Washington: A special envoy of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called on Beijing today to cancel plans to carry the Olympic torch through Tibet, saying it was a "provocative" move after the Chinese crackdown of protests in the Himalayan territory.

"This idea of taking the torch through Tibet, I really think, should be cancelled precisely because that would be very deliberately provocative and very insulting after what has happened," envoy Lodi Gyari told a US congressional hearing.

Pro-Tibet protesters had earlier demanded the Olympic torch be kept out of the Himalayan territory as part of the scheduled 130-day relay itinerary, saying carrying the flame there could trigger more unrest.

The torch will pass through Tibet for the Everest leg in May, and then again when it goes through Lhasa in June. Chinese officials have already pledged tight security for the Tibetan legs.

But Gyari told American lawmakers that if the Chinese autorities went ahead with the torch run in Tibet, it "would bring more adverse publicity" to the Olympic Games in Beijing.

He said the International Olympic Committee, if they wanted the games to be successful, "should tell China, Look that stretch of relay through Tibet needs to be cancelled.

"Under the present circumstances, it would be really very insulting to the sentiment of the Tibetan people," he said.

Protests in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on March 10 to mark a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule escalated into widespread rioting in the city, which then spread to neighbouring Chinese provinces populated by Tibetans.

Source : PTI