In the wake of his son's inter-religious marriage, a BJP leader in leader in Ladakh has been expelled from the party. The saffron party has claimed that such an inter-religious marriage has jeopardized communal harmony and unity among the people of the region. 

74-year-old Nazir Ahmed had been serving as the vice-president of BJP unit in Ladakh. It has been reported that his son, 39-year-old Manzoor had married a 35-year-old Buddhist woman and reacting to the expulsion, Nazir expressed 'shock and hurt' as, though he was upset over his son's marriage, the party has accused him of playing a role in the marriage. 

According to The Times Of India, Manzoor and the Buddhist woman had formally performed 'Nikah' under Islamic laws in 2021 and they started living together since last month. However, their whereabouts remain unknown as they were untraceable. BJP Ladakh president Phunchok Stanzin took strong exception to the elopement of the woman and had held an executive meeting on Wednesday and decided to oust Nazir from the party. 

In a statement, BJP's Ladakh unit said that the action of expelling Nazir 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. As he had failed to trace the couple even after reasonable time, Nazir is held party to the elopement of the Buddhist woman", the BJP unit stated.

Nazir was surprised to learn that he was expelled from the party over his son's marriage with a Buddhist woman and he said, "I was on Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca when Manzoor and the woman started living together. Surprisingly, the BJP leadership in Ladakh call the marriage 'elopement' and blame me for it. " He further said that he had no idea about their whereabouts and revealed that he was asked to quit the party to which he had refused. "Therefore, I was expelled from the party's basic membership for not having traced my son and his wife", Nazir added.