     What is the UK’s foreign policy towards India? 

• The United Kingdom being the Home country of the Commonwealth of Nations has surprisingly a confused foreign policy towards India which is the largest member state of the Commonwealth.
• UK’s this approach has led to mistrust in the bilateral relations between the two Commonwealth partners.
• On one hand, the British Government talks of a ‘new special relationship’ and on the other hand, it has some of the world’s most stringent visa policy towards India and provides refuge to its financial criminals like Lalit Modi & Vijay Mallya.

One does not believe that if these people were US citizens and would have committed their crimes in the US, the UK would have kept them on the pretext of Human Rights.

• Even if ,forsake UK’s argument, one agrees on the Human Rights issue, it is very suspicious to note that the British Government does not provide help to the Indian authorities in order to have an upper hand over these criminal individuals.
• Britain should must keep the national interest of India in mind and it is a very sorry state regarding The British High Commission in New Delhi as it has played almost zero role in conveying to the Her Majesty’s Government the dismay that is on display almost everyday in India’s media outlets regarding UK’s role in safeguarding some of the most hated high profile fraudsters of the Indian nation.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office must recognise these shortcomings in their policies regarding India and amend them accordingly.

     How strong is the UK-India relationship at present? What are India’s perceptions of the Global Britain strategy?

At present, the United Kingdom’s relation with the Republic of India is suffering from a lot of friction-

1. A more than strict visa policy
2. Lack of transparency in the visa delivery system
3. Visa fees that even exceeds that of the US in India
4. Lack of grievance resolving system with the High Commission
5. Irregular attitude towards India in general regarding foreign policy

These are some of the highlights that dominate the UK-India relationship today.

The general perception in India regarding Global Britain strategy is that though Britain wants India to invest in the UK and forge closer ties with it post 29th March 2019, it does not want to reciprocate.

     What is the Government’s approach to leveraging soft power in the relationship between the UK and India?

When it comes to leveraging the UK’s soft power influence in India, the UK Government , its institutions and its High Commission fail extraordinarily.

They indulge in activities which provoke self pity and do no good in promotion of British Interests.

Example –

• In 2013 when Prince George was born, the BBC reported that no one in India was aware who he was or were interested in him. They showed to the International audience that the Indian Newspapers carried no news of the new Prince’s birth and even quoted an astrologer who said Prince George would never become King because UK would become a Republic by then.

The truth however was that all leading English and even Hindi newspapers carried front page news of the Prince’s arrival the next day as his birth was announced during the early morning hours in India and by that time, the newspapers obviously had been printed.

• When the TRH The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge visited India in 2016, no public event was publicised. Personally, me and my friends wanted to see them and even went to the India Gate Memorial in New Delhi but since the timing was not made public, we missed the Royal Couple by an hour. We were amongst the many hopefuls who missed the opportunity due to lack of information.
• The recent Royal Wedding of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex generated the most interest in India than in any other country. More than 51% of Indians were interested in the Royal event more than the 36% British as reported by the Hindustan Times in New Delhi. However, the British High Commission played zero role in involving the citizens or publicising the event. Perhaps, they might want to take a cue from their American Counterparts in Delhi who work just across the road.
• During the India-UK year of culture 2017, very few events were held in India with most of them centering in the UK only. Those event held by the British Council were seldom publicised and as a result failed to garner any media or public attention.

     What should be the main objectives for the UK’s future relationship with India?

• The United Kingdom must attach the necessary importance to the Republic of India in terms of foreign relations. The visa regime should be made just and as such, be overhauled.
• Economic fugitives must be turned around to face justice.

If the Prison Condition in India is a matter of concern for the British Courts then, the British Government should help the Indian Government by sending officials of the HM Prison Service to make necessary changes in the prison cells in order to make the extradition hassle free.

The demand of the future is to infuse the bilateral relation with the dignity and trust that it deserves.

UK must recognise India’s growing economic importance on the world stage and not undervalue the need of a good relationship Post- Brexit.

     What should be the appropriate balance between political, strategic and trade issues in setting objectives for the UK-India relationship?

The appropriate balance as far as Politics is concerned should be that of impartiality which of course the present UK administration lacks immensely.

