Kashmiris bend visa norms to enter china

Immigration and security officials at airports across India have been told to be extra vigilant in checking whether Kashmiri passengers bound for Hong Kong or the Macao Special Administrative Region are planning to visit other places in mainland China.

Immigration and security officials at airports across India have been told to be extra vigilant in checking whether Kashmiri passengers bound for Hong Kong or the Macao Special Administrative Region are planning to visit other places in mainland China.

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Kashmiris who are issued a visa on a sheet of paper stapled to their passports are not being allowed to leave India, according to Government of India directives.

China has been making the distinction only for visa applicants from Jammu and Kashmir, which is being viewed as an attempt by China to question the status of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.

India has already lodged a strong protest. The government took up the matter with China in October and made it clear that no one would be allowed to travel on a stapled visa.

Some travellers to China have discovered that Indian citizens visiting Hong Kong do not require a visa as long as their stay does not exceed 14 days, and in the case of the Macao SAR, no visa is needed for 30 days.

Some security agencies have recently received reports of Kashmiris who have left India for Hong Kong or Macao SAR, without any reference to the existence of a visa on a separate sheet of paper, to visit mainland China.

Once they reach Hong Kong or Macao SAR, they can then use the visa sheet to visit China.

At least five such cases have recently been highlighted by immigration officials, who are on deputation to the Intelligence Bureau. In each case, people born in Jammu and Kashmir visited Hong Kong or Macao SAR to access mainland China.

The matter has been reported to both the ministry of external affairs and the home minister, a senior official said.