Singh to ask Hu to change stapled visa policy

The prime minister will leave for a five-day tour to China and Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
Though Beijing issued normal visas to four Indian journalists born in Jammu and Kashmir to accompany the prime minister to the BRICS summit at Sanya in the Hainan province of China, it is not clear whether the Chinese government had finally changed the “stapled visa” policy for residents of the state or just made an exception for the members of the delegation accompanying the prime minister.

Sources said the officials of the Chinese government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had remained non-committal on withdrawing the “stapled visa” policy during a meeting with Indian Ambassador in Beijing S Jaishankar. During Chinese Premier Wen Ziabao’s visit to New Delhi last December, both sides had agreed to have more consultations between the officials of the two countries on the contentious issue.

Singh may take up the issue of Chinese presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir when he holds a bilateral meet with Zintao on the sideline of the BRICS summit. The acronym BRIC—a bloc of Brazil, Russia, India and China—will become BRICS in Sanya with South Africa formally joining it this week.

Singh will also have bilateral meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff and South African President Jacob Zuma.  Later, he will visit Kazakhstan on Friday and Saturday before returning to New Delhi.

New Delhi on Monday said Singh and Hu would have “a broad canvas” during their meeting at Sanya. The two leaders may discuss any issues relevant to the bilateral relations. The Ministry of External Affairs joint secretary (external publicity) and official spokesman Vishnu Prakash said India’s relations with China “is very important” and pointed out that it “is of the nature of strategic and cooperative partnership” with growing convergences.

China’s policy of issuing “stapled visas” instead of the normal “pasted visas” to the Indian citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and thus questioning the state’s status as an integral part of India, its denial of visa to a senior officer of the Indian Army posted in the state and Chinese companies’ presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir had strained the relationship over the past two years.