Activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested earlier this week following violent protests in Ladakh — prompting sharp criticism from several quarters. The police have also linked the activist to an arrested Pakistani operative and begun investigating his recent travel to the neighbouring country. His wife Gitanjali Angmo however insisted that Wangchuk had merely attended an UN Conference in Pakistan and had no ulterior motives.
‘If India can play Pakistan…’
“If India can play cricket with Pakistan, why can’t one of its heroes, Sonam Wangchuk, attend a UN conference there?” she asked in an X post.
She had earlier denounced the allegations against Wangchuk — insisting that all of his overseas visits were made on the invitation of reputed universities and institutions. Angmo told PTI during an interview that the the ‘Breathe Pakistan’ conference held in February was organised by the United Nations Pakistan and Dawn Media, and involved multinational cooperation.
“We attended a conference organised by the United Nations, and it was on climate change. The glacier on the top of the Himalayas is not going to see whether I’m flowing into Pakistan or India,” she told the wire agency.
What are the allegations against Wangchuk?
Wangchuk was arrested under provisions of the National Security Act on Friday and remains lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail. The Home Ministry had accused the climate activist of “inciting violence” soon after the clash — making note of his recent speeches to underscore the allegation.
“We also arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was in touch with him (Sonam Wangchuk) and reporting back across. We have a record of this. He had his own agenda. There is a probe of foreign funding, violation of FCRA against him … We have a PIO with us who was reporting across the border, sending videos of the protests led by Wangchuk…He had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan. He also visited Bangladesh. So, there is a big question mark on him…Investigation is being done,” said Ladakh DGP SD Singh Jamwal on Saturday.