New Delhi: With moderate Hurriyat leader
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq planning to go to China, Government on Friday
said it has no objection to it but made it clear that he will
be stopped if his visa is on stapled paper instead of
passport, a practice followed by China in case of Kashmiris.
"He (Mirwaiz) is free to travel wherever he wants,"
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters when
asked whether the government would permit the Hurriyat leader
to go to China for attending a seminar of an NGO.
Krishna said the Ministry of External Affairs encourages
such visits whether these were to "Pakistan or China".
To a similar question at a press conference later,
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, "We have stated on many
previous occasions that we have not prevented Kashmiri leaders
from travelling abroad."
She, however, said if the question was in the "context
of approach taken by the Chinese government of issuing visas
to Indian citizens resident of Jammu and Kashmir (on separate
sheets of paper instead of passport)", the Indian government
does not "subscribe to this approach which discriminates on
the basis of domicile."
She did not elaborate but sources made it clear that the
Mirwaiz should carry a proper visa on passport and if the
Chinese Embassy gives him visa on stapled paper, he will not
be allowed to travel.
China has started the practice of giving stapled visas
apparently to make a point that it does not consider Jammu and
Kashmir a part of India, which annoys New Delhi.
Mirwaiz says he be allowed to visit China on stapled visa
Moderate Hurriyat Conference
leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq today asked the Centre to allow
Kashmiris to visit China on stapled visa being provided by
that country to Kashmiris.
"It is unfortunate that Government of India has restricted
the travel of Kashmiris to China on the stapled visa being
provided by the country to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Let the Kashmiris, including students and academics, be
allowed to visit China on stapled visa," Mirwaiz told
reporters outside Jamia Masjid.
Mirwaiz said "I have an invitation from an NGO to visit
China.
Meanwhile, government sources today made it clear that
the Mirwaiz will be stopped if his visa is on a stapled paper
instead of passport.
PTI
First Published: Friday, November 20, 2009, 21:18