LEH: Amid ongoing standoff between India- Sino armies, Leh town in Ladakh region on Monday complete shutdown to protest against former ambassador P. Stobdan’s remarks against Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.
According to reports reaching here, the town observed completed bandh as all shops and business establishments remained shut. “There was complete shutdown in Leh ,” former minister , Chering Dorjey told news agency–Kashmir News Observer (KNO)
Different groups in the region had called for shutdown against Stobdan’s remarks, which they said, show indecency and disrespect towards spiritual leader Dalai Lama. “Such attitude has the negative impact of setting a bad precedent on the future generation”, the statement reads.
In a TV debate, Stobdan, who is himself from Stok village of Ladakhi, had questioned Dalai Lama’s silence on Chinese intrusions in Ladakh region. Stobdan, who served as India’s Ambassador to the Kyrgyzstan, who was also part of the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)
Meanwhile, P. Stobdan has apologised to Dalai Lama for his remarks. “I perhaps used some not so good words about his holiness, the Dalai Lama. But that was not meant to hurt anybody including his Holiness or followers of His Holiness in Ladakh.
This is an ongoing problem. We are very worried in Ladakh. Chinese are hard in its position. They are capturing our land,” he said in a message on social media.