SRINAGAR: In a significant thaw after months of impasse, Ladakh’s key agitators are set to resume talks with the Centre, with an eight-member delegation from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), alongside MP Haji Haneefa Jan, scheduled to engage a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sub-committee on October 22 in New Delhi.
LAB co- chai rman Chering Dorjay told this newspaper that the MHA has invited them for talks chaired by the Union Home Secretary. This marks the first direct engagement between Ladakh representatives and the Centre after the dialogue broke down following protests in Leh on September 24 demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. The violence left four people dead and over 80 injured in police action.
Ahead of the meeting, the MHA on October 17 announced a judicial inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court judge into the September 24 incident—one of the key preconditions set by LAB and KDA to resume talks. The delegation will include three representatives each from LAB and KDA, their legal advisor, and MP Haji Haneefa.
Dorjay said they would push for the release of all detainees, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who remains jailed under the National Security Act, and seek compensation for the victims. “The sub-committee meeting will allow us to raise our issues freely, from detainees’ release to core demands of statehood and the Sixth Schedule,” Dorjay said.
KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said the LAB and KDA will jointly attend the sub-committee meeting. “We are meeting for statehood & Sixth Schedule status, justice for September 24 victims, and release of detainees including Sonam Wangchuk. We believe only genuine dialogue can restore trust & fulfil Ladakh’s aspirations,” he said. The LAB and KDA, representing political, social, religious, and trade bodies across Leh and Kargil, have been seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule status.
