India has tried to play down the strong reactions from the Chinese Government on grant of visa to Chinese dissent leader and Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa to attend conference in Dharamsala next week. Giving visa to Isa is seen as India’s attempt to get even with China which has constantly blocked New Delhi’s move to nail Pakistan-based terrorists who have been involved in carrying terror activities in India.
Recently in the UNSC committee on al-Qaeeda, China blocked India’s move to impose UN sanctions on Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.
Refusing to go into the details of the issue, the Ministry of External Affairs said they are ascertaining the facts. “We have seen media reports on his visit, at this moment we are trying to ascertain the facts,” External Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Vikas Swaroop said on Friday.
India issued visa to Isa, who has been branded a terrorist by Beijing. The conference will also be attended by Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai lama.
In recent days, India has raised the issue of China’s stand on Masood Azhar at the highest levels. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval recently took up the issue of Masood Azhar with the Chinese leadership and conveyed India’s views that there can be no selective approach to terrorism.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement expressed unhappiness over the development. “Dolkun is a terrorist in red notice of the Interpol and Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is due obligation of relevant countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in Beijing.
Isa has been invited to the conference being organised by the US-based ‘Initiatives for China’. Uyghurs and many other Chinese dissidents in exile are expected to attend and discuss democratic transformation in China. Isa was given electronic visa by the Indian Embassy in Munich to travel to Dharamsala next week for a pro-democracy conference.
Germany-based Uyghur activist Isa is a leader of World Uyghur Congress (WUC) whom China accuses of terror activities in Xinjiang region. The region in the one of most fragile zones of China where there is frequent violence between the local Uyghur population and Government forces.
Isa told Indian TV channel that though China has put him on Interpol list since 1997, most countries have ignored it. “India is a democracy. I don’t think I’ll be arrested but I don’t want any difficulties either,” Isa said.
Meanwhile, during NSA Ajit Doval’s recent visit to China for Special Representatives talks, the two countries have agreed to find a fair and reasonable solution to the boundary dispute through an agreed framework. Doval and his counterpart also agreed to activate the hotline between the armed forces at the earliest. They acknowledged that during last several months there were no major incidents of border transgression.