Visa issue: Now India puts on hold the arrival of three PLA officials

NEW DELHI - Reacting strongly on China’s refusal of visa to Lieutenant General BS Jaswal, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, India has decided to put on hold the defence visits by three officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

India has refused visas to a senior colonel of People’s Liberation Army, who was to visit India to give guest lecture at the National Defence College, and two captains, who were coming to India for an english course.

The Government sources, however, said meetings between the border personnel to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas will go on.

Taking umbrage to Chinese assertiveness, India has also decided to shunt Joint Military exercises, which both countries were intending to organize next year.

India believes China is adopting double standards on Jammu and Kashmir.

“China’s stance and approach on Jammu and Kashmir is that it is issuing stapled visas because they regard it as a disputed territory and in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), they do development work, they send their engineers, they are building dams, bridges, visas are given on passports, there is a dichotomy and a imbalance” said a top government source.

“Taking defence relationship with China is difficult until these positions are cleared and issues are resolved. China has tied this knot and it has to untie it,” added the government source.

The Government source further said India will object to anyone, ho questions the status of Jammu and Kashmir

“It is a question of our sovereignty, it’s an issue what is Tibet issue to China,” the government source added.

Government sources, however, suggest that it is only the defense exchange, which is stalled, and there will be no effect on other areas like trade, foreign office and diplomatic exchanges.

Miffed by the visa denial, India is not in favor of full-fledged confrontation with China and believes that the complex relationship has not reached impasse.

New Delhi, however, believes that the issue has introduced new complexities in the relationship.

Lieutenant General Jaswal was denied the visa on the ground that he controlled operations a disputed area, Jammu and Kashmir.

As per reports, Lt General Jaswal, was nominated by the government to visit China as part of the regular high-level exchanges between the defence establishments of the two countries. (ANI)