China issues visa to Kashmiris on separate pages, not passport

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Opening a new front in needling
India, the Chinese Embassy here has started the practice of
stamping visas to some Kashmiris on a separate sheet of paper
instead of passports, prompting the government to lodge a
protest.

The visas were stamped on separate papers, which were
stapled to the passport, a practice started recently like in
the case of those hailing from Arunachal Pradesh on which
Beijing lays its claim.

The action with regard to Kashmiri travellers is seen as
an attempt by China to question the status of Jammu and
Kashmir as part of India.

Upset over the development, India lodged a protest with
China yesterday.

"We have conveyed our well justified concern to the
Chinese government in this regard," External Affairs Ministry
spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.

"It is our considered view and position that there
should be no discrimination against visa applicants of Indian
nationality on the grounds of domicile or ethnicity," he said.

The Chinese Embassy, however, said the documents were
"valid" and that the problem lay with Indian immigration
authorities.

"What we have issued is correct and valid document. It
is the problem of your Immigration officers at Indira Gandhi
International Airport (Delhi). This practice of issuing visas
on separate paper has been there for years now," a Chinese
Embassy official said. (MORE) PTI