Trying to get back at China for the snub on Masood Azhar at the United Nations, India has issued an e-visa to a prominent Uighur dissident, Dolkun Isa, to attend the upcoming conference on Democracy at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh from April 28 to May 1.
But, much to India’s consternation, a new hurdle has cropped up. Isa has an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him after China declared him a wanted terrorist.
The dilemma before Indian authorities is whether to let Isa come, because if he lands up in India, then as per international convention, India has to arrest and deport him to China.
At the same time, grant of an e-visa does not automatically guarantee entry into India. The other option is to ask him to go back once he lands in Delhi, citing lack of sufficient documents. The third, and most difficult option, would be to persuade Isa to not take the flight to India.
Interestingly, Dolkun Isa has written to the Indian Consul General in Munich, where he resides, asking for a written guarantee that he will not be arrested once he lands in India. Such a written guarantee would be almost impossible for India to give.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry meanwhile has reacted rather sharply to India’s plans to receive Dolkun Isa and other prominent Uighur dissidents for the conference that’s being hosted by the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala.
"Dolkun Isa is a terrorist on red corner notice of Interpol and the Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is a due obligation of relevant countries," that was the rather terse statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
Reacting to these developments at his weekly briefing, Vikas Swarup, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, simply said that, "MEA is ascertaining all relevant facts of the case, and will get back to you as and when we have them."
Isa has been detained in the past in non-EU countries when he travelled there because of the Interpol Red Corner Notice.
This controversy comes close on the heels of three high-profile engagements between India and China in recent days.
On Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on the sidelines of the Russia-India-China trilateral meeting.
The next day, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing, and on Thursday, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, was in Beijing to co-chair the 19th round of Special Representative Talks between India and China on the boundary dispute.
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