Examining the Functioning of Ladakh Buddhist Association within the Context of Trilateral Regional Dispute between China, India and Pakistan

Abstract

When Medina Tenour Whiteman was writing her book entitled “The Invisible Muslim: Journeys Through Whiteness and Islam”, she could never imagine that Ladakh would gain strategic importance in global politics one day. The majority of social sciences students across the globe came to know about Ladakh in 2019 when Chinese troops started the invasion of an almost 100-kilometer area by pushing back the Indian troops from the region. At that time, the demographic structure of Ladakh comprised of pro-Pakistani, pro-Indian and pro-Chinese communities. As the region primarily consists of a Buddhist population following Tibetan Buddhism, this study investigates the role of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) between the three communities. Similarly, the study also examines how LBA’s pro-Indian stance is not only creating a huge religious rift between Ladakhi Buddhists and Ladakhi Muslims but coercing the majority of non-LBA Buddhist population to seek its future with either China or Pakistan.