Ajit Doval meets UK counterpart, PM Sunak in London stopover

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval met his UK counterpart Tim Barrow in London Friday for a meeting at the Cabinet Office, where PM Rishi Sunak joined the two in what the Indian high commission described as a “special gesture” by the latter.

Doval stopped by in London on his way back from Germany before heading to Delhi. He had been in Washington on February 1, where he had met his US counterpart Jake Sullivan at the White House to launch the next milestone in the US-India strategic technology and defence partnership and discuss how to continue to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The high commission in London said in a tweet that India “deeply valued” Shunak’s assurance of his government’s full support to deepen UK-India strategic partnership in trade, defence and science and technology.

Barrow, who is the principal official adviser to the PM and cabinet on national security matters, is expected to visit India soon. He was appointed in September 2022 and his previous roles include British ambassador in Kyiv and Moscow.

The content of NSA bilateral meetings are confidential, but it is thought the pair may have discussed the war in Ukraine and the UK-India FTA, which is about to enter the seventh round of negotiations, boosting security in the Indo-Pacific, Khalistan, terrorism and UK-India extradition matters.

Two high-profile Indians, Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, have still not been sent back to India despite losing their UK court battles contesting extradition.

Doval’s trip comes against the backdrop of protests by the Indian diaspora in Britain against the BBC following the state broadcaster’s controversial documentary on PM Modi, which was aired in Britain and which the Indian government deems to have “undermined the sovereignty and integrity of India”. (The Times of India)