Prime Minister Panpa Tshering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, India, revealed that he has been talking to the Chinese government behind the scenes and that conversation has been ongoing for the past year. . However, Penfa Tshering also said that the initiative for the talks was not taken by him but by China. The special thing is that this conversation is taking place at a time when there are tensions between India and China on the border after the violent conflict in Galwan in 2020 and there is a gathering of armies of the two countries in the LAC. Government sources say they are aware of this and are still busy evaluating it. Experts on China-Tibet affairs say that discussions should be held to resolve the issues, but India should also be included in it, after all 90 thousand Tibetans live in India. Amid this discussion, a ‘secret’ telegram, sent by the Lhasa Mission to New Delhi in 1947, was also mentioned. Experts say that the exiled Tibetan government should also clarify this issue.
In fact, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Panpa Tsering, revealed that the Tibetan government-in-exile and China are holding back-channel talks. However, he also said that talks are ongoing between the two sides after a decade. Between 2002 and 2010, nine rounds of discussions were held between Tibet and China, but there was no concrete result. Now the purpose of the behind-the-scenes talks is to restore the overall dialogue process, because the Tibetan issue can only be resolved that way. The initiative for this conversation was taken by China. He said his negotiators had spoken to “people in Beijing” but there was no immediate hope of reaching an agreement.
Gandhian thinker, prominent socialist and former JNU professor and political analyst Dr. Anand Kumar, who is also the general secretary of the ‘India-Tibet Friendship Association’, says that if there are talks between Tibet and China, then India-Tibet Maitri Sangh welcomes it. Professor Anand Kumar, talks between Tibet and China were also held earlier, but Xi Jinping did not agree to the conditions presented by the Dalai Lama at the time, in which he demanded real autonomy for the Tibetan people at the time, it was said that the reasons for the closure of the talks were the demonstrations against China in Tibet and the fanatical attitude of Beijing for Buddhism, which is why the talks failed to reach any conclusion. The Dalai Lama is concerned about the safety of the people living in Tibet. They want guarantees for their safety, medical care and employment. At the same time, they do not want China’s interference in the issue of culture.
The Indian government should also participate in the talks
Dr. Anand Kumar says that China’s attitude is mysterious. These days it has become unpopular all over the world. It is constantly standing in the dock on the issue of Tibet. At the same time, by initiating talks with the exiled Tibetan government, it wants to fix its image in front of the whole world .He says that if this conversation takes place, the Indian government should be included in it. After all, India has always stood by the people of Tibet. Its interests cannot be ignored, but the welfare of the people of Tibet should be appreciated also their contribution. If there is mediation between the two, India has no objection.
The Dalai Lama is ready to become part of China
Dr. Anand Kumar says that the Dalai Lama has already made it clear that he does not demand complete independence from China and only wants his government to receive autonomy in Tibet. He says that a few years ago a referendum was held in Tibet, in which 90 percent of Tibetans were with the Dalai Lama, while the youth were in favor of Tibetan independence. The Dalai Lama then backed away from talk of complete independence for Tibet and demanded autonomy. According to Dr. Anand, the Dalai Lama regularly meets with his benefactors in India. The Dalai Lama always says that ‘I am the son of the soil of India’ and ‘I am the messenger of Indian wisdom’. That is why we are close to Indian culture but not to China. Even in informal talks, he does not speak ill of China, rather he wants peace in Tibet, China changes its oppressive policies and provides security to the Tibetan people. He says that the Dalai Lama said last year that he is always ready for talks with China and that he does not demand complete independence for Tibet and will remain part of China.
China pretends to speak, stop the atrocities on the Tibetans first
At the same time, some people associated with the government are looking at this back channel conversation from a different perspective. Sources say that if China is so concerned about its image with the international community, then it should invite the Tibetan government-in-exile into the open instead of back-channel talks. He says that China is only pretending, it cannot be trusted. On the one hand he wishes for the death of the Dalai Lama, and on the other hand he pretends to negotiate. It also raises questions as to why these talks are only taking place between two parties. After all, India also suffered a lot. India has also been a victim of China’s expansionist policies. Everyone saw what happened in Galvan. Time and again, China gives new names to the Indian states adjacent to the LAC, and claims them as its own. He says that if China needs to talk about Tibet, then it should first end the ongoing stalemate in LAC, and stop asserting its rights over what it calls South Tibet. Sources say that if China is really serious about talks, then it should first stop destroying Tibetan monasteries, respect Tibetan lamas and stop atrocities on Tibetan citizens. At the same time, sources raise questions about the exiled Tibetan government and say that before they talk to China behind the scenes, they should also clarify their position on the ‘secret’ telegram sent by the Lhasa delegation to New Delhi in October 1947. Although the sources do not reveal much about this ‘secret’ telegram, They say they just understand that this telegram is very important to India, Tibet and China.
