British Embassy Offices in Punjab and Gujarat

According to the British Office for National Statistics, most Indians in UK have come from Punjab and Gujarat, with some 70% coming from the Punjab. Thus most travel will be between those locations. Therefore British Embassies should have offices in Gujarat and Punjab, so that traveling is easier to sort out documents and other interviews; since most Punjabis come from the Jallandhar District, it would be sensible to locate the Embassy office there. Alternatively, if International flights were restarted to Amritsar, then it would be sensible to locate the office there, to sort out traveling problems. The British Embassies abroad are funded by our taxes, and since most Indians resident in the UK are Punjabis, then it makes sense to use our taxes in the manner most helpful to British Punjabis.

The Government of Canada has already opened an Embassy Office in Punjab, located at Chandigarh.

At the moment there are 5 British Embassy offices at Madras, Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, due to historical British Empire reasons. This does not make sense, since the majority of travelers and businessmen are from Punjab and Gujarat. There are 3 British Embassy offices in Pakistan , with 2 of these being in Punjab.

The BSF wrote to Dennis Turner MP on 31 March 1998 setting out the above kind of reasons on the need for British Embassy offices to be located in Panjab and Gujerat.

Dennis Turner MP replied on 7 April 1998, stating that he had raised the matter with the Foreign Office Minister. Baroness Elizabeth Symons, Foreign Office, replied on 28 April 1998, stating some reasons why this would not be possible.

The BSF continued with the campaign, setting out the strong reasons for British Embassy Offices to be based in Panjab and Gujerat. Eventually the Foreign Office announced that it would carryout feasibility studies on opening up more British visa offices in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. On 24 March 2000, the BSF asked when the feasibility studies would be completed. On 3 April 2000, Ken Purchase MP, stated that he had contacted Keith Vaz MP on this matter. Jenny Jones MP also replied on 7 April 2000, saying that she had also taken up this matter; she also said that she had visited India "in February and experienced traveling from Delhi to Chandigarh" in reference to one of the BSF points about the difficulties of traveling to Delhi.

On 9 May 2000, Ken Purchase MP replied on the matter, hoping that the feasibility studies would be completed later that year.

On 1 January 2001, the BSF wrote to Robin Cook MP, Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, setting out the just case for British Embassy Offices in Panjab and Gujerat, including the saving of some 16 hours traveling time on a round trip between Delhi and Panjab.

On 15 January 2001, Robin Cook MP, Secretary of State, replied thanking the BSF, stating the Government's intention to open Offices in Jallandhar (Panjab) and Ahmedabad (Gujerat), and that he was waiting for the Indian Government's response to this proposal.

Matters continued to be dragged out for some time.

However, after a BSF campaign lasting nearly 5 years, British Embassy Offices were opened in Jallandhar and Chandigarh in Panjab on 3 February 2003, with Offices also being opened on 24 February 2003 in Ahmedabad (Gujerat).

Update: 30 April 2003