Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Sunday denied a change in the Indian government's policy towards the Dalai Lama.
Asked why the government had issued a circular last week, prohibiting ministers from attending a parliamentary forum's reception for the Tibetan spiritual leader in New Delhi on November 3, Menon said India recognises Tibet as an autonomous region of China and did not desire ministers as representatives of the Indian government attending the event.
The Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader who has promised India he will not conduct any anti-China activities on Indian soil, the foreign secretary said.
"He remains a respected guest," Menon declared, adding that this is not the first time that the government has issued a notification forbidding ministerial contact with His Holiness.
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