China’s claim over Tibet is questionable

From a Sify report on a seminar held last Friday at IIC on ‘1914 Shimla Convention Agreement and Consequences’ (emphasis mine):

The fact that the Chinese refused to ink the 1914 Shimla Convention agreement between India and Tibet puts question mark over the legality or morality of China’s claim of sovereignty over Tibet, a group of India’s top jurists, scholars and security experts feel.

…The participants – who included senior Supreme Court Advocate Rajeev Dhavan, Arunachal MP Khiren Rijuju, Lt Gen. (Rtd.) F.R. J. Jacob, veteran diplomat Dalip Mehta, and writer Dr Parshotam Mehta – felt that this could make a strong case for India to press for autonomy of the Tibet in its negotiations with China during sixth round of discussions on Indo-China border that started today.

…Dhawan argued that China’s case for sovereignty over Tibet was inconclusive, contradictory and un-established. �I have gone through all relevant documents. At best, a nominal suzerainty was imposed by the imperial powers, which lapsed when the Chinese did not sign the agreement,� he said.

Writer Parshotam Mehta and Dr Anand Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University drew attention to the July declaration signed by the �plenipotentiaries of Great Britain and Tibet� which said if China did not sign the agreement �she will be debarred from all privileges�.

�It was an agreement between the government of India and Tibet and did not accept any claim by China if the latter did not accept the conditionalities,� they contended.

But all the legalities in the world pale against lack of political will and resolve…I am not in the least optimistic that�the sixth round of discussions with China would be any different from the previous ones…

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Of sound bites, Shilpa Shetty and Arunachal

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Somewhat related: “The Rama Story and Sanskrit in Ancient Xinjiang – Subhash Kak”

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