Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) and First Lady Neelam Mishra attended Iftar party hosted by Anjuman Imamia Leh at Imam Bargah in Leh main market on April 9.

Political, religious, and officials from all faith attended the iftar party.

Saluting the Holy Quran at the outset, LG appreciated Anjuman Imamia Leh for inviting him for iftar. He expressed happiness over the participation of people from all faith at the Iftar party and termed it exemplary. He emphasized the importance of brotherhood, peace, and helping the needy as mentioned in the Holy Quran.

Highlighting the importance of the holy month of Ramzan, he spoke about the five pillars of Islam, which are Shahaadah (Profession of Faith), Salaat (Prayer), Zakat (Alms giving), Roza/Sawm (Fasting) and Haj (Pilgrimage). He emphasised the importance of observing Zakat (Alms giving) and helping those in need. He stated that the basic teachings of all religions are focused on helping the needy. He also stated that all faith teaches the importance of humanity.

LG informed about the need to work on all fronts for the overall development of Ladakh. He sought cooperation from the people of Ladakh in this regard. He appreciated the people of Ladakh for their positive feedback and good wishes after taking charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. He highlighted four areas that need immediate improvement: the need to manage and use water judiciously to overcome water scarcity along with taking necessary measures to tackle the issue of contamination of rivers and nullahs; the need to encourage people to plant saplings to improve the green cover in Ladakh; the need to take immediate measures to protect and promote pashmina goat and pashmina wool, which are the real assets of Ladakh and the need to for parents to sensitize their children to avoid indulgence in drugs and other substance abuse to keep a check on the spread of drug menace in Ladakh. He sought cooperation from the elected representatives, the public, and officials in this regard.

HLG also informed about his plans to make Ladakh “Corruption and Delay Free.” He stated that the results will be visible within six months if we work sincerely to achieve the goal.
Earlier Sheikh Nazir Ahmed highlighted the significance of Ramzan along with its health benefits. He stressed the need for people of all faith to observe fast/ roza.

President, Anjuman Imamia Leh, Ashraf Ali Barcha also informed LG that the Imam Bargah, which was renovated in 2007, was inaugurated by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.