Ladakh: Ladakh BJP veteran expelled over son’s marriage with Buddhist woman | India News

SRINAGAR: Nazir Ahmad,a state vice-president of BJP in Ladakh, has been expelled over his son’s marriage with a Buddhist woman and alleged “elopement”, with the party saying it“jeopardises communal harmony and unity among the people of the region”.

Nazir, 74, expressed “shock and hurt” at being “accused in the marriage to two adult persons” that he himself was “equallyupset with”.
Nazir claimed Manzoor, 39, and the woman, 35, had formally performed nikah under Islamic laws in 2021, started living together since last month and have been untraceable after that.

BJP Ladakh president Phunchok Stanzin took strong exception to the “elopement of the woman”, held an executive meeting of the party on Wednesday and decided to expel Nazir. In a statement signed by Stanzin, BJP’s Ladakh unit said the action was taken after Nazir was given an opportunity to clarify his “involvement” in the sensitive issue.
“This incident is unacceptable to all religious communities in Ladakh as it jeopardises communal harmony and unity among the people of the region,” the statement on Nazir’s expulsion reads. As he had failed to trace the couple even after reasonable time, Nazir is held party to the “elopement” of the Buddhist woman, BJP said.
Nazir expressed “surprise”. “I was on Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca when Manzoor and the woman started formally living together. Surprisingly, the BJP leadership in Ladakh call the marriage “elopement” and blame me for it,” Nazir said.
The Ladakh BJP veteran said he had no idea about the couple’s whereabouts for the past month and claimed Stanzin had told him to quit, but he refused. “Therefore, I was expelled from the party’s basic membership for not having traced my son and his wife,” Nazir said.
According to Nazir, he had tried to trace Manzoor and his wife in several places, including Srinagar, but drew a blank.