Leh, August 18: The Ladakh Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has decided to expel a senior 74-year-old Muslim leader from its ranks after his son eloped with a Buddhist woman. In an official statement released on August 16, the Ladakh unit of the BJP announced that Sheikh Nazir Ahmad would be removed from his primary party membership and relieved of his duties as the state vice-president.

The decision was attributed to his alleged involvement in his son’s elopement, as outlined in a meeting attended by the state president and executive members. The statement noted that Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, state vice-president of BJP Ladakh, had been given an opportunity to explain his role in the sensitive matter of his son, Manzoor Ahmed, eloping with a Buddhist girl.

The BJP expressed that this incident was unacceptable to all religious groups in Ladakh, as it posed a risk to communal harmony and unity in the region. Consequently, the party promptly took action to relieve Sheikh Nazir Ahmed of his responsibilities and revoke his primary membership within the BJP.

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The BJP emphasized its intention to widely publicize this action, directing the official statement of expulsion to be broadcast on All India Radio/Doordarshan Leh, as well as to key leaders including Tarun Chugh (national general secretary), Ashok Koul (general secretary, J&K & Ladakh), and Jamyang Namgyal (MP Ladakh).

Sheikh Nazir Ahmed while speaking to a media outlet, disputed the party’s allegations, asserting that he played no part in the incident. “He claimed that the accusations were baseless and explained that he had been planning his son’s marriage to his sister-in-law’s daughter. He expressed his family’s distress over the situation and mentioned that his wife was deeply affected by his son’s departure”.

“He questioned his expulsion, stating that he was being held accountable for his son’s actions. He highlighted that parents are not usually informed when their children go against their wishes”.

“Sheikh Nazir Ahmed further mentioned that while the party asked him to locate his son, he refused to resign as he considered himself a founding member of the BJP in Ladakh. He speculated that the timing of his expulsion might be linked to the upcoming elections. He clarified that he was on a Hajj pilgrimage when his son eloped and learned about the incident upon his return from Saudi Arabia”.

Ashok Koul, the BJP’s general secretary (organisation) for the J&K and Ladakh unit, characterized the situation as a “love jihad-like case.” He explained that “they had requested Sheikh Nazir Ahmed to find the woman and facilitate her return to her family, but no action was taken”.