British foreign secretary refuses to say Jagtar Singh Johal “arbitrarily” imprisoned

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Britain Foreign Secretary David Lammy pays courtesy visit to Indian PM Narendra Modi on July 25, 2024 – Photo: Lammy

By Asia Samachar | Britain |

New Foreign Secretary David Lammy refused to repeat previous statements made before the Labour Party were elected about Jagtar Singh Johal, known as Jaggi, being “arbitrarily” detained by India since 2017.

The ‘callous u-turn’ by Lammy was exposed during a BBC Scotland News interview, led by reporter Katie Hunter, according to the Sikh Press Association. See here.

On the foreign secretary’s first visit to India, which began on July 24, Lammy will unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership and push for a reset of the UK-India partnership including through reinforcing the UK’s commitment to securing a Free Trade Agreement that will benefit both economies, according to a statement from his office.

“I am travelling to India in my first month as Foreign Secretary because resetting our relationship with the Global South is a key part of how this government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home,” he said.

When sharing a photo of his meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi, Lammy said: “We are working together to accelerate climate action while creating opportunities for British and Indian businesses.”

Talks about a free trade agreement with India have been stalled for months, following negotiations over the last two years. In March, India signed a free trade agreement with Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein, which are all non-European Union states, reported the BBC.

Mr Johal, who is now 37, comes from Dumbarton in Scotland. He was a blogger and campaigner for Sikh human rights, which are said to have brought him to the attention of the Indian authorities.

He travelled to India in October 2017 to get married. It was reported that while he was out shopping with his wife, he was hooded, bundled into a car by men in plainclothes, “severely tortured”, and made to sign blank pieces of paper.

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Rishi Sunak urged to raise India detention of British man, reports BBC (Asia Samachar, 6 Sept 2023)

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