New Delhi: The government had issued a note earlier this year asking Indian government officials not to associate themselves with Tibetan functions marking 60 years of the government-in-exile since the Indian government regarded these as "political" in nature and not in tune with the earlier Sino-Indian agreement of 1988, sources said on Tuesday. Sources said the Tibetan functions to mark 60 years of the arrival of the Dalai Lama in India in 1959 and formation of the Tibetan Government-in-exile was of a “political” nature and were "not religious or cultural" functions.
Sources said that as per an earlier Sino-Indian agreement of 1988 when the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi made an official visit to China. It was apparently declared then that India would not allow any anti-China activities from Indian soil. It was also endorsed by India back then that Tibet is a part of China. But foreign policy observers see the government's move earlier this year as one to reassure China that India respects Chinese sensitivities on Tibet. Sources also said the Indian government had not asked the Central Tibetan Administration, popularly known as the Tibetan government-in-exile, to change the venue of any function but that the Tibetans had done it on their own.
It may be recalled that Lobsang Sangay, President of the central Tibetan administration had recently said that one function on marking 60 years of the Dalai Lama's arrival in India had been shifted from New Delhi to Dharamsala but added that all other functions in this regard were being held in various parts of the country as scheduled including New Delhi.
The Tibetans in India are organising a series of events to "thank" India and to mark the countdown to 60 years of the existence of the Tibetan community in India.
The Tibetans' supreme spiritual leader the Dalai Lama had arrived in India in 1959 after fleeing Tibet to escape from the Chinese forces and the next year will see the 60th anniversary of that occurence.
