NEW DELHI, Apr 24:
In what is being seen as diplomatic master stroke to bring home its point, India has granted e-visa to Dolkun Isa, exiled chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress, to attend a human rights conference in Himachal Pradesh.
Beijing reacted sharply, decrying New Delhi’s decision to allow a person to visit India, who is a wanted ‘terrorist’ in China. The move comes a month after China red flagged India’s effort at the UN Security Council to designate Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Maulana Masood Azhar in the list terrorists in the aftermath of the Pathankot terror attack.
China was quick to put the Indian move on technical hold, citing as reason insufficient documents. India strongly objected and conveyed its concerns at the highest levels. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Moscow raised the issue with her Chines counterpart, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Beijing minced no words to convey Chinese leadership that it was adopting double standards on the issue of terrorism. If the words were not enough, New Delhi by its action conveyed to Beijing what may be the repercussions of interpreting terrorism in terms of ‘’good or bad terrorism”.
From April 28 to May 1, Chinese activists from around the world will gather in India to hold an international conference on the question of how to bring about a transition to democracy in communist China.
The announcement of e-visa to Mr Isa was made by official website of UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation)
“The event titled “Strengthening Our Alliance to Advance the Peoples’ Dream: Freedom, Justice, Equality and Peace” will be held in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile, and will bring together Chinese pro-democracy activists and representatives of the country’s religious and ethnic groups, such as Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians,” the website said.
Mr Isa was jailed repeatedly for his activism before he fled China in late nineties. Later, the activist was granted German citizenship in 2006. In the meanwhile, Beijing managed to obtained an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him.
The conference in Himachal Pradesh was being organised by US-based Citizen Power for China(CFC), which is led by well-known exiled Chinese dissident and a 1989 Tiananmen Square activist, Yang Jianli. When asked about China’s protest over e-visa to a ‘terrorist’, MEA spokesperson brush aside the issue, saying that India was in process of ascertaining the facts about the event.
“As you know, the conference is not being organised by the MEA..,..So, we are yet to have full details of the event,” he said during his weekly media briefing.
Mr Isa is vocal about his proposed visit to India. He had given telephonic interviews to the Indian media. The front-line leader of Uyghurs’ struggle for greater political and religious freedom in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China was jailed for his activism against Chinese rule in the region which is called East Turkestan by Uighurs. “This is the first time a delegation of World Uyghur Congress is visiting India..,..We are aware of New Delhi’s positive attitude towards the struggle for Tibet..,..India has been hosting Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees since 1959,” Mr Isa said in a published interview. “We hope India, which is the largest democracy of the world, will also speak up in support of Uyghurs’ non-violent struggle for political and religious freedom, democracy and human rights.” he said. (UNI)
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