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| China forbidden for J&K citizens | | | SANT KUMAR SHARMA
Jammu, Nov 2: Citizens of Jammu and Kashmir can no longer travel to the land of the dragon as the Indian authorities have refused to accept the new visa documents being issued by China.
The new visa policy being followed by China has thus started singing the would-be travellers from J&K to Beijing and beyond.
Dr Shakil A Romshoo, an Associate Professor at the University of Kashmir, has become the latest victim of the India-China spat on the new visa regime put into place by Beijing mandarins.
Dr Romshoo was scheduled to travel to China for receiving an award in connection with his research work on ``Pollution Modelling of Himalayan lakes’’.
The academician from Kashmir valley was the receive Kasumigaura International Award at a special award ceremony on November 2 at Wuhan in China.
He had been officially invited by the World Lake Organisation, and the Chinese and the Japanese governments, Dr Romshoo said in an email sent to several media houses and journalists.
This happened because the Chinese authorities had issued a different and new type of visa to Dr Romshoo. The visa is not stamped on the Indian passport held by the citizens of J&K, as is done in case of citizens from other states of the Indian Union. Instead, the visa for travelling to the land of the dragon is given on a separate sheet of paper.
This amounts to treating the citizens of J&K as being different from other Indian citizens. This is something that has raised the heckles of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi.
Accordingly, the MEA has issued instructions to immigration officials at international airports not to accept the new visa as valid travel document.
Till about a couple of months ago, the Chinese authorities issued, rather stamped, the visa for all Indian citizens on their passports as is the prevalent norm. However, China has started issuing a new type of visa to the citizens of J&K, which is distinct from the visas issued to Indian citizens from other parts of the country.
Experts specializing in international affairs hold the view that China has started this new practice to heckle India on the issue of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese authorities have often, in the past, claimed Arunachal to be a part of its territory, something India has rejected outrightly.
The new visa regime put into place by China for J&K citizens, inter alia, is to send a message that the Chinese want the world to know that they believe J&K to be a disputed territory. While heckling India, the move also serves to please Pakistan, who had ceded over 5,000 miles of territory of J&K to China over four decades ago.
Incidentally, Pakistan is going through a tough time domestically as the Taliban are now baying for its blood. The country is fighting an internecine war within, though somewhat reluctantly at the behest of the US.
At this critical juncture in its fight for survival, the Chinese move to enforce a new visa regime for J&K citizens is virtually manna from heaven for Pakistan.
An academician based in New Delhi said it is now clear that it is a situation of stalemate as both India and China are now adamant on holding on to their respective positions.
Caught between the devil and the deep sea are the state subjects of J&K who will not be able to travel to China in the foreseeable future, he added.
Dr Romshoo was to be honoured with a cash prize, a medal and a citation in the award ceremony at Wuhan. It is not clear as to how much money has Dr Romshoo lost. But it is clear now that he is neither the first nor the last citizen of J&K to lose in this manner.
The tussle between China and India over the issue (of new type of visa for Kashmiris) is adversely affecting business and career prospects of the state subjects as they will not be able to travel to China for studies, business or pleasure, Dr Romshoo pointed out in his statement.
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