DHARAMSHALA: Mr Pema Chhinjor, former Kalon in the 14th Kashag for the Department of Religion and Culture, Central Tibetan Administration, has been appointed as senior advisor to Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay for the term of the 15th Kashag.
Kasur Pema Chhinjor was born in 1945 in the Kham province of eastern Tibet. Following the footsteps of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he came into exile along with his family to India in 1959.
From 1964 – 1984, he taught Tibetan language and history in the Department of Asian Studies, Panjab University at Chandigarh, a city in northern India.
While in Chandigarh, he founded the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and served as its President for four consecutive terms. In 1974, he was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Tibetan Youth Congress.
In 1992, he was elected as a member of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (then known as Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies) for two consecutive terms.
In 1996, he was nominated as Kalon in the 11th Kashag led by Kalon Tripa Mr Sonam Topgyal. He served as the Kalon of Department of Security from 1996 to 2001.
In September 2011, he was nominated again as Kalon by Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay and served as the Kalon of the Department of Religion and Culture from September 2011 to May 2016.
Keeping in mind his vast experience and knowledge of the Tibetan administration and politics, Kasur Pema Chhinjor has been appointed to the post of senior adviser to guide Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay in his political and administrative strategies.
