Modi regime accused of creating rift between Ladakh’s Muslims & Buddhists
Five LAHDC councillors challenge LG’s wicked nomination in IIOJK High Court
Srinagar: Five councillors of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, have approached the Indian illegally occupied Jammu & Kashmir High Court challenging Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta for nominating a Muslim to a seat reserved for the “principal religious minority” of Kargil district.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the petition, filed by LAHDC Chairman Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon and Executive Councillors Kacho Mohammad Feroz, Agha Syeed Mujtaba Mussavi, Zakir Hussain, and Punchok Tashi, said the nomination violates Section 4(2) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act, 1997, which mandates that nominations must come from the principal religious minorities and women of the district.
The petitioners cited the 2011 Census showing Kargil’s population as 77% Muslim, 14.29% Buddhist, and 7.34% Hindu, asserting that Buddhists are the principal religious minority in the district. They contended that nominating a Muslim to this seat undermines minority representation and disrupts communal balance.
The councillors further highlighted that in 2024, the LG had nominated two Buddhists and one woman in compliance with the statutory mandate. They noted that the LG’s nominee, advocate Reyaz Ahmed Khan, had previously contested the 2023 hill council elections on the ticket of the ruling BJP in India, raising concerns of political bias.
A division bench of Justices Sanjeev Kumar and Sanjay Parihar issued notice to the authorities for the next hearing on December 30.
Observers say the Modi regime’s move could be part of a broader strategy to sow divisions between Ladakh’s Muslim and Buddhist communities, potentially weakening a unified struggle for political rights, which took a violent turn a few weeks ago, resulting in killing of four Ladakhi people by Indian occupation forces.
The LAHDC consists of 30 seats, 26 elected and 4 nominated. The National Conference holds 12 seats, Congress 10, while the BJP and independents have two each.
