India, China exchange barbs on stapled visa issue

Ajay Kaul and K J M Varma
Kuala Lumpur/Beijing, Oct 26 (PTI) Three days ahead of
a meeting of their Prime Ministers, China Tuesday provoked
India again by saying that it will not relent on the issue of
stapled visas to people of north Indian state of Jammu and
Kashmir, prompting New Delhi to make it clear that it expects
a uniform policy.
Rejecting New Delhi's assertions that Beijing should
respect India's sensitivities on Kashmir, Chinese foreign
ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Beijing was not rethinking
its policy.
"Though China had friendly relations with India, its
policy towards the stapled visas for residents of the state
remained unchanged," he said in Beijing.
The comments prompted India to assert that it wants
China to follow a uniform policy on issuing visas to all
Indians.
Sources in Kuala Lumpur where Prime Minister Singh
arrived Tuesday, said Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of
India, and it expects China to follow a uniform policy while
granting visas to Indians "regardless of ethnicity or place of
domicile" of the applicant.
"Our position is very well articulated and it has been
conveyed in unambiguous terms to the Chinese friends,"
sources, accompanying the Prime Minister, said.
The war of words over the contentious issue came three
days ahead of a meeting between Singh and Wen on the sidelines
of East Asia Summit in Hanoi, during which the issue is
expected to come up for discussion.
The practice of issuing stapled visas, which amounts
to questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession with India, was
started by China about two years ago.
The issue snowballed into a major controversy when
China gave a stapled visa to Northern Army Commander Lt Gen B
S Jaswal in July. India reacted angrily and suspended
high-level defence exchanges, as part of which Lt Gen Jaswal
was travelling to Beijing.
India has already made it clear to China that the
defence exchanges will remain on "pause" till Beijing reverts
to its long-held position on Jammu and Kashmir. PTI