Beijing, July 25 – The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today became the first Indian political party to visit Tibet when a three-member delegation was allowed in by the Chinese government to tour the sensitive remote Himalayan region.
“We are happy to be the first Indian political party to visit Tibet,” CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechuri said here before the delegation left for Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China.
Yechuri is accompanied by CPI-M Central Committee members, Hari Singh Kang and the Jammu and Kashmir legislator, Yusuf Tarigami.
Communist Party of China (CPC) and official sources confirmed that the CPI-M delegation is the first Indian political outfit to be invited by China to visit Tibet, indicating the level of confidence Beijing had on the Tibet issue. China strictly restricts visits to Tibet, especially by foreigners.
The CPI-M delegation is here at the invitation of CPC, which is the ruling party of China. The CPI-M is also the first Indian political party to be invited by China after the historic visit to China by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee last month.
