By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, MARCH 24: The former Indian Foreign Secretary and diplomat, Kanwal Sibal, has said that India’s agreement to the Panchsheel Agreement of 1954 was a mistake, while proposing that it should consider Tibet as an Autonomous region under China and not a militarily occupied region of China.
“The Dalai Lama has accepted Tibet to be part of China provided they are given a genuine self rule and likewise India has recognized Tibet as an autonomous region of China. However, large-scale military presence in Tibet is contradictory to genuine autonomy,” said Sibal at a talk on Indian foreign policy hosted by Tibet Policy Institute on Thursday.
The former Ambassador also proposed the Indian leadership to take responsibility of resolving the Tibetan issue in accordance with the wishes of Tibetan people in a peaceful manner.
Sibal, who also served as a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board, was very vocal about the growing threat from China and its inability to respect a treaty. “It is their practice. They sign an agreement with no intention of honoring them and they interpret them the way they like or disown the agreement by finding some reasons,” he said in relation with India’s dealing with China over Arunachal territorial dispute.
Dismissing China’s objections to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal, he said that the Dalai Lama is a renowned spiritual leader and is free to travel anywhere in India.
Facing similar territorial disputes, many Asian countries are in contention with China over their claims in South China Sea. The Ambassador said that China has always been insensitive to the rights of other nations and highlighted that in future threat will come from the communist nation if their rise and ambitions are not checked.
The former Foreign Secretary of India met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama today at the latter’s residence here.
