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India seeks full report on Dalai Lama's Kashmir statement

P Jayaram and Ajit Sahi in New Delhi

The Indian government on Monday sought a 'full report' on the Dalai Lama's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir even as the Tibetan spiritual leader's office clarified that he proposed 'genuine autonomy' for the state, not independence.

External affairs ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao declined to comment on the Dalai Lama's reported remarks at a South Asian Peace Conference in Madras on Sunday.

"We would like to see the text before saying anything on the subject," she told journalists.

"Obviously, we will have to take a look at it. We will look at the full text of what he said. Our response will be predicated on this," she said.

"As far as His Holiness is concerned, he is a respected and revered spiritual leader and will always be regarded as such," she added.

Responding to a question she said the Tibetan community in India were registered as 'refugees' and 'there is no political activity permitted to them'.

Newspaper reports had quoted the Dalai Lama as saying at the conference that India and Pakistan should consider self-rule for Kashmiris.

The Dalai Lama's office in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh described the remarks attributed to him as 'inaccurate and incorrect' and gave a detailed account of his remarks.

"Although it was an interfaith gathering and although the issue of Kashmir is not directly related to His Holiness but as the Pakistani and Kashmir speakers before him spoke about the issue of Kashmir, he felt morally responsible to share his feelings on the issue. He strongly felt that the Kashmir issue needed to be resolved urgently because of the many innocent people being killed," it said in a statement.

"If we allow our emotions to influence our actions and if we indulge in violence there is absolutely no hope of finding solutions to these complicated issues," the statement quoted him as saying. The statement added that Dalai Lama called for avoiding 'extreme, one-sided positions'.

The statement said as an example for resolving such complicated issues Dalai Lama referred to the Tibetan struggle through non-violence and his 'middle-way approach' of not seeking independence but rather genuine autonomy.

"The concerned governments could consider such an approach in resolving the issue of Kashmir," the statement added him as saying.

Welcoming the Agra summit between Prime Minnister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the statement said, "His holiness has always believed in the importance of good relations between India and Pakistan. He also strongly believes that it is very important for the leaders to meet face-to-face and establish personal relations in order to be able to discuss difficult issues more openly and frankly."

It said at the end of the Madras conference, two representatives of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference indicated their interest in visiting the Dalai Lama. "His Holiness, as usual, responded that they were welcome."

ALSO SEE:
Govt upset over Dalai Lama's Kashmir remarks
Emissary denies Dalai Lama called for self-rule in Kashmir

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