to ensure comprehensive market access for Indian goods across all sectors and India will gain from tariff elimination on about 99 per cent of tariff lines (product categories) covering almost 100 per cent of the trade values, officials said.
