Kargil: Religious and political leaders in the Union Territory of Ladakh have agreed to find an amicable solution to the issue of the construction of a Gonpa, a Buddhist shrine, at the district headquarters of Muslim majority Kargil. The Buddhists in the region have been demanding the construction of a Gonpa at Kargil for decades but the proposal never materialized.
Ladakh, which was a part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was declared as a separate Union Territory on August 5, 2019, when the central government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two UTs. Comprising sparsely populated Leh and Kargil districts, the Ladakh UT has no legislative assembly, unlike its J&K counterpart.
The decision to find an amicable solution for finding a site for the Buddhist religious place was taken in a joint meeting of Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) office-bearers.
Former Member Parliament Thupstan Chewang, President LBA and Chering Dorjay Larkuk, senior vice president LBA, former minister Qamar Ali Akhoon and Haji Asghar Ali Karbalae--co-chairmen of KDA attended the meeting.
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"The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere and all participants expressed their opinion on the issue and agreed to find an amicable solution as early as possible," a joint statement read.
"It was agreed to convene another meeting to find a permanent solution regarding the issue after consultation with all stakeholders in their respective areas," the statement further read.
In the meeting, it was also advised that people avoid provocative or irresponsible statements through social media, which could jeopardize the proposal "and lead to disturbing the peaceful atmosphere among both districts of Ladakh".
Even though there is a negligible Buddhist population in and around Kargil town, the community population is in the Zanskar and Shargol pockets of the district. The Buddhists have been demanding a site for the construction of Gonpa, though the religious groups in Kargil have been subtly opposing the proposal citing the meagre population of the community in the town.
The Leh district, which has the majority of Buddhist population has sizeable Muslim pockets in Leh town as well as in Turtuk pockets. A number of mosques and shrines are found in and around Leh district including the 700-year-old mosque at Shay village, built by Shah-e-Hamdan, a Central Asian Muslim saint who introduced Islam to Kashmir. The Jamia Masjid in Leh is considered a marvel of Islamic architecture.
