Kashmiris get Chinese stapled visa in Hong Kong or Macau

Some Kashmiris have found an ingenious way of beating the Union home ministry's ban on travelling to China with visas stapled to their passports.

The Chinese embassy here had started issuing visas to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir by not stamping their passports but by granting the visa on separate sheets, which was seen by observers as Chinese attempt to question the state's status as part of India.

The government took up the matter with China in October last and made it clear that no one would be allowed to travel on a stapled visa.
    
In a novel way to skirt around the home ministry's objection, people, having place of birth mentioned as Kashmir in their passport, started using the Hong Kong or Macau route to enter mainland China.

Five cases were noticed by the Immigration authorities where people, born in Jammu and Kashmir, had visited Hong Kong and later to mainland China by getting the visa stapled to their travel document, official sources said.

The sources said the new trend has been reported to the ministry of  external affairs and the home ministry has issued an advisory to all airports for making a proper enquiry from
all the passengers coming or going to Hong Kong and Macau.

Even the airlines have been asked to verify and cross-check the final port of disembarkation. One such instance came to light in Mumbai when a person was questioned after he had mentioned in his immigration form as China as his final port of disembarkation.

On being asked  about the visa required, he pulled out a separate sheet of paper from his pocket on which the Chinese embassy had granted him the visa, the sources said, adding he was immediately deplaned.

Another case, involving a Kashmir-born senior corporate figure, OP Kapoor, came to light last week after he returned from China visit on a stapled visa. Kapoor maintains that he was issued a stapled Chinese visa in Delhi itself and travelled thereafter to Hong Kong before going to mainland China.

Immigration authorities, however, dispute his version and suspect that he had obtained the Chinese visa there. "I have never suffered this kind of treatment. I travelled to Hong Kong from where we had to visit mainland China in connection with my company's business," he said.

Incidentally, the Chinese had given noted academician Amitabh Mattoo a proper visa on his passport when he visited China in November to attend a conference on disarmament.

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. India has already lodged a strong protest against the Chinese action.