China In Talks With India Over Denial of Entry To Pilgrims To Kailash Mansarovar:- Over the denial of entry to 47 Indian pilgrims last week, who were scheduled to travel to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet through the Nathu-La pass in Sikkim, China said it was in talks with India.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Suhang told reporters, “the two governments are in touch over this issue, according to my information.” He further declined to elaborate whether it was due to any weather-related issues like landslides and rains, that the Pilgrims were stopped by the Chinese officials at the Sino-India border. The issue was being discussed by the two foreign ministries, said Mr. Suhang.

On June 19, the pilgrims were scheduled to cross over to the Chinese side, but due to inclement weather, had failed to do so. At the base camp, they had to wait and on June 23 tried to cross again. However, they were denied permission by the Chinese officials.

Some difficulties were being experienced in the movement of pilgrims through Nathu La and that India is taking up the matter with China, said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay in New Delhi. It would take some time to repair the roads and the Indians would not be able to make the pilgrimage any time soon, maintained the Chinese officials. The development indeed has cast a shadow of doubtfulness on the annual yatra.

“We are concerned about the safety of the Indian pilgrims which is why they were stopped from proceeding further”, said the Chinese officials. Those pilgrims who were halted at the border by the officials, have now returned to their respective states.

Hundreds of Indian pilgrims every year initiate Kailash Mansarovar yatra in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China passing through the mountainous terrain. A total of 350 yatris had registered for the yatra through the Nathu La route, this year and they were to travel in seven batches.

It was a surprise about the denial of permission to the first batch of 47 Indian pilgrims, as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the new route via Nathula Pass in Sikkim was launched with a fanfare by the two countries in 2015. This was the second route agreed by the two counties for the Kailash Yatra.

External Affairs Ministry till 2015 have organized the Yatra, only through Lipu Pass in Himalays connecting the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India with the old trading town of Taklakot in Tibet. The Nathulla route enabled pilgrims to travel 1500 km long route from Nathulla to Kailash by buses.The route through Nathula attenuated the misfortune and journey time. This thus enabled many more pilgrims, to undertake the Yatra and in particular aged pilgrims.

The development comes amid tensions in bilateral ties between the two countries over a host of issues including the CPEC and India’s NSG bid. On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kazakh capital Astana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month. The two sides should tap their potential in cooperation, strengthen communication and coordination in international affairs, respect each other’s core concerns and appropriately handle their disputes, said Mr. Modi in the meeting.

SUPRAJA