The Tibetans in Dharamsala were in for a major disappointment when the proposed plan to invite H.H. the Dalai Lama to inaugurate the first ever India-Pakistan cricket match in Himachal Pradesh was blocked by ‘reservations’ expressed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The ‘reservations’ had no apparent definitions or details but the message was clear. It was another of those trite ‘pressure’ from the government of People’s Republic of China. Or take another of those ‘not wishing to harm diplomatic relations.’ Whatever it is, it was another small win for China in establishing that Tibet is still owned – albeit illegally – by China.
The Dharamsala incident is nothing but a continuation of a series of actions by some economically and militarily dependent nations eager to appease China. In this context, it is sometimes understandable why some countries do what they do. But on the contrary, they must know that they are fully independent nations with sovereign powers. In yielding to outside pressures, a nation surrenders its hard-earned sovereignty, the price of which only a deprived people like the Tibetans know and treasure. Frankenstein was only a creation that didn’t exist before but the destruction it brought was devastating. History is witness to many stories of humans who became demons when armed with unlimited powers bestowed on it by scared and subservient beings. The rise of China as an Asian superpower has immense geo-strategic implications on the Asian subcontinent.
The discomfort that Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) faced after Pakistan’s expression of reservation received timely relief when the Tibetan government in exile’s Information department released a statement stating that His Holiness did not want to “create any inconvenience to any party” and had decided not to inaugurate the match. The news of course put off many Tibetan cricket fans from buying tickets to the match. But some found in it an opportunity to show their disappointment. A scattered bunch of young Tibetans were fleetingly seen on televisions across India waving Tibetan national flags alongside the Indian national flags. The gesture was described by these young Tibetans as sending a silent yet strong message to Pakistan and China.
China’s pervasive and overwhelming ‘pressure’ is a stale story now. If anything, it has only helped focus more attention on the Tibetan issue. The year 2005 was no different with the closing down of Tibetan Refugee Welfare office and The Dalai Lama’s office in Nepal, the 2004 Miss Tibet barred from participating in Miss Tourism contest in Zimbabwe and now the Dharamsala cricket match.
Until next time, you will have another of those stories.
