TOI CORRESPONDENT FROM LONDON: Despite the rhetoric that tensions between India and Pakistan might spill over onto Britain’s streets, things were calm on Wednesday and members of the Indian and Pakistani diaspora were all still getting on with each other.
“Our fight is not against any community, religion, or nationality — it is against terrorism and the nations that sponsor it,” said a spokesman for British Indians Voice. He said the diaspora supported India’s military strike. “India has shown restraint for decades. This was not a reckless strike — it was a measured and necessary response to repeated acts of terror emanating from Pakistani soil. We stand with our homeland. It is time for the world to unite against terror. Because silence is no longer an option.”
British Indian Santosh Patil said: “Terrorism has no place in a civilised society and anywhere where terrorist sympathising groups are based should meet the same fate. British Indians feel it is the right thing that happened as India attacked a terrorist group. We are still getting on with British Pakistani friends and neighbours. This is not an attack on Pakistan but on terrorism.”
Ganapati Bhat, Kannadigaruuk president, said: “The whole community have a sense of justice being done because it was the worst of kind of terrorist attack on 22nd April and India has been at the receiving end of terrorism since Independence. Retaliation was not there previously, except for a couple of instances, and this time they have done it very well and eliminated this terrorist infrastructure so we feel satisfied. There is a bit of worry that things could impact trust issues among communities but I think people view Pakistan and terrorists as separate things. These things have been happening for over a decade, so I don’t see it spilling over into UK’s streets.”
Amjid Ali Akram Jarral Rajput, a British Kashmiri with roots in J&K, said: “It’s dreadful what has happened.” He has family on both sides of border. “This is just another way to escalate what is happening and bring the world’s attention to Kashmir. This is due to what Britain did and the mess it left Kashmir in.”
British Pakistani Murtuza Ali Shah, bureau chief for Geo News in the UK, said: “British Pakistanis are worried about their families in the region.” He said he did not see tensions playing out on UK streets. “We have all lived here a long time and fought racism together. Many of us are friends,” Shah said.
“Our fight is not against any community, religion, or nationality — it is against terrorism and the nations that sponsor it,” said a spokesman for British Indians Voice. He said the diaspora supported India’s military strike. “India has shown restraint for decades. This was not a reckless strike — it was a measured and necessary response to repeated acts of terror emanating from Pakistani soil. We stand with our homeland. It is time for the world to unite against terror. Because silence is no longer an option.”
British Indian Santosh Patil said: “Terrorism has no place in a civilised society and anywhere where terrorist sympathising groups are based should meet the same fate. British Indians feel it is the right thing that happened as India attacked a terrorist group. We are still getting on with British Pakistani friends and neighbours. This is not an attack on Pakistan but on terrorism.”
Ganapati Bhat, Kannadigaruuk president, said: “The whole community have a sense of justice being done because it was the worst of kind of terrorist attack on 22nd April and India has been at the receiving end of terrorism since Independence. Retaliation was not there previously, except for a couple of instances, and this time they have done it very well and eliminated this terrorist infrastructure so we feel satisfied. There is a bit of worry that things could impact trust issues among communities but I think people view Pakistan and terrorists as separate things. These things have been happening for over a decade, so I don’t see it spilling over into UK’s streets.”
Amjid Ali Akram Jarral Rajput, a British Kashmiri with roots in J&K, said: “It’s dreadful what has happened.” He has family on both sides of border. “This is just another way to escalate what is happening and bring the world’s attention to Kashmir. This is due to what Britain did and the mess it left Kashmir in.”
British Pakistani Murtuza Ali Shah, bureau chief for Geo News in the UK, said: “British Pakistanis are worried about their families in the region.” He said he did not see tensions playing out on UK streets. “We have all lived here a long time and fought racism together. Many of us are friends,” Shah said.
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