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India Cancels Visa Given To Chinese Dissident

India Cancels Visa Given To Chinese Dissident
Dolkun Isa, Secretary General of the World Uyghur Congress speaks to an AFP reporter during an interview in Tokyo on May 2, 2008. Dolkun Isa is here to protest against upcoming visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO via Getty Images
Dolkun Isa, Secretary General of the World Uyghur Congress speaks to an AFP reporter during an interview in Tokyo on May 2, 2008. Dolkun Isa is here to protest against upcoming visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)

In a U-turn, India has cancelled the visa given to a leading Chinese dissident to participate in a conference in Dharamsala, apparently buckling under pressure from China.

"We have cancelled the visa given to Dolkun Isa," a Home Ministry spokesperson on Monday said without elaborating further.

Isa, a leader of World Uyghur Congress (WUC), who lives in Germany, had been invited for the conference being organised by US-based 'Initiatives for China'.

Cancellation of the visa is a U-turn on India's part after having issued the visa to Isa only last week.

Reacting to the Indian move, Isa said, "On April 23, I got a very short note by the Indian side that my visa is cancelled. There was no explanation."

He said he did not know what exactly was the reason for it. "May be because of Chinese pressure put on the Indian government. But, I do not know...I did not get any explanation from the Indian side," he said.

India's decision last week to allow WUC leaders whom China regards as backers of terrorism in its volatile Muslim- dominated Xinjiang province had come in the backdrop of Beijing blocking India's bid to get Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN.

China's unhappiness about reports that Isa has been given the visa was reflected in Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying saying, "What I want to point out is that Dolkun is a terrorist in red notice of the Interpol and Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is due obligation of relevant countries."

However, Isa's name does not figure in the list of wanted people published by the Interpol.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.