The slap has been taken back.
Supporters of the Narendra Modi administration were buoyant over the weekend, thanks to the news that New Delhi had granted a visa to Uyghur-Chinese rebel Dolkun Isa, whom Beijing considers a terrorist. The hashtag #ModiSlapsChina even trended. On Monday, that triumphalism turned to embarrassment after it emerged India had cancelled Isa's visa following pressure from Beijing.
Beijing doesn't just consider Isa, a leader of the World Uyghur Congress, a rebel. It has also sought to portray him as a terrorist and has issued a red corner notice through Interpol. Which means it would have been no simple decision to grant Isa a visa in the first place.
Indeed, reports like this one from the Indian Express claimed that the decision to give Isa a visa for the conference of Chinese dissidents had been taken at the "highest level" in government. The reports suggested several ambassadors had been informed about the visa, a sign that it was a considered choice.
Naturally, China reacted angrily, with a government spokesperson saying, "bringing him to justice is due obligation of relevant countries."
On social media and elsewhere, the move was quickly interpreted as a muscular response to China's actions in the United Nations, where Beijing blocked the listing of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs maintained a studied silence, responding only to questions with a perfunctory reply. "We have seen media reports and the ministry is trying to ascertain facts," said the ministry's spokesperson. It is pertinent to note that visas to foreign nationals are granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The MEA's involvement here would have been to ensure the visa decision did not come in the way of diplomatic relations with India's large neighbour.
On Monday, Isa himself released a statement saying that his e-visa had been cancelled. "India had granted me a tourist e-visa, but it was cancelled after my visit was widely reported in the Indian press," Isa wrote, adding that he understood the difficult position the Indian government finds itself in.
"I remain disappointed with the final decision, but I am hopeful that positive steps may be taken to maintain India’s relationship with the Uyghur community."
— Dolkun Isa
Some murmurs have suggested that the initial grant of visa itself may also have been something of a mistake. India was aware that Beijing would be uncomfortable with the grant of a visa to an Uyghur leader, but whether it knew it was breaching a red corner notice is unclear.
What is more evident is a mismatch between what is happening inside government, especially across several ministries, and what was understood by the prime minister's cheerleaders outside.
New Delhi could either have kept Isa's visit quiet, asking him and the conference not to publicise his arrival until it was already a fait accompli. Denying him a visa could also have been sold differently, by insisting that India follows international rules and is firm in its efforts to crack down on terrorism.
Instead, what finally happened was the farce of news reports suggesting that India was retaliating against China's Azhar move by granting Isa a visa, only to see India seemingly cave in to Beijing's pressure.
The key point is not India's inability to stand up to China on this issue – while that is a problem, there is no question that Beijing has much more leverage bilaterally and globally. What the whole incident reveals is something more problematic: A government that is unsure of what it is doing and, as a result, unable to build a narrative without endangering either its own image or its ties with neighbours.
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