Tibet's problem is India's problem, says Dalai Lama as Modi meets Xi Jinping

Mumbai: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Thursday linked India's border issues with China to "Tibetan problem" and said a solution can come only through talks and not by force.

The comments came on a day when Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even as Chinese and Indian armies are in a standoff at Chumar village, located more than 300 kms Northeast of Leh and bordering Himachal Pradesh, along the Line of Actual Control.

Stressing that Tibetan issue was also India's problem, Dalai Lama said Xi is "more realistic and open minded" and should learn from India when its comes to harmony between people from various regions.

"Actually Tibetan problem is also India's problem. Before 1950, you see that the whole northern border was peaceful. No single soldier. So Tibetan problem is India's problem," he said.

He further added that "sooner or later", one has to solve these problems. "Not by force but by understanding and talks. Understanding comes through talks."

Noting that India and China are the most populated nations, he said difference is that India is the most populated democratic country and very stable.

"You see there is East India, South India, West India, North India, different language, different scripts but very harmonious," Dalai Lama told reporters.

He said India has more open-minded people and an approach, which is more realistic.

Xi can indeed learn "some experiences" from India on this front, he said.

"I think the difference in Xi Jinping's thinking is that he is more realistic, more open minded. So he can learn more things from India," the Tibetan spiritual guru said, adding, Sino-India relations should be based on mutual trust, which is very essential.

The Dalai Lama has lived since 1959. Dalai Lama’s presence in India, who fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule there, is a source of tension between the two giant Asian rivals.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner supports "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet within China rather than outright independence. But China accuses the Dalai Lama of covertly campaigning for Tibet's independence and calls him a "splittist".

The Dalai Lama flayed massacre by ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, saying it was "shocking" to see believers of Islam killing innocent people.

"A genuine practitioner of Islam will never indulge in bloodshed. Jihad is not about harming others. It is about killing one's negative emotions. It is shocking that the believers of Allah are mercilessly killing innocent people in Iraq," he said.

A Muslim should extend love to all creations of Allah and a genuine practitioner of the faith must be compassionate towards fellow human beings, he said.

Too much attachment towards your own faith is a biased mental attitude that causes anger and violence, he said.

Praising India's religious accord, he said, "India's real treasure is its 3,000-year-old religious harmony. The Shia community feels much safer in India than in Pakistan."

He said there should be no discrimination between people on the basis of faith and that no God can help achieve peace of mind.

"We lay too much emphasis on secondary level of differences. Everyone should follow the religion of humanity. Indians worship many Gods but these Gods will never provide peace of mind. Peace has to be developed within one's own self," he said.