NEW DELHI/LONDON: Days after a violent mob of overseas Pakistanis and Khalistanis vandalised the Indian High Commission in London , British premier Boris Johnson on Tuesday “regretted” the incident in a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi .

In the first conversation with Johnson after he became prime minister, Modi “drew attention to the challenges posed by vested interests pursuing their motivated agenda, including by violent means”. The telephonic talk comes a day after Modi spoke to US president Donald Trump , stressing that Pakistan PM Imran Khan ’s “extreme rhetoric” and incitement of anti-India violence is not conducive to peace.

It may be noted that one of Imran’s closest friends, Zulfi Bukhari , had travelled to London from Pakistan to lead the protest on Thursday which turned violent and the Indian High Commission building was targeted.

According to an official readout of the conversation on Tuesday, Modi and Johnson agreed to work on the India-UK partnership.

Modi reminded Johnson of the importance of tackling terrorism, pointing out that “terrorism had plagued all parts of the world, including India and Europe. He stressed the importance of effective steps to ward off the threats posed by radicalisation, violence and intolerance, particularly in the context of the expanding footprint of terrorist organisations such as ISIS”.

The Modi-Johnson conversation comes a day after TOI quoted UK diplomatic sources saying Britain did not back China or Pakistan at the closed-door UNSC meeting about Kashmir last week. Earlier, there was buzz on social media that UK supported China. That created a great deal of anger in the Indian government. However, the Johnson-Modi conversation is believed to have cleared the air.

A Downing Street spokesperson said after the telephonic talk: “The prime minister and Prime Minister Modi discussed the current situation in Kashmir. The prime minister made it clear that the UK views the issue of Kashmir is one for India and Pakistan to resolve bilaterally. He underlined the importance of resolving issues through dialogue.”

The two leaders agreed to further build on the UK-India partnership, particularly through trade and economic ties. "Prime Minister Modi said there are immense possibilities for the UK and India which would increase prosperity in both countries," the spokesperson said.

The telephonic conversation comes ahead of the G7 in Biarritz, France from August 24 to 26, where the two leaders will be meeting.

“Ahead of the G7, the prime minister and Prime Minister Modi agreed on the importance of working together to tackle climate change and other threats to biodiversity. They looked forward to meeting at the summit this weekend to discuss this and other issues," the spokesperson added.

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