The UK and India have discussed collaborations to expand counter-terrorism efforts in the wake of recent tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over a span of 88 hours, that ended in Pakistan's request for the ceasefire that exists at the moment, UK Foreign Minister David Lammy explained, as per a Reuters report.
Lammy, having completed a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, is now the highest-profile Western official to have visited both nations since the ceasefire was announced last month, the report added.
Glad to meet UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today in Delhi.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 7, 2025
Appreciate UK’s strong condemnation of the terrorist attack on Pahalgam and support in combatting terrorism.
Our conversation focused on the significant strides being made by the 🇮🇳 🇬🇧 Comprehensive Strategic… pic.twitter.com/R9yssJiZCI
The ceasefire followed escalating tensions between the two nations that had begun with Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
The operation was, as New Delhi clarified at home and abroad, the country's 'measured' response to the terrifying Pahalgam attacks of April 22 that saw 26 dead, for which Islamabad was blamed.
"We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognise fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilise India," Lammy said, in an interview at the residence of the British High Commissioner in New Delhi.
"We are keen to continue to work with our Indian partners on counter-terrorism measures," he declared, declining to offer specifics.
This follows the 16th India-UK Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism, which took place in May last year.
“The two sides shared their assessment of the terrorist and extremist threats in their respective territories and regions including threats posed by globally sanctioned terrorist entities and individuals. The two sides also exchanged views on the proscription of individual terrorists and entities as a tool to combat terrorism, as well as ways of working together in multilateral forums,” an MEA statement read, dated May 22, 2024.
“It was agreed to further strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation to meet these shared challenges,” the statement added.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the British High Commissioner Residence in New Delhi | Reuters
Lammy also touched upon the importance of trade between the two nations, referring to the free trade deal that India and the UK agreed upon just last month, in connection with which UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit India soon.
