India-Pak would have remained united if Jinnah was made PM instead of Nehru: Dalai Lama

Goa: “India and Pakistan would have remained united if Muhammad Ali Jinnah were the Prime Minister of India,” said Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama here on Wednesday.

The 14th Dalai Lama, while addressing an event at the Goa Institute of Management, said that Mahatma Gandhi was ‘very much willing’ to make Jinnah the Prime Minister of the country but Jawaharlal Nehru’s self-centred attitude resulted in the mistake.

Nehru wanted that he should be the PM, he added.

Apart from saying this, the Dalai Lama also appealed to Muslims in India to make efforts to reduce Shia-Sunni conflicts that are prevalent in some other countries and asserted that Islam is a religion of peace.

Besides, he lamented the bloodshed over denominational differences, which he said should be avoided as Islam teaches compassion and harmony.