NEW DELHI, Nov. 20 (APP) India on Friday said no meeting has been scheduled between Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India in Port of Spain later this month on the sidelines of CHOGM.This was stated by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao while briefing newsmen here on the forthcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US and Port of Spain for attending Commonwealth Heads of Goverment Meeting (CHOGM).India prime Minister will undertake visit to the US from Nov. 22 to 26 and attend the CHOGM on Nov. 27 to 28.

Earlier, while talking to newsmen on Nov. 17, S M Krishna had said he was looking forward to his meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of CHOGM meeting in Trinidad.

 But, Nirupama Rao told newsmen that no meeting had been scheduled between Foreign Ministers of both countries in Trinidad.

Rao said the Prime Minister would discuss regional and global issues with the US President Barack Obama when they would meet in Washington.

The Prime Minister would also discuss developments  taking place in its immediate neighbourhood and issue of terrorism. The Prime Minister will express India’s concerns over terror threat from Pakistani soil. India wants Pakistan to take credible action to dismantle terror structure on its soil directed against India, she said.

When questioned on the proposed visit of APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq to China, Rao said India had no objection to his visit to china. But India had its stated policy on visas being issued by China to Kashmiris.

 Chinese embassy in India has been issuing visas to Kashmiris on a separate sheet of papers instead of on Indian passports.

 Foreign Secretary said, “we have stated on many previous occasions that we have not prevented Kashmiri leaders from travelling abroad.” 

She, however, said if the question was in the “context of approach taken by the Chinese government of issuing visas to Indian citizens resident of Jammu and Kashmir (on separate sheets of paper instead of passport)”, the Indian government does not “subscribe to this approach which discriminates on the basis of domicile.”

 “He (Mirwaiz) is free to travel wherever he wants,” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told newsmen when asked whether the government would permit the Hurriyat leader to go to China for attending a seminar of an NGO.

 Krishna said the Ministry of External Affairs encourages such visits whether these were to “Pakistan or China”.

 Meanwhile, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq asked the Centre to allow Kashmiris to visit China on stapled visas being provided by that country to Kashmiris.

 “It is unfortunate that Government of India has restricted the travel of Kashmiris to China on the stapled visa being provided by the country to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz told newsmen outside Jamia Masjid in Srinagar on Friday.

 Let the Kashmiris, including students and academics, be allowed to visit China on stapled visa,” he said.