We have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan, says Boris Johnson. (Archive)
London:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to confuse two separate issues when he reiterated the UK government’s stance that any dispute between India and Pakistan was for the two countries to be resolved bilaterally.
British Sikh Labor MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been leading a campaign to keep Indian farmers’ protests against government farm reforms in the news in Britain, repeated one of his earlier statements on Twitter on the issue in the House. of Commons during the Weekly Prime Minister’s Question (PMQ) Session.
“Many constituents, especially those emanating from Punjab and other parts of India, and I were horrified to see images of water cannons, tear gas and brute force being used against peacefully protesting farmers. However, it was heartwarming to see those same farmers feeding those forces that had been ordered to beat or repress them. What an indomitable spirit and it takes a special kind of people to do that, “said the opposition legislator.
“So, will the Prime Minister convey to the Prime Minister of India (Narendra Modi) our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current impasse and agree that everyone has the fundamental right to peaceful protest?” He asked. Johnson.
Many were horrified to see the use of water cannons, tear gas and brute force against farmers peacefully protesting in India for # FarmersBill2020.
Everyone has a fundamental right to protest peacefully.
But it might help if our PM really knew what he was talking about! pic.twitter.com/EvqGHMhW0Y
– MP of Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (@TanDhesi) December 9, 2020
However, Boris Johnson, in his short reply, went on to address a completely unrelated matter.
“Our view is that of course we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan, but these are preeminent issues for those two governments to resolve and I know he appreciates that point,” said Mr. Johnson.
Dhesi, who seemed visibly perplexed, was quick to take to social media when he posted the exchange on Twitter, adding: “But it might help if our prime minister really knew what he was talking about!”
So far, the UK government has refused to participate in the ongoing protests in India, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the question of handling the protests was internal.
“Police handling of the protests is a matter for the Indian government,” an FCDO spokesman said last week, following a letter initiated by Dhesi and signed by 35 other British MPs on the issue.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and several other states have been protesting across Delhi’s various borders since Nov. 26, seeking the repeal of the three agricultural laws enacted in September.
Calling these laws “anti-farmer”, these farmers claim that the recently enacted legislation would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of large corporations. However, the government has argued that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
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