New Delhi, 17 December 2025: The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile continued its advocacy efforts in New Delhi as members of its Standing Committee, led by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, held a series of meetings with Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Indian lawmakers across party lines. The delegation was divided into three groups to engage key stakeholders on issues concerning Tibet.

The first group, comprising Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and parliamentarians Tenpa Yarphel and Geshe Ngawa Gangri, met with Shri Manoj Kumar Jha, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Bihar (Rashtriya Janata Dal).

The second group, consisting of parliamentarians Juchen Kunchok Chodon, Geshe Lharampa Atuk Tseten, and Geshe Atong Rinchen Gyaltsen, met with Shri Birender Prasad Baishya, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Assam (Asom Gana Parishad), and Shri Bhuban Phani Chaudhary, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Assam (Asom Gana Parishad).

The third group, comprising parliamentarians Serta Tsultrim, Lopon Thupten Gyaltsen, Tsaneytsang Dhondup Tashi, and Tsering Yangchen, met with Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; Dr. C. N. Manjunath, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Karnataka (BJP); and Shri Ramesh Awasthi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh (BJP).

During the meetings, the Tibetan parliamentary delegations advocated for the recognition of Tibet as an occupied nation with a historically sovereign past. They called upon the People’s Republic of China to engage in substantive and unconditional dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama or with the democratically elected Tibetan leadership.

The delegations further appealed to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to initiate scientific studies on China’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources and the resulting impact on regional and global climate systems.

They urged the international community to increase pressure on China to grant independent human rights organizations access to Tibet and to extend standing invitations to UN Special Rapporteurs, particularly those mandated to monitor freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and the protection of human rights defenders. The delegations also demanded the unconditional release of all Tibetan political prisoners, including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, whose whereabouts have remained unknown since 1995, and called for an end to policies suppressing Tibetan culture, language, and religion.

Additionally, the Tibetan parliamentarians appealed for the establishment of a national legislative framework to counter China’s networked authoritarianism and disinformation campaigns that undermine democratic institutions and global stability. They urged Indian legislators to raise concerns over human rights violations in Tibet across all available national and international platforms.

Throughout the meetings, the delegations were accompanied by staff members of the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat and the New Delhi–based Coordinator of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.