Visa war heats up as India ponders issuing frowned-upon stapled visas to the Chinese to avenge similar humiliation

Frustrated at India staying tightlipped on the issue of China issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, members of All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) met with the Prime Minister yesterday at 7, Race Course Road to discuss the matter at hand and other issues plaguing the state.



According to Takam Tatung, the PM chose a tit-for-tat stance on the stapled visa issue. "If China will not stop issuing stapled visas to our people, India, too will issue stapled visas to their nationals," said Tatun, quoting what Manmohan Singh had said during the meeting.

After the meeting, Tatung said, "We are thankful to the PM who gave us time to make our point clear. We discussed issues pertaining to the growth of the state and the PM's response on the issue of the stapled visa gives us great satisfaction."

Talking to MiD DAY, the spokesperson for the External Ministry Vishnu Prakash, said, "I am not aware of any such meeting, as the matter concerns the PMO.

As far as India's position, Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, has always been a part of the union of India and there should be uniformity in issuing visas regardless of the ethnicity and place of the applicant and the same has clearly been conveyed to China."

A top official in the External Affairs ministry added, "The matter has not been solved. Both countries are in touch with each other to resolve the issue." GK Pillai, Union Home Secretary, also promised AAPSU that the issue would be resolved in two months. However, he was unavailable for comment.

Several attempts by MiD DAY to contact the PMO's office were unsuccessful.

During the sit-down with AAPSU delegation members, Singh also promised the members that the country
is monitoring the issue closely and assured them that the development of Arunachal was a top priority.

"The PM said he would form a monitoring committee to track the development of the state and other issues," Tatung added.


Members of All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

"We clearly told him that if the Union government fails to make a fool-proof policy on Arunachal, the situation could be worse than that of Jammu and Kashmir, which shares its border with Pakistan. Arunachal shares its borders with China, Burma and Bhutan, which are not sealed," elaborated Tatung.

Tatung further added that any issue arising in the state should be resolved with regards to national integration and believes that if assurances by the PM are indeed implemented, Arunachal can surely live up to its fullest potential.

What is a stapled visa?
When a visa is issued on a separate paper rather than on the passport, it is called a stapled visa. Immigration officers often do not stamp the passport if the person is carrying a stapled visa.

The beginning

The issue came to light when Arunachal weightlifter Yukar Sibi and his coach Techi Abraham were invited to the communist country after being selected for the Asian Games. However, they were barred because their visas were stapled on their passports.
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The Chinese embassy stamps visas to residents of AP and J&K on a separate sheet of paper and staples it to the passport, instead of pasting it directly on the passports. The practice is seen by the government as China's attempt to question the status of the two states as intrinsic parts of India.

As such, it does not recognise the stapled visas. Protesting the practice, New Delhi maintains that such visas are not valid for travel out of the country.