Organisation seeks unconditional dialogue with Beijing
China is “intimidated” by the increasing support for the independence of Tibet, the “Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile” has said in response to reports that the Embassy of China in India wrote to MPs who had participated in a December 22 meeting of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet.
In a statement, the organisation said it “openly welcomes” a negotiation on Tibet’s future with China.
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“By sending the letters to honourable members of the Indian Parliament, it becomes evident that China is intimidated by the growing support for the Tibet movement around the world. The leaders of free countries have all their rights and responsibilities to support the just cause of Tibet and we vehemently condemn this move by China,” said the statement issued on Friday.
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The All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet (APIPFT) was reconstituted during the Premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had been one of the members of the group during the 1970s when it was started by eminent lawyer and former minister M.C. Chagla.
According to Tibetan sources, the APIPFT was not active after 2011 and was revived in December 2014 under the leadership of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shanta Kumar. As many as 33 MPs were part of the core committee of APIPFT.
The December 22 meeting was convened to frame the path ahead after the retirement of Mr. Kumar, who quit active politics in 2019, and the post of the Convenor of the Forum had become vacant. During the dinner reception, Sujeet Kumar of Biju Janata Dal was unanimously elected as the Convenor of the APIPFT.
The meeting was attended by several others including Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology of India.
The “Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile” said that it is the “sole legitimate representative of Tibet and Tibetans across the world” and announced it “welcomes an equal and non-conditional negotiation with the Chinese government” about the future of Tibet.
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