Amid the protracted issue over the return of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee to India after he left the country in 2017, the President of Central Tibetan Administration, Dr. Lobsang Sangay has assured of his return. The Karmapa has been based in the United States over the past more than one year besides his short visits to Europe and Canada.
Since the Karmapa left India since May 2017, he has been on an extended stay predominantly in the United States due to medical reasons. Later in the year 2018, the Karmapa announced that he has acquired the citizenship of Commonwealth of Dominica and received a passport of the same. Although he had left India on the Identity Certificate (IC), a travel document issued by the government of India for Tibetan refugees, the passport of Commonwealth of Dominica was sought to ease the complications associated with travelling on the travel document.
There has been rising controversy with regard to the return of the Tibetan spiritual guru to India. While the Karmapa reported of problems in receiving an official nod from the government of India for his return, the officials of the External Affairs ministry said that the Karmapa is welcome to India but he has not applied for a visa for the same.
President Sangay in a recent conversation with the Times of India, he acknowledged that Karmapa taking the citizenship of Dominican Republic is a personal choice and assured that he will return to India.
“Taking citizenship of a country is a matter of a personal choice. Many people are taking the same in various parts of the world. But we trust that his holiness Karmapa will return back.” said Dr. Sangay according to TOI adding that his government believes that move of Karmapa is not going to dent the issue of Tibet and struggle by Tibetans.
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