Former Union Minister and three-time Congress MP from Ladakh, P Namgyal, passed away Monday after brief illness in the Union Territory of Ladakh. He was 83 and he is survived by his wife and three daughters, sources close to his family said. They said that Namgyal had returned from Delhi nearly a fortnight ago. Widely respected among Buddhists in Ladakh, Namgyal was also an agriculturist, and a social worker, besides having interest in sports and music as well. He also served the Pradesh Congress Committee in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state as secretary general and vice president. From 1960-73 and then from 1974-80, he remained a member of the then Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council until he got elected to seventh Lok Sabha. Four years later in 1984, he was re-elected to Lok Sabha and severed the Central government as union deputy minister between 1988-89. He was elected to the Lok Sabha third time in 1996. Senior Congress leaders including former union minister Prof Saifuddin Soz and president of Jammu and Kashmir Congress G A Mir expressed grief over the death of veteran party leader P Namgyal. Conveying condolences to the bereaved family,Soz said that Namgyal was known for his human qualities of sobriety and friendliness towards one and all and he never caused any controversy around his personality, besides being courteous towards friends and foes. Mir described the passing away of veteran leader as a great loss to the party and the people of Ladakh. The veteran leader was known for his commitment and conviction under whose leadership Ladakh witnessed massive development in every respect, Mir added while praying for eternal peace to the departed soul.
