Deputy Foreign Minister of the UK Lord Tariq Ahmad, who is in India for four days, has stated that undergraduate Indian students are not the target of the change in UK visa regulations. He said that his government had benefited from the presence of Indian students and that the current restrictions on visas only applied to those coming for PhD and one-year research programmes.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Lord Ahmad said, “Those students who come for undergraduate studies and research will always be welcomed.”
After the uproar over the pro-Khalistan protests, Lord Ahmad’s visit represents a turning point in India-UK ties. “We have tweaked visa rules for research and PhD students who come only for one year and sometimes don’t complete their research,” he said.
The UK only wants to halt illegal immigration because it benefits from legal immigration. India is where most students come from. The minister, who is in Delhi today to meet with senior External Affairs Ministry officials and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, continued, “We want more students.
The main topic of Lord Ahmad’s visit to India would be the expanding scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries. A special trip to Hyderabad has been organized for this purpose, where they will examine innovations in start-ups.
After UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it sheds light on a second UK minister with deep Indian connections.
The Baron of Wimbledon, Lord Tariq Ahmad, started his four-day trip in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from which his mother emigrated 76 years ago to Pakistan and thereafter to England. The 55-year-old experienced a moment of great sadness.
“I find it really challenging to express my emotions. My grandpa served as the treasurer in the court of Maharaja Umaid Singh, which is why I’m here now. He added that his father, Ahmed Khan, was a doctor with connections to the royal palace.
Source: ndtv