New Delhi: In a controversial move, China recently issued stapled visas — in place of stamped ones — to three martial arts athletes from Arunachal Pradesh who were scheduled to compete at the World University Games in Chengdu. In response, India decided to withdraw its entire eight-member contingency from participating in the games.
But what are stapled visas?
Stapled visas are those that are stapled onto the passport as a separate document, instead of being stamped onto it.
According to reports, issuing stapled visas to Indian citizens is a move by China to mean that it does not recognise India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. In the past few years, India and China have locked horns in forward positions along the border in Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the Indian government, stapled visas are a way for China to assert its dominance over Arunachal Pradesh. Following China’s action, India also decided to stop its entire martial arts contingent from travelling to China to participate in the games. The athletes were stopped by airport authorities as they were about to board their flight Thursday night.
“There was no explanation given, except for the fact that the authorities were acting on government’s instructions,” coach Raghavendra Singh was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
In a statement Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said China’s actions were “unacceptable”. Bagchi also said that India has the right to “suitably respond” to China’s gesture.
This, however, is not the first time that China has issued stapled visas to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh. In 2011, an Indian weightlifting sportsperson and an official of the Indian Weightlifting Federation from Arunachal Pradesh were issued stapled visas by China.
In his statement, Bagchi also said that this has been a point of contention with China over the years. “Our longstanding position is that there should be no discrimination based on ethnicity or domicile in the visa regime for Indians holding valid passports,” he reiterated.