New Delhi, Nov 20: With moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq planning to go to China, Government today 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.

FROM SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has 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 and I should be allowed to go there on stapled visa.”

Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 IST