[The Times of India]
SHIMLA: It was 100 years ago that Sir Henry McMahon marked ‘McMahon Line’ as the Sino-Indian border. As the historic decisions was taken during Shimla Convention held in the erstwhile summer capital of India, on Monday Himachal Pradesh University organized a seminar ‘Revisiting Shimla Agreement – 1914′ to debate its relevance in modern times.
McMahon Line, which has become a disputed issue with stalemate over border settlement between the two countries still continuing, was worked out in United Service Club, popularly known as US Club in Shimla. Sir A Henry McMahon, who was the main negotiator, too was born in Shimla in 1862. On July 3, 1914 China had rejected the accord in a conference known as Shimla Convention, while representatives of British India and Tibet had signed it at the Indian Institute of Advance Studies (IIAS) in Shimla.
Himachal Pradesh University vice chancellor A D N Bajpai said that Shimla Convention, which was held in 1914, was relevant even today. He said that the HP university was the first institute to organize a seminar on the commemoration of 100 years of the Convention. Bajpai hoped that other institutes would take lead in organizing more seminars on the subject.
He said that in 2008 several questions were raised on the Convention after Britain signed a separate agreement with China over economic policies towards Tibet. “The Shimla Convention between India, Tibet and China was held from 1913 to 1914 to define and demarcate the boundaries of inner and outer Tibet and between India and China. Though China initiated the agreement that came out of the Convention, it refused to sign the final document,” he added.
Coordinator for the seminar Kamal Manohar Sharma said that Shimla Convention was relevant in the sense that commercial activities in the tribal areas of Himachal used to be conducted under the agreement. The seminar was also addressed by JNU Professor Swarn Singh and secretary of Tibetan government-in-exile Tashi Phuntsokh among other scholars.
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