Now Reading: Dalai Lama meeting with US envoy cancelled at last minute
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Dalai Lama meeting with US envoy cancelled at last minute
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor's first visit to Ladakh was marked by a meeting that never happened. The diplomat was scheduled to meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Leh, but the meeting was called off just hours before Gor's plane landed. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) told media the schedule was changed the night before his arrival, but no official reason was given.
Ladakh is a sensitive region along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, and the Dalai Lama is seen by Beijing as a separatist threat. Gor's visit was the first by a sitting US ambassador since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops. A meeting with the Dalai Lama could have been seen as a sensitive message to Beijing, especially with the BRICS summit due in India next month.
The cancellation came a day after Gor's statement in Srinagar that Kashmir is an integral part of India, which drew a protest from Pakistan. The decision to skip the Dalai Lama meeting is seen as an attempt to avoid opening multiple diplomatic fronts. Gor instead engaged in non-controversial activities like river rafting in Nimmu.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The cancellation highlights the tightrope US diplomats walk in the India-China-Pakistan triangle. Ladakh is contested by both China and Pakistan, and any symbolic gesture there is read carefully. Beijing has long objected to foreign officials meeting the Dalai Lama, seeing it as interference. The BRICS summit in July adds extra sensitivity: India will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, and New Delhi likely advised against any provocation. The next signal to watch is whether Gor reschedules the meeting in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama resides, or lets the matter drop entirely.
Source: aajtak.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
