Ahead of SM Krishna’s visit to Beijing, China issued a stamped visa to Kashmiri professor M Ahmed. Earlier, it was issuing stapled visas to Kashmiris, signalling that Kashmir was not part of India.
Ahead of external affairs minister SM Krishna’s visit to Beijing on Monday, China issued a stamped visa to Kashmiri professor M Ahmed. Earlier, its embassy had been issuing stapled visas to Kashmiris, signalling that Kashmir was not part of India.
While some analysts said the stamped passport was a message that the spat between India and China over stapled visas was a thing of the past, sources in the government are not jumping to conclusions. A senior source said a one-off stamped visa did not mean a change in policy. “It is only when every passport from Kashmir is stamped can it be conclude that China has changed policy.”
Wait and watch was the diktat from South Block. Once in a while a passport slips through and is stamped, sources pointed out. During the Beijing Olympics, a man from Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as “disputed”, was given a visa without fuss. As a rule, Beijing refuses visas to people living in Arunachal, on the grounds that doing so would signal India’s sovereignty over the northeastern state.
On Saturday, Indian officials briefing on SM Krishna’s visit had said that a major irritant was the issue of stapled visas as it questions India’s sovereignty. “This core concern” would be raised with the Chinese, Gautam Bambawale, the joint secretary dealing with East Asia, said.
What irritated New Delhi even more was that China was batting for Pakistan, which has always called for Kashmiri independence. By refusing to give Kashmiris the same kind of visas issued to other Indian nationals, Beijing was clearly echoing Islamabad’s line. While Pakistan and China’s friendship is well known, this needling on the sensitive issue did not amuse South Block.
Kashmiris wanting to go to China often take the easy way. They fly to Hong Kong or Macaw and get visas from there. Nobody is there to check whether their visas are stapled or stamped. At Delhi airport, authorities refuse to allow Kashmiris with stapled visas.
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