但西藏獨立運動人士採納嘅說法，同漢文史料嘅說法有好大出入。夏格巴·旺秋德丹喺佢嘅《西藏政治史》入面講到，因為攝政一個人手上權力太過大，1751年，當時43歲嘅第七世達賴喇嘛取消攝政職位，由「噶廈」嚟管理西藏政府。達賴喇嘛成為西藏嘅精神同政治領袖；1750年之後，中國冇再任命西藏王，默認達賴喇嘛對西藏（唔包括康巴、安多、拉達克）嘅主權。
However, the claims adopted by Tibetan independence activists are very different from those in Chinese historical sources. In his Political History of Tibet, Shagpa · Wangchudten said that in 1751, the then 43-year-old 7th Dalai Lama abolished the regency and left the "Kashag" to run the Tibetan government. The Dalai Lama became the spiritual and political leader of Tibet, and after 1750, China did not appoint a king of Tibet, acquiescing in the Dalai Lama's sovereignty over Tibet (excluding Khamba, Amdo, and Ladakh).