Divya Delhi:  Sikyong Penpa Tsering, President of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile on Friday strongly criticised China’s interference in Tibetan religious matters, particularly regarding the selection of the Dalai Lama’s successor. He expressed concern over China’s attempts to dictate the spiritual leadership of Tibet, questioning the government’s motives and disregard for religious freedom amid preparations for the upcoming birthday celebrations of the Dalai Lama. “That’s for the Chinese government to decide–whether a government that does not believe in any religion wants to interfere in the religious freedom of the Tibetan people, not just occupy our country, but also force a lot of things on us, including religious freedom to choose our own spiritual leader. So that’s very unfortunate,” said Tsering. He clarified the historical context behind the Golden Urn, a tradition introduced in 1793, which China claims is essential for recognizing the Dalai Lama and pointed out that there were eight Dalai Lamas before the Golden Urn’s introduction, and it was rarely used in the selection process.