Kathmandu. A delegation of the American lower house House of Representatives met with Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. At the same time, the delegation raised the issue of Tibet's autonomy and said that America's support for Tibetans is unwavering. This issue has been discussed internationally.
After the foreign delegation raised the issue of Tibet from Indian soil, China reacted strongly. Despite this, India considers Tibet part of China and refrains from commenting on the ongoing tensions between the Dalai Lama and China. Foreign affairs experts are raising questions on this issue from social media. What will they benefit India from this? If they have asked, what is the reason why the American delegation raised the issue of Tibet from Indian land? He has raised a question saying. Also, do they have the tacit consent of India? Is a strategy being prepared to put pressure on China with the help of Tibet? He asked.
Why did India give permission?
Is this visit of the American delegation official or not? Currently, there is no official opinion on this. The Hindu newspaper quoted sources as saying that the US delegation has come to India on a personal visit. India's foreign affairs expert Gokul Sawhney questioned the role of the US in social media platform X. He wrote - 'I am surprised to see what the US Congress is trying to achieve in 2024 on the issue of Tibet. Although there has been some international uproar on the matter, the US has remained silent on the matter for decades. What will the United States do now? Do you want to bring democracy to America?'
The Hindu newspaper's diplomatic affairs editor Suhasini Haider reposted the post and wrote, 'What does India want to achieve by allowing US Congress members to make political statements about Tibet in public speeches on Indian soil? If this is India's policy? Why are there no Indian officials or leaders on the stage?'
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also commented on this post. He wrote, "We should tell China that our land in Ladakh has been occupied since April 2020." Therefore, we can declare Tibet and Taiwan as independent countries. Those countries are entitled to membership of the United Nations General Assembly.'
In a short while, Kanwal Sibal, the former foreign secretary of India, came forward to answer Suhasini. He wrote in X, "Is it said that Pelosi and the Congress delegation will not be given visas?" Or should it be stipulated that no one will give a public statement?
Was it politically possible?' Sibal said, 'The Modi government is being attacked for suppressing freedom of expression inside and outside the country, so this decision seems to be helping China, which is doing injustice to Tibet. This has seriously affected us at the regional level.' Sibal said, 'Those countries criticize India on Indian soil for not siding with the West in the Ukraine war. Despite this, our media invites them to question the state of India.'
Responding to this, Suhasini posted again. He wrote, 'The issue here is not China's or anyone else's response. It is a matter of India's sovereignty and control over foreign policy issues from Indian soil.' Responding to Suhasini's post, Sibal wrote, Western countries are well aware of India's relationship with Russia, yet they attack Russia from our soil. Despite knowing this, our media gives them space.' He wrote, 'Russia was attacked in Raisina dialogue. Can we control that narrative on foreign policy issues on our soil?' Responding to that, Suhasini wrote that Tibet issue should not be compared with Russia-Ukraine conflict and China.
What did the American delegation say?
Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the US Congress, is also included in the delegation of seven people. On Wednesday, the delegation said that the US would not allow China to interfere in the 'succession' of the Dalai Lama. The American delegation met with the Dalai Lama as his birthday approached. He will celebrate his 89th birthday on July 6. Considering his age, there are also speculations about the Dalai Lama's institution and his succession. The delegation led by Republican leader Michael McCall, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the US support for Tibet is unwavering. He called China's claim of ancient relations with Tibet as 'ridiculous'.
According to The Hindu, Gregory Meeks, who is in the American delegation, said, 'Our support for the Tibetan people is unwavering. The dream of a beautiful day will live. China is displacing communities from their places in the name of development.' He said, 'We know that they are trying to control Tibetan Buddhism. Speaking at the beginning of the program, McCall recalled the Dalai Lama's days spent in exile.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama crossed the Himalayas with his 80,000 followers and came to India to save the culture and lifestyle of Tibet. McCall said, 'After decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is threatening the freedom of the Tibetan people. They are also trying to get involved in the Dalai Lama's succession. We will not allow that to happen.' He met the Dalai Lama
They talked for an hour. McCall also praised his non-violent methods to protect the interests of the Tibetan people.
What did China say?
Before the meeting, China had warned that if the United States does not fulfill its commitment to recognize Tibet as part of China, China will take "stern measures" in this matter. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Chin said, "Everyone knows that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious person, but an exiled political figure involved in anti-Chinese separatist activities under the guise of religion." Lin has especially appealed to US President Joe Biden not to support the law passed in Congress advocating the resolution of the Sino-Tibet dispute. "The United States should not sign this act into law," Lynn said. "China will take firm steps to resolutely protect its sovereignty, security and development interests," he said.
The Chinese Embassy in India also issued a long statement about this, saying, 'We appeal to the American side to fully recognize the anti-Chinese separatist nature of the Dalai Lama group, the term used by China for Shizhang (Tibet) respects the commitment of the US. Stop sending wrong signals to China and the world on issues related to China.
A bill in the US Parliament concerning Tibet
The US House of Representatives recently passed the 'Act to Promote the Settlement of the Tibet-China Dispute' 391-26. It had already been passed by the US Senate. According to the bill, it is arranged that the US will provide funds to address the 'false information' spread by China about the history, people and institutions of Tibet. In this bill, it is mentioned that China's claim to Tibet as its own will be countered. Through this bill, an attempt has been made to put pressure on China to negotiate with the leaders of Tibet, which has been stalled since 2010, so that an agreement can be reached in Tibet. In addition, China should address the concern of the historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people.
India's stance on the Dalai Lama
In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and was forced to take refuge in India. On March 31, 1959, Tibetan religious leaders entered India. On March 17, he crossed the Himalayas on foot from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and entered the Indian border after 15 days.
When there was no news of him and his colleagues during the journey, many people began to suspect that they might have died. After reaching India, he formed a government in exile. There was a change in India's stand regarding Tibet. In June 2003, India officially recognized Tibet as part of China. After the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's meeting with the then Chinese President Jiang Zemin, India accepted Tibet as part of China for the first time. However, after that, it was said that this recognition was only indirect. At that time, Indian officials said that India has not recognized the whole of Tibet, which is a large part of China. Instead, India has recognized only the part that is considered to be an autonomous Tibetan region. In 1989, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize. The Dalai Lama has said that he does not want independence from China, but autonomy. China has been considering Tibet as its territory, but Tibet is not subject to China and has been talking about its independence.
-From BBC Hindi