Recently, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who is the President of the Indian National Congress (INC) which happens to be the largest opposition party in India visited the UK. Just days before his departure to London, The Conservative Friends of India rescinded his invitation to speak at the Parliament. One fails to understand what motivated this action. India, like the UK is a democracy and no government is permanent. Therefore, there are plausible chances that the INC will come back to power and Rahul Gandhi become Prime Minister of India. And if Conservatives were to be in power that time, then the Indo-UK relations will surely take a toll just like it did when our current Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi took office (One doesn’t need reminder that the UK ,before 2012 had blacklisted him for visa purposes).

Therefore, it is imperative that the United Kingdom learns from it past mistakes and amends them accordingly as to adhere to the democratic morals.

     In which areas can the UK and India work effectively towards shared objectives within multilateral settings, such as in the UN and the G20? And where do their objectives, values and interests differ significantly? 

UN

United Kingdom should refrain from supporting any clauses raised by Pakistan or any other country on the issue of Kashmir or that pertaining to India otherwise. It should, as an act of balance, try not to indulge in the matter in any way and not take positions that support either country.

But, the UK should not shy away from pursuing UNSC members like China and the US to refrain from interfering in the Sovereign matters of the Republic of India.

European Union

Recent reports in Indian media have claimed that the Indo-EU FTA Talks have come to a standstill on the grounds that UK remains adamant on not allowing Indian services into the EU.

The United Kingdom must think upon the implications that its decisions might result in pertaining to its ties with India. Also, the UK must recognise that its choice of actions also contribute in shaping India’s outlook towards her. The recent decision of India to present Mauritius’s argument in the Chagos Islands dispute at the ICJ presents a classic example of this scenario.

                                                                                                                                                            How should relations between the UK and India be managed in the run-up to and after Brexit?  Are the FCO and other parts of Government preparing effectively?

The UK should make considerable changes to its visa system especially the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa and Also the Tier 4 Student Visa.

1.                                                                                                                                                           IELTS requirement should be waived of for both the categories when the applicant in question has completed his/her College or School degree in English Medium.

2.                                                                                                                                                           Visa fees should be lowered significantly- considering our common membership of the Commonwealth.

3.                                                                                                                                                           Even tourist visa fees should be lowered especially for the 6 months duration visa.

4.                                                                                                                                                           Tier 4 visa holders should have atleast a year to find a job in the UK post completion of their degree.

5.                                                                                                                                                           Tier 4 Visa Interviews should be reasonable and not include stupid questions like – “How much would it cost to travel in London tube from point A to point B”.

6.                                                                                                                                                           Overall visa services should be made better. Application tracking service must be made available and a helpline number be set up in New Delhi instead of having a paid conversation at Home Office in London (regarding visa status).

7.                                                                                                                                                           The Visa Priority service offered to Indian Citizens must be honoured or else be discontinued.

8.                                                                                                                                                           Home Office should view all Indian visa applicants favourably rather than suspiciously.

9.                                                                                                                                                           Foreign and Commonwealth Office should make visa rules less stringent in reflection of the new ties that the UK envisages with India post Brexit.

10.                                                                                                                                                       As far as UK’s Justice Department is concerned, It should not in any manner try and shield economic fugitives of Indian Origin.

       What impact does the UK’s visa regime have on our relationship with India? Does it help facilitate the type of relationship the Government seeks with India?

Britain’s current visa policy surely contributes to the mistrust that exists in the UK-India relations.

In a scenario where countries like Canada & Ireland have more than liberal visa policies towards Indian migrants, the UK continues on having a stringent visa policy towards India.

Had the UK not been pursuing for closer economic ties with India, then this could be comprehended but considering the prevailing circumstances, one fails to reason UK’s approach.

Even the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) based in London have flagged off this point & want the United Kingdom to revisit its ideology pertaining to the Republic of India.

The visa policy, UK’s approach towards India related matters, UK’s continued acceptance of Indian financial fugitives are not in sync with UK’s will to have a close economic association with the Indian Republic post Brexit.

The UK therefore should overcome these anomalies in its foreign policy towards the Republic of India in order to gain most from the historical and people to people links that exist between the two countries.

Its foreign policy objective towards India should resonate – “two great nations, one glorious future.”