Rashtriya Sahara, in an editorial entitled ‘Sulagta huwa Tibet’ (Burning Tibet) on March 17, said that the uncertainty in Tibet — right before the Beijing Olympics — has not gone in favour of China. “There are two issues which have generated a debate — firstly, whether the US President George Bush is acting in the interest of

Tibetans or harming them by giving instructions to China and secondly, the possible action which the United Nations can take against China. But there is no doubt that the Dalai Lama has repeatedly expressed an earnest desire to find a peaceful solution to the Tibetan problem — by initiating talks with the Chinese government. China should benefit from this and try to find a peaceful solution to this problem,” it said.

National Herald group’s Qaumi Awaz, in an editorial on March 24, charged the US with using and subsequently discarding many leaders including Osama Bin Laden for breaking the Soviet Union, and said, “America is overlooking the historical fact that neither the Dalai Lama is Gorbachev who may set his own Lanka on fire nor are conditions in China similar to those in the Soviet Union enabling America to succeed in breaking China by using the Dalai Lama”.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s mouthpiece, bi-weekly Daawat, on March 22 wrote, “The problem of Tibet is there for many decades. But the ‘contractors of establishing global peace’ (‘qayam-e-aman ke aalami thekedar’) cannot even think of saying or doing anything in this regard, because China is a big power... As far as India is concerned, it has indeed given shelter to the Dalai Lama and his followers but it has also recognised Tibet as a part of China.” Kolkata and Delhi-based Akhbar-e-Mashriq on March 24 has gone to the extent of saying that “India is under China’s influence and it has closed its eyes to China even though, unlike China, India has a democratic system of governance that guarantees independence and sovereignty.” It pointed out that India did help Bangladesh and Nepal in their movements for democracy, something it is not doing for Tibet.

... contd.