India has been forced to withdraw a weightlifter belonging to Arunachal Pradesh from the upcoming Senior World Weightlifting Championships to be held in Ningbo after Chinese authorities indicated that he would be issued a visa stapled on a piece of paper, rather than a regular one stamped on his Indian passport. This was meant to suggest that China does not recognise India’s sovereignty over the state, which it claims is part of Tibet, a territory under its occupation rule since the 1950s.
The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) withdrew his name after the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASS) in New Delhi sought an undertaking from it confirming Charu Pesi’s acceptance of a stapled visa, reported the timesofindia.com Oct 16.
