Editorial: Chinese High Handedness on Kashmir

Reports of India’s air space violation by China has been negated by government merely few days ago and our neighbour shocks us with a sudden change in its practice to treat Kashmiri travelers differently than those belonging to rest of the country. Issuing stamped visas to them on a separate paper sheet and not on the passport just as China recently started in the case of travelers from Arunachal Pradesh – a disputed territory according it – is not only a question, as has been widely construed, to the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India but a crystal clear provocation and an interference into foreign matters which it has no right to.

Though Government of India has lodged its formal protest with China on the matter, it should seriously look into the matter as to what motives China has to go ahead with the extreme step which no other country of the world has ever done. Is it being an adjudicating side to decide on other country’s territorial matter, the territory that properly goes to polls, where people come out to vote in large number and a democratic government rules the state?

The communist country seems to hit two birds with one stone: exerting diplomatic pressure on India to decide Arunachal Pradesh border issue in Beijing’s favour to make it treat Kashmir as before, a territory disputed between India and Pakistan, an issue which the two countries have to solve without any third party mediation.

China’s same policy even in case of Arunachal Pradesh, a territory which it disputes and thus is a side to the controversy, is objectionable and unjust. What China wants to achieve by doing so? Surely, it doesn’t want to tell the world that a government which thinks that a particular region of any country is disputed despit its being a proper participant in that country’s democratic process can be, taking a unilateral and independent approach, treated differently in matters such as visas.

Going by the past record, the communist country seems to hit two birds with one stone: exerting diplomatic pressure on India to decide Arunachal Pradesh border issue in Beijing’s favour to make it treat Kashmir as before, a territory disputed between India and Pakistan, an issue which the two countries have to solve without any third party mediation. A lack of such an action from India will work in favour of China’s old friend Pakistan on its own and elevate the morale of separatists.

However, China’s policy cannot be expected to impress the world. It is not only because it is being high handed in the matter, but it has a poor track record of tolerance and accuses any country of the world of interfering into its domestic matter even if that country allows the Dalai Lama a visit or stay, let alone ideological support to any revolutionary outfit of Tibet.