SRINAGAR: Ongoing dialogue between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ladakh leaders is set to reach a decisive stage, as key demands for statehood and 6th Schedule status take centre stage in the upcoming round of talks.
Following the introduction of a domicile policy for the Union Territory (UT), stakeholders in Ladakh see this phase of negotiations as critical to securing greater autonomy and constitutional safeguards.
“The next round of talks with the HPC of MHA, chaired by the Union MoS Home, would mainly focus on our demand for statehood with legislature and 6th Schedule status for Ladakh,” said Chering Dorje, executive member of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), to this newspaper.
The last round of talks on 27 May was termed successful, as it led to the introduction of the domicile policy for the Ladakh UT, with a 15-year eligibility timeline starting from 2019.
Following the 27 May discussions, the President also promulgated the Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025, to reserve 85 per cent of jobs in the region.
“It will be for the first time that our demand for statehood and 6th Schedule status for Ladakh will be directly discussed with the Centre,” Dorje added. “These are our main demands and we won’t budge from it.”
He, however, noted that unfortunately, they had not yet received an invitation for the next round of talks.
“We were hopeful of a meeting this month, but so far we have not received any invitation,” Dorje said.
After the 27 May meeting with the HPC, LAB chairman and former BJP MP Thupstan Chhewang resigned from the forum. Following his departure, LAB inducted climate activist Sonam Wangchuk into its subcommittee as its representative to the High-Powered Committee.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an amalgamation of various political, social, trade and religious groups from the Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh UT, are jointly spearheading the agitation for the grant of statehood, 6th Schedule inclusion, two Lok Sabha seats, and a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh.
Senior KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said the Centre had not invited them for a fresh round of talks, and no one had received any formal communication in this regard.
He stated that whenever the talks are held, they will focus entirely on statehood and 6th Schedule status for Ladakh.
Kargili added that after 20 July, the KDA and LAB would hold a joint meeting to chalk out a future strategy on how to continue their agitation.
“We will evolve a consensus on the roadmap. If we don’t receive any invitation for talks, then we don’t have any option but to continue our agitation to press for fulfilment of our demands. Protests can also be part of our programme,” he said.
In the past, both KDA and LAB have organised a series of protests and sit-ins across Ladakh, Jammu, and Delhi to urge the Centre to fulfil their demands.
To further strengthen their case for statehood, Ladakh leaders pointed out that if Sikkim and Mizoram could be granted statehood, the same should apply to Ladakh.
“When Sikkim was granted statehood in 1975, its population comprised about 2 lakh with an area of 7,000 sq km. Ladakh has over 3 lakh population and spans over 60,000 sq km. Strategically, Ladakh holds more importance than Sikkim,” they said.
Ahead of the crucial round of talks, the Centre appointed J&K BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh UT. He is the first political figure to be appointed as LG of Ladakh UT.
Gupta has said that he would initiate wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders in Ladakh regarding their demands for statehood and inclusion under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution for the cold desert region.