China’s claim to Tibet ‘incorrect, bid to rewrite history’: Gen Naravane backs Tibetan freedom struggle.

Underscoring Tibet’s struggle for independence from China, former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane (retd) said Wednesday that Tibetans world over have a legitimate right to return to the land of their forefathers and experience their culture and traditions.

He was speaking at the 6th International Rangzen (Independence) Conference at the India International Centre (IIC) in Delhi. Those in attendance included Geshe Lharampa Bawa Lobsang Pende, representative of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, and Umit Hamit, a noted Uyghur freedom fighter.

According to Gen. Naravane, there are 60 lakh Tibetans in Tibet while 1,40,000 are in exile, of which 1,00,000 are in India. “This is an exceptional pool of latent power which needs to be harnessed,” he said.

He added: “It is indeed a historical fact that Tibet has been and is, the rightful neighbour of India and that the common border was open and peaceful, allowing not only free movement of trade and people, but also the flow of the finest thoughts of human civilisation.”

Taking on China several times during the lecture, he compared the Chinese approach with that of India. He said, “Even though China has grown in strength, strength comes with its vulnerabilities. China operates with centricity of coercion and fear whereas India with centricity of cooperation and trust.”

He added that Chinese irredentism has been focused on Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang and even Mongolia. “It is also wise to recognise China’s Grey Zone actions which involve kinetic and non-kinetic forms of assertiveness, by resorting to selective historical referencing, cartographic manipulation and lawfare by leveraging its cyber and information domain capabilities.”