Former Defense Minister George Fernandes and Rajya Sabha member has appreciated the 5th Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet which was held in Rome between November 18 to 19 this year.

Writing in the latest issue of 'the OtherSide', Fernandes that it pleased him to notice the 5th Convention being underway since he had established the first such group in India.

"We held our first convention at the Hamdard campus in New Delhi in 1994. It was the biggest effort from India after we had held the Tibet and Peace in South Asia Convention in New Delhi in 1989 to revitalize India's conscience regarding Tibet. His Holiness the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace prize just after this," Fernandes stated.

Fernandes mentions how his comrade Mohan Singh, presently in the Samajwadi Party, had made special efforts to put together India group. "It took many telephone calls by Mohan Singh, Jaya Jaitly, and Prof. Samdong Rimpoche, now Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, to gather 78 members of parliament from India and around the world. The New Delhi resolution of that convention became the basis for action all over the world by committed parliamentarians."

Fernandes attended the second meeting of the parliamentarians' convention in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania in 1995, the next in Washington DC in 1997.

Fernandes hoped the convention would achieve success in finding ways to move the Tibet issue forward in an effective manner, 'leading to justice for all his Tibetan friends'.

Meanwhile, the editorial of the 'Other Side' appreciated India's stance on China's objections to the visit of Dalai Lama to Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The editorial "China, India and the Dalai Lama" stated that the country was justifiably annoyed at the bullying remarks of the Chinese establishment objecting to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. The Prime Minister gently but firmly put the Chinese authorities in their place by reaffirming what officials had earlier stated-that Arunachal was an integral part of India and the Dalai Lama was an honoured guest who could travel where he wished.

"In a judgement of the Supreme Court in the early 90s, when Tibetan were indiscriminately arrested all over Delhi During Li Peng's visit, it was clarified that all refugees in India have the same rights as Indian citizens do, except the right to vote.

The Prime Minister reassuring the Chinese just now that Tibetans are disallowed from taking part in political activity goes against that spirit. Religious leaders in India routinely exhort people to political action, including issuing fatuas (diktats) to vote or go and build the Ram temple". (ANI)

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