Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday an official
investigation had shown Britain did advise India on planning a deadly attack
against Sikh separatists in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984, but said its
advice had limited impact. Prime Minister David Cameron ordered a review into
the matter last month after newly released official papers suggested that
Margaret Thatcher, then prime minister, had sent an officer from the elite SAS
special air service to advise the Indians on the raid.
"The nature of the UK's assistance was purely advisory,
limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage," Hague
told parliament. "It had limited impact on the tragic events that unfolded
at the temple three months later."
