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Opinion / S Zeyaur Rehman

'In a private talk with the Dalai Lama, Mao admitted that Tibet is a great country in its own right'

Four years after the invasion, the communists invited the Dalai Lama over to see for himself the glorious motherland (as the Communists had begun to call China).

The Seventeen Points Agreement, which the People's Republic of China had signed with the 'local self-government of Tibet' figured prominently among the talks of the Dalai Lama with the prominent Chinese leaders, including Chairman Mao. It is interesting to note that even during this visit, in a private talk with the Dalai Lama, Mao admitted that Tibet is a great country in its own right. It has fallen behind and now the Chinese only wanted to help them to keep pace with times, he said.

The Seventeen Points Agreement was a sham. The Chinese themselves breached its articles one by one. The 1950's were the most brutal times the Tibetans ever witnessed -- all in the name of modernisation.

Finally, on March 10, 1959, the people of Lhasa rose against Chinese oppression. On the same day, at 6 pm, the Tibetan government refused to recognise Chinese supremacy.

What followed was a bloody suppression. With things going out of control, the Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet on March 31, 1959. He was granted political asylum in India.

It is forty years since. Around 100,000 Tibetans followed his Holiness into exile and are settled in various parts of India. Some managed to escape to Europe and America as well. Their misery knew no bounds. They brave all hoping that they can return to their homeland one day.

Will that ever be possible? The Tibet issue has own global recognition. Unfortunately enough little else has come forward. No one is ready to take up the issue and begin a crusade. The Dalai Lama does not favour a violent struggle, the epitome of compassion that he is.

Time is running out far Tibet as well as the Dalai Lama. The Chinese outnumber the Tibetans in their own land. The Tibetans may give up resisting under growing pressure. The new generation may not even believe that they belong to a country independent of China. The Tibetan youth in exile are growing restless. They may soon lose hope.

The Dalai Lama is very well aware of these facts. He knows a solution has to be achieved within his lifetime, else it may be too late. He has moderated his stance. All he presses for is autonomy for Tibet within the larger framework of China. He has been running from pillar to post to mobilising support in his favour.

His biggest hope, India, is perhaps his biggest disappointment. Tibet would make a good buffer state between India and China, aiding the overall security environment in South Asia. Yet nothing has been done in this regard. Our foreign policy is silent on the issue.

The US has a major role since we are in an unipolar world now. All the US has done, though, is to use China's human rights record in Tibet to undermine its importance and credibility on the global arena. The Dalai Lama's 'meetings' with US leaders have gained nothing more than empty assurances.

China has grown enormously in stature in the previous decade. No one is in a position to arm-twist or to force it to agree to anything unprofitable. China realises its position of advantage. That's why it wants the Dalai Lama to accept China's historical claim over Tibet and Taiwan.

That's the present power scenario. Tibet is a topic of grave concern needing genuine attention. That can be done only when the petty squabbles between the countries (US and China) over Tibet end. The largest beneficiary, apart from Tibet, will be India. But India has taken no initiative on Tibet, nor is any expected in the near future.

To be optimistic, we could hope that favourable conditions will be created so that Tibet and China solve their disputes amicably through talks (with help from the US and India). But, more realistically, the Dalai Lama may bow to Chinese terms to solve the problem before he too "shows the method of going beyond sorrow".

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