Dharamshala: Mayor Aftab Karma Purewal of Cincinnati, the first person of Tibetan heritage to hold a prominent elective office in the United State, visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and had a meeting with Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang at the Speaker’s chamber on 5^th December of 2022.

Upon his arrival, the Cincinnati Mayor was received by Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang and was taken on a tour of the Tibetan parliament. He was also briefed on the evolution of Tibetan democracy in exile and the functioning of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile by the Deputy Speaker.

During the Cincinnati Mayor’s meeting with the TPiE’s Speakers, he explained the objective of his visit to Dharamshala as a part of the Mayors of seven US cities namely Louisville, Cincinnati, Tacoma, Oakland, San Leandro, San Antonio, and Pittsburgh who are promoting compassion and their audience with His Holiness Dalai Lama at His residence earlier today. The Mayor assured doing his best to advocate the preservation of Tibetan culture in the United States.

Mayor Purewal was briefed on the objective of the Central Tibetan Administration to reach out to the world to spread awareness on the disheartening real situation inside Tibet and to counter the manipulative false narrative of the Chinese government by the Deputy Speaker.

Speaking on the support extended to the cause of Tibet by the US government and its people, the Deputy Speaker further explained the initiatives and campaigns of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile including the 8^th World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet (WPCT) held in Washington DC in the US.

Mayor Aftab Karma Purewal of Cincinnati was also presented with Tibet-related documents and a book of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the Speakers.