India withdraws from China games over stapled visas controversy Photograph:(AFP) As a result of athletes from India's northeastern province of Arunachal Pradesh receiving stapled visas, India has withdrawn from the World University Games, which begin Friday in Chengdu, China.
An eight-member delegation, which included five athletes, a coach, and two support staff members, was prevented from boarding their flight to China earlier, before Thursday midnight, by officials in New Delhi.
A few hours later, it emerged that New Delhi had completely withdrew from the games, expressing strong opposition to China's efforts to normalize its separate treatment of India's Arunachal Pradesh.
We were halted at the gate by CISF and immigration agents.Coach Raghvendra Singh was quoted by the Indian Express as saying, "They did not give any justification and said they were merely operating on the government's directives.
China issued stapled visas to athletes from Arunachal
The controversy started when Beijing gave Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh who were scheduled to compete in the wushu (martial art) championship in China stapled visas rather than stamped ones.
On July 16, the athletes submitted a visa application to China. With the exception of three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega, and Mepung Lamgu, all applications were processed on schedule, and stamped visas were then provided.
On Wednesday (July 26), they were first requested to submit their applications again before receiving stapled visas.
India calls the decision ‘unacceptable’
The decision by China was deemed "unacceptable" by India's Ministry for External Affairs (MEA), which also stated that "India reserves the right to appropriately respond to such actions."
"Our long-standing and consistent position is that there should not be any discrimination or differential treatment based on domicile or ethnicity in the visa regime for Indian citizens holding valid India passports," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
"We have learned that some of our citizens who were participating in an international athletic event in China were given stapled visas.
This is unacceptable, and we have expressed our vehement objection to the Chinese side while maintaining our unwavering stance on the subject, he said.
Why were stapled visas issued?
China describes the Indian provinces of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh as "disputed territories."
It has a long history of providing athletes from these areas with stapled visas. Additionally, five Arunachal karate practitioners received stapled visas in 2011.
China also opted out of attending a G20 tourism conference in India's Kashmir in May, stating that it opposed "holding any kind of G20 conferences in disputed territory."
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