Stating that the meeting between the leaders from Ladakh and the government of India was fruitful, Ladakh civil society groups on Tuesday said that the future course of the action will be decided after the third round of talks which is scheduled on 24 February.
The 14-member delegation of the two prominent civil society groups – the Apex Body of Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) met the High Powered Committee (HPC) for Ladakh headed by the Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on 19 February, Monday. The second round of talks that lasted for over 1.30 hours was held at the North Block, New Delhi.
Progress in Delhi-Ladakh Talks
The group representing the people of Ladakh has been demanding constitutional safeguards on the lines of the 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution, full-fledged Statehood for Ladakh, an early recruitment process, a Public Service Commission for Ladakh and Separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
“We have won one step since the Centre has agreed to include our four-point agenda in the discussion and are hopeful that the next meeting will be also successful,” said Sajjad Kargili, a member of the KDA.
In the background of "significant development,” the groups have for now decided to drop their plan to go on a hunger strike.
Divided Sentiments Around the UT Status
Pertinent to mention that on 5 August 2019, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two UTs – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
But ever since the revocation of the special status, the Kargil district with its Muslim majority showed a strong resentment against the parting away from Jammu and Kashmir when on the other hand, people from Ladakh celebrated the UT status.
However, over four years down the line, the people of both regions feel "betrayed”.
The local residents allege that the Central government deceived them under the guise of granting Union Territory status, as they were anticipating one with legislative powers and safeguards for land and employment.
A Third Round of Talks
Kargili who also attended the HPC meeting said that all eyes are on the third round of the meeting which will decide the future of Ladakh. "The steps we take next will depend upon the outcome of talks on Saturday,” he added.
This came after the representatives in the second round of meetings stressed the four-point agenda that was already submitted to the HPC on 16 January.
Chering Dorjay, a member of LAB told The Quint that this was the first time that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government agreed to talk on their demands since earlier, they refused to include their agenda in the meeting.
Notably on 7 January 2023, the civil society groups decided to stay away from the Centre’s HPC after the Center refused to comply with their demands.
Dorjay said during the meeting, some of the members of the MHA tried to divert the attention towards the issues they were interested in such as empowering the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) of Leh and Kargil etc.
“However we were firm on our demands (4-point agenda) and didn’t agree with their arguments,” Dorjay said. “They (Government) agreed to discuss our demands."
Important to mention here that the Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil have joined hands since 2022 against New Delhi's non-compliance with demands.
During the December 2023 meeting, Rai stressed that the Narendra Modi government remains dedicated to accelerating the development of Ladakh and fulfilling the aspirations of its residents.
Establishing a Joint Sub-Committee
While calling the new developments "significant”, Dorjay said the MHA asked them to establish a joint sub-committee for carrying forward the exercise to look into the details of the issues.
"We have, accordingly, set up the sub-committee with the following members: Thupstan Chhewang Mr Chering Dorjay Lakrook and Mr Nawang Rigzin Jora, representing the Apex Body, and Mr Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Mr Sajjad Kargili representing the KDA,” said the KDA and LBA in a joint statement.
The group has conveyed the names of the members of the sub-committee to Union Home Secretary, Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
"All members of the sub-committee are in Delhi and we look forward to fruitful discussions at the next meeting,” the statement said. As reported earlier, the people have threatened to launch a massive protest if the demands aren’t met.
Renowned environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday said the proposed 'fast unto death' protest will be reviewed next week depending on the outcome of the next round of talks with the Centre.
Can the Modi Government Come to a Conclusion Regarding Ladakh?
Padma Stanzin, president of Ladakh Students' Environmental Action Forum (LEAF) said that the MHA will apparently bring its legal advisors in the next round of meetings.
"Which means the center seems to be serious towards Ladakh. We are also prepared for the meeting,” Stanzin who also attended Monday's MHA meeting.
The region witnessed massive rallies in the twin district last week against the BJP government for taking them for granted. Shortly after the protest, the HPC called the civil society groups to New Delhi for the talks.
According to sources, the Modi-led government is keen to resolve all the issues and doesn't want to keep the sensitive zone which has borders with China and Pakistan destabilised.
(Auqib Javeed is a Srinagar-based journalist. He tweets at @AuqibJaveed. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)