India on Friday reacted to the Dalai Lama's succession plan, saying that it doesn't comment on religious matters and supports freedom of religion for all. The Ministry of External Affairs said that India will continue to uphold freedom of religion for all.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed popular uprising against Chinese control, and relocated to northern India, where he set up a government-in-exile in Dharamshala. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for advocating peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect.

Weeks before the Dalai Lama ruled out China's role in choosing his successor, President Xi Jinping met a Tibetan Buddhist monk installed three decades ago by Beijing as the faith's No. 2 leader, the Panchen Lama.