Tibet question
Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "India's External Relations"
Meaning
The Tibet question is the dispute between India and China over Tibet. It started when China took over Tibet in 1950. Before that, Tibet stood between the two countries like a buffer, a zone that kept them apart. Its loss brought India and China face to face. Under Panchsheel (1954), India accepted China's claim over Tibet. But the issue soon strained relations.
Example
In 1956 the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, came to India and told Nehru that things were getting worse in Tibet. An armed uprising was crushed (the Lhasa uprising was in March 1959). In 1959 the Dalai Lama got asylum (safe shelter) in India. China protested and accused India of allowing anti-China activity. Dharamshala became the main Tibetan settlement.
Don't confuse with
- Panchsheel: this was the 1954 India-China agreement on five principles. It came in a trade agreement on Tibet, but it is not the same as the later quarrel over Tibet.