NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday said the Union government has always been open to dialogue with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and expressed confidence that continuous engagement will yield results in the near future.
MHA's statement came after the LAB -- spearheading the agitation for statehood and constitutional safeguards in Ladakh -- announced that it will stay away from talks with the Centre till normalcy is restored and a conducive atmosphere is created in the Union Territory.
“It has always been open for dialogue on Ladakh matters with the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) at any time. We would continue to welcome the discussion with ABL and KDA through the HPC on Ladakh or any such platform,” the MHA said in its statement.
The ministry noted that the dialogue mechanism with the ABL and KDA through the High Powered Committee (HPC) has yielded “good results” so far, including increased reservations for Scheduled Tribes, provision of women’s reservation in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), and protection for local languages.
It added that the process of recruitment for 1,800 government posts in Ladakh had already begun and expressed confidence that “continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in the near future.”
Hardening its stand after the death of four protestors, the LAB said it would still rethink and join the talks on October 6 if the demands of ordering a judicial probe headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and releasing all prisoners were met by the government.
"We will urge the Home Ministry and the UT administration to take steps to address the atmosphere of fear, grief and anger that is there," the two leaders said.
The LAB’s decision to boycott talks came after violent protests on September 24 demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.
Four people were killed in police firing, while scores were injured and more than 50 detained for rioting during a shutdown called by the LAB.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk, the face of the agitation, was arrested on Friday under the stringent National Security Act and lodged in Jodhpur jail.
The LAB has said it would reconsider returning to the table “if the right steps are taken before the scheduled next round of talks (on October 6).”
The KDA on Monday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Wangchuk and other youth leaders held after the violence, warning that the Centre’s delay in addressing Ladakh’s statehood and Sixth Schedule demands was “alienating” the region. KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said statehood and constitutional safeguards were “not negotiable.”
