The Ladakh leaders held talks with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday; however, no headway was made on the demand for statehood and the Sixth Schedule for the region.
The talks mark the resumption of negotiations between Ladakh leaders comprising members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), after the September 24 violent protest in Leh that left four people dead and dozens injured. The protest erupted after youth took to the streets following the hospitalisation of two people who were part of the hunger strike led by Sonam Wangchuk in Leh, against the delay in talks by the MHA on statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.
After the killings and arrests of Wangchuk and scores of protesters by police, the LAB and KDA pulled out of talks with the MHA. To calm down tempers in Ladakh, the MHA offered talks with Ladakh leaders. However, the LAB and the KDA conditioned the talks with a judicial probe into the killings, release of Wangchuk, and all details and compensation for those killed in the police and CRPF firing.
The LAB and the KDA agreed to talk after the MHA accepted the demands of the Ladakh leaders, except Wangchuk's release. Today's talks ended the deadlock over talks between the Ladakh leaders and the MHA.
Tsering Dorjey, co-chairman of LAB, who participated in the talks, told THE WEEK that talks were held with the officials of the MHA today, but no headway was made on the statehood and Sixth Schedule demand. “We held discussions with the MHA officials, but there was no breakthrough,” he said. “Ultimately, it is a political decision that will have to be taken by the MHA.”
He said the next round of talks will be held within 10 to 15 days. “We are hopeful of a positive outcome in that meeting,” Dorjey said. He added that the delegation that attended the meeting included three members each from the LAB and the KDA. Haneefa Jan, Ladakh MP, was also present at the meeting.
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The MHA invited the LAB and the KDA leaders for talks on October 20. According to sources, the Ladakh administration has released most of the arrested persons who were allegedly involved in the September 24 violent protests. However, Wangchuk, booked under the National Security Act (NSA), has been lodged in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. His wife, De Gitanjali Angmo, has moved court for his release.
Ladakh became a Union territory on August 5, 2019, after the region was bifurcated from Jammu and Kashmir. The development followed the BJP's Article 370 move, withdrawing limited autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, and splitting it into two Union territories -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. After getting UT status, the Ladakh leaders formed LAB and KDA to fight for constitutional safeguards for the region.