Delhi, 12 December 2025: In conjunction with the ongoing winter session of the Indian Parliament, members of the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, led by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, have begun their advocacy initiatives in New Delhi.
To enhance outreach efforts, the Standing Committee members were divided into three groups. The first group consisted of Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel along with parliamentarians Tenpa Yarphel, and Geshe Ngawa Gangri. The second group included parliamentarians Juchen Kunchok Chodon, Geshe Lharampa Atuk Tseten, and Geshe Atong Rinchen Gyaltsen. The third group comprised of parliamentarians Serta Tsultrim, Lopon Thupten Gyaltsen, Tsaneytsang Dhondup Tashi, and Tsering Yangchen.
The first group met with Shri Khagen Murmur (Member of Lok Sabha from West Bengal), Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood (President of Interfaith Coalition for Peace), and Shri Sujeet Kumar (Member of Rajya Sabha from Odisha).
The second group met with Shri N.K. Premachandran, MP Lok Sabha from Kerala; Shri. K. R. Suresh Reddy, Member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh; and Shri. Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, Member of Lok Sabha from Mizoram.
The third group met with Shri Jagadish Shettar, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Member of Lok Sabha; Shri. Umeshbhai Babubai Patel, Member of Lok Sabha from Daman and Diu; and Shri Mohammad Haneefa, Member of Lok Sabha from Ladakh.
During their meetings with the aforementioned key dignitaries, the delegation advocated for recognition of Tibet as an occupied nation with a historically sovereign past, call on the People’s Republic of China to engage in substantive, unconditional dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the democratically elected Tibetan leadership, and appeal to the UNFCCC to conduct scientific studies on the PRC’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources and its impact on global climate change.
Further urging to pressure China to grant independent human rights organisations access to Tibet and to extend standing invitations to UN Special Rapporteurs, particularly those focused on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and the protection of human rights defenders. They appealed them to demands the unconditional release of all Tibetan political prisoners, including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, whose whereabouts have remained unknown since 1995, and call for an end to oppressive policies aimed at suppressing Tibetan culture, language, and religion.
The Tibetan parliamentary delegation also appealed the establishment of a national legislative framework to counter China’s networked authoritarianism and disinformation campaigns, which undermine democratic institutions and global stability, and urges legislators to raise their voices and express concern regarding human rights violations in Tibet across all available platforms.
In the course of their meetings, respective delegations were accompanied by Tenzin Paljor, Tenzin Choeying, Gyaltsen Gonpo, and Lobsang Tsomo, staff members of Tibetan parliamentary secretariat; and Phuntsok Gyatso, Delhi based coordinator of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
– Report filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat
