Wrongful confinement of 4 Buddhist families in Zanskar condemned

Leh (Ladakh), November 1, 2012:The Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), Leh-Ladakh has expressed concern over the apathetic attitude of the Jammu and Kashmir administration and has raised objection to the wrongful confinement of four families of Padum by Muslims after alluring them with false promises of Land and properties.

In a press release, Dr. Tondup Chhospa, President, LBA, has said, “The Capital city of Zanskar Padum where the conflict occurred, has a ratio of 60 to 40 population of Muslims and Buddhists respectively and the overall Muslim population of Kargil District is 85% and that of the Buddhist population is a mere 15%. Thus, the micro Buddhist population is always at the mercy of the Muslims, but it is unfortunate to see some people projecting Muslims as minority in the Kargil region to gain sympathy.

The LBA has condemned the false statement made by a DIG rank officer citing the Buddhist population of Zanskar as 29,000 and that of Muslims as 700, whereas the total population of Zanskar is 12,500. Such irresponsible and exaggerated statement is unexpected from an officer of such high rank misguiding innocent people into wrong direction. “We want answer from the administration as to why they have not arrested the junior engineer Abdul Aziz, who was openly carrying a gun during the conflict. We demand his immediate arrest and deployment of Indian Army in Zanskar region as the local administration seems to be showering their brotherly love towards the Muslim community and so we have no confidence in the administration.”

During the conflict, a monastery in Padum town has been damaged by some Muslim miscreants destroying Buddhist sacred books and scriptures including Buddha statues, but the administration especially the police department are in deep slumber and they failed to  arrest the culprit till date and such malicious act clearly shows their support and encouragement towards the Sunni Muslims in Zanskar.

Dr Tondup further said, “A local contractor Abdul Razak has been stationing in Srinagar executing conspiracy against the Buddhist community that matured in the form of recent Buddhist-Muslims conflict in Zanskar Padum. We also strongly criticise and condemn the recent Panikhar Bridge incident, wherein some 400 Sunni Muslims mostly females, attacked a vehicle bearing JK07-2276 in which five monks from Rangdum Monastery (three monks of the same monastery were shot dead in daylight in the year 2000 by the militants, but the murderers are yet to be apprehended) were travelling. The vehicle was on the way to Kargil when these people started pelting stones at them near Panikhar Bridge and similarly another vehicle was also attacked at Drass. Therefore, seeing such situation in the Muslim dominated areas, we Buddhist communities, seek protection for all our Buddhists residing in Srinagar and elsewhere in Muslim dominated areas.”

 “We are deeply disheartened, shocked and very unfortunate to know that the Padum Muslim community in Zanskar who sought support from JKLF and Hurriyat Conference on the Zanskar episode, is unacceptable and their involvement in the peace loving region of Ladakh cannot be ruled out in future thus giving an invitation to militancy in the Ladakh region making it unsafe for our future survival. Such unwanted interference clearly indicates that it was preplanned and well executed strategy to create disturbance in the peace loving region of Ladakh. We strongly condemn third party involvement and interference which can give birth to new conflicting situations rather than helping to resolve the problem in an amicable manner,” he added.

“However, we repeatedly appeal the Muslim community to cooperate with us and hand over the four families to the Buddhist community in a cordial manner before things go out of control and we want that they shouldn’t take our patience for granted. Any consequences do occurred in future, they will be held responsible,” warned the LBA leader.

(SPR)