Jammu, Dec 18: A delegation of the Parliament members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile met Rajya Sabha MP(Nominated) and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Er. Gulam Ali Khatana at his New Delhi residence today and informed about the burning issues of Tibetan population in People’s Republic of China.

The delegates said that Tibet today faces a severe threat of cultural genocide and the erasure of Tibetan identity. For the fourth consecutive year, Tibet is ranked the least-free country in the 2024 Freedom Index Report by Freedom House. China's policies aim to eradicate Tibetan language and culture, including the forced placement of children as young as six in colonial boarding schools. The closure of all the private Tibetan medium schools, the recent one being the Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling (Jigme Gyaltsen Nationalities Vocational School) in Golok on July 12, 2024, highlights the intensifying efforts to assimilate Tibetan identity into the dominant Han culture, said the delegates.

They further informed that PRC has imposed policies to restrict religious expression in Tibet. Recent closures of Ngaba Kirti and Lhamo Kirti Monasteries have led to the forced enrollment of young monks in state-run residential schools. These measures, along with mass DNA collection from Tibetans, including young children, reflect an intrusive surveillance regime aimed at controlling, instilling fear, and suppressing Tibetan religious practices. Since February 2009, 157 Tibetans have self-immolated protesting the PRC's harsh policies and calling for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's return and Tibet's freedom.

MP Rajya Sabha Er. Gulam Ali Khatana said that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a world leader and is playing crucial role in resolving various world issues. He said that Tibeten people are guests of India and he would take up the issues raised by delegation with the concerned quarters for resolution.