E-Paper
In Leh, Dalai Lama says 'military force is outdated', India-China must end border disputes via peaceful means
Dalai Lama would stay in Leh for a month and visit Thiksey monastery. This was his first visit outside Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in the last two years.
Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday advised India and China to resolve their lingering border dispute via peaceful means saying, “use of military force was outdated”. The Dalai Lama arrived in Leh where he received a rousing reception.
“Basically India and China, the two big nations and neighbours sooner or later have to solve this problem through talks …through peaceful means. Use of military force is outdated,” he responded to a specific query when asked to react to China’s expansionist approach in Ladakh where it unilaterally tried to change the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern sector.
On June 15, 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action in a hand-to-hand combat with the PLA troops in the Galwan Valley when the latter unilaterally tried to change the status quo in a bid to usurp Indian territory.
Since then, India and China remain engaged in talks to de-militarise the strategic region and de-escalate the tension between the two neighbouring countries.
The Buddhist spiritual leader would stay in Leh for a month and visit Thiksey monastery. This was his first visit outside Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in the last two years.
China had already expressed its "displeasure" to the Dalai Lama’s visit to the "disputed" region.
The Dalai Lama’s visit to the region in 2018 had drawn China’s ire. This time, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told the media that “the Indian side should fully recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama and that it should abide by its commitment to China, speak and act prudently and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs".
On Thursday, the Dalai Lama said more and more people in China are beginning to realise that he is not seeking "independence" but meaningful autonomy and preservation of the Tibetan Buddhist culture.
“Some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist and a reactionary and always criticise me. But now, more Chinese are realising that the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence and only wishing China (to give) meaningful autonomy (to Tibet) to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture," the 87-year-old spiritual leader had told media in Jammu on his arrival on Thursday.
