Bangalore, July 28 (IANS) British Prime Minister David Cameron began his India visit Wednesday with a clear warning to Pakistan that it should stop ‘exporting’ terror to its neighbourhood, even as he asserted that India was crucial for his country’s economic future.
‘We want to see a strong, stable and democratic Pakistan, but we cannot tolerate in any sense export of terrorism, whether to India, Afghanistan or anywhere in the world,’ Cameron said in his address at the Infosys Technologies Ltd campus on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Landing in the wee hours on a two-day maiden visit to India after assuming office in May, Cameron chose to be in the Bangalore tech hub first before flying to New Delhi later in the evening.
Expressing concern over the reported leakage of funds from the multi-billion dollar military aid Britain and the US had been giving to Pakistan post 9/11 to fight militants on its territory, Cameron ruled out a relationship with any group promoting terrorism or backing insurgency in India.
‘I will apprise Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday in New Delhi on what I had discussed with US President Barak Obama during my recent visit to Washington on the issue because when it comes to protecting innocent people, we cannot overlook what is happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ he noted.
Cameron, who arrived with the largest ever delegation accompanying a British prime minister, stressed on the importance of eonomic ties in bilateral relations.
‘India has become very important for our future, mainly for economic reasons as your country represents an enormous opportunity for our companies,’ Cameron told about 2,000 techies and captains of India Inc. in the Infosys campus.
‘I want to see thousands of more jobs in Britain and in India through partnerships and investments in the months and years ahead. The core purpose of my visit this time is to create opportunities for generating many more jobs in my country as well as in India,’ Cameron said in his 30-minute address on a cloudy and rainy afternoon.
He also reasserted Britain’s traditional support to India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
‘India matters to the world because it’s not only a rising power, but also a responsible global power. The time has come for India to take the seat it deserves in the United Nations Security Council,’ Cameron asserted.
Admitting that he was not ashamed to say one of the reasons why he was in India was to attract more foreign investment into Britain, Cameron said he would discuss all the three things with Manmohan Singh Thursday.
Before flying to New Delhi after a day-long visit, which began with a breakfast meeting with Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, Cameron visited defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for a firsthand account of its operations, including a static display of military aircraft and helicopters.
He also witnessed the sealing of the 700 million pounds (Rs.5,110 crore) deal by British aerospace major BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce with HAL for the license-production of 57 additional Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs).
British ministers, meanwhile, fanned across the country as they visited institutions and met various Indian officials, with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in Mumbai; Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague and Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt in Delhi and Minister of State for Universities and Science David Willets in Chennai.
In Mumbai, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the London Stock Exchange and India’s National Stock Exchange.
