The Dalai Lama Thursday announced that he would retire as the political head of the Tibetan movement, saying the time had come to devolve authority to an elected leader, dpa reported.
The 75-year old monk who has headed Tibetan movement for decades made the remarks in a speech in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala to mark the anniversary of a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
"As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power. Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect," the Dalai Lama said.
"During the forthcoming 11th session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament in Exile, which begins on 14th March, I will formally propose that the necessary amendments be made to the Charter for Tibetans in Exile, reflecting my decision to devolve my formal authority to the elected leader," he added.