Tibet is the reason of tension: Tibetan govt-in-exile on Galwan Valley standoff

New Delhi: At a time when armies of India and China are engaged in a standoff in Eastern Ladakh that has claimed more than 20 lives, Tibet on Tuesday said that unless both sides resort to non-violence, and dialogue, perpetual peace might be a problem.

Issuing a statement, Central Tibetan Administration President Lobsang Sangay said that Tibet is the reason why this tension is happening.

“Unless both sides resort to non-violence and dialogue, perpetual peace might be a problem and Tibet is the reason why this tension is happening,” Lobsang Sangay said.

The statement from Tibet comes just before the Indian Army said that a total of 20 Indian soldiers have died in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley in a fatal altercation with China on Monday night.

Apart from Army, multiple sources in the Government and military establishments said that 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in the fierce clash at Galwan Valley that continued for several hours.

The government sources said the Chinese side also suffered “proportionate casualties” but chose not to speculate on the numbers.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Army said India lost an officer and two soldiers during the violent face-off, while there were casualties on the Chinese side as well.

In the wake of the incident, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about last night’s clash as well the overall situation in eastern Ladakh after he held a high-level meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.