SRINAGAR: Amid the recent unrest in Ladakh, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which has blamed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk for the unrest, has reached out to the Leh Apex Body (LAB).
A seven-member delegation of Ladakh leaders will hold a preparatory meeting with MHA officials in New Delhi on Saturday, ahead of talks between the Centre and Ladakh leaders on October 6.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay said a meeting took place yesterday in Leh between LAB members and MHA representatives. It followed Wednesday’s violence in which four people were killed and 80 injured.
Since the violence, authorities have imposed a curfew in Leh district and restrictions under Section 163 in neighbouring Kargil to prevent protests and maintain order. Police have detained about 50 people. Curfew restrictions continued for a third day on Friday.
At Thursday’s meeting, LAB and MHA officials agreed that a preparatory session for the October 6 talks will be held in New Delhi on September 27 or 28. It will be attended by three representatives each from LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), along with Ladakh MP Haji Haneefa Jan.
The MHA has invited Ladakh leaders to New Delhi for talks on October 6. The last round was held on May 27.
“September 27 meeting is a preparatory meeting for October 6 talks between Ladakh leaders and MHA led by Union MoS Home. The preparatory meeting will discuss the prevailing situation in Ladakh and also the agenda for the October 6 talks,” KDA leader Sajjad Kargili told TNIE.
The LAB and KDA, a coalition of political, social, trade and religious groups from Leh and Kargil, have demanded that statehood and Sixth Schedule status be on the agenda for the October 6 talks.
The LAB has also sought an independent inquiry into the deaths “to ensure that the persons responsible for the shooting of our people are held accountable and brought to justice.” It urged the administration and police to refrain “from harassing our youth leaders and locals” and appealed to residents to remain peaceful and follow official advisories.
After the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, residents of Leh initially welcomed the move, while those in Kargil opposed it. Later, groups in Leh joined hands with Kargil’s political, religious and trade leaders to agitate jointly for four key demands aimed at safeguarding Ladakh’s identity and fragile environment.
The LAB and KDA have since led a series of protests and sit-ins in Ladakh, Jammu and Delhi to press the Centre to meet their four-point agenda: statehood with legislature, Sixth Schedule status, a separate Public Service Commission, and two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh.