'No headway' on statehood demand, say Ladakh leaders

No headway was made in discussions between the Centre and civil society leaders from Ladakh, who have been demanding statehood and other Constitutional safeguards for the region.

Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday met a six-member delegation of the Apex Body, Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) from the Union Territory, and assured them that the High Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh would look into their demands, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry said the (HPC) headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai has been working with representatives of the ABL and the KDA, and that a sub-committee is also actively engaged with the Ministry of Law and other experts to iron out various issues pertaining to land, employment and constitutional safeguards.

The second meeting of the said sub-committee was held on Monday.

However, the ABL and the KDA issued a statement saying their sub-committee failed to make any headway after two back-to-back meetings with central government functionaries.

The organisations also said they have decided to consult with the people of Ladakh to devise a future course of action.

The ABL and the KDA have been demanding statehood for Ladakh, the inclusion of the Union territory in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region.

According to a statement issued by the two organisations, the sub-committee held a meeting with officials of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the advisor of the Union Territory of Ladakh which "ended without any concrete outcome".

Subsequently, the sub-committee held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence and that "too didn't result in any positive outcome," the ABL-KDA statement said.

The sub-committee was formed following a meeting held on February 19 between the HPC and a 14-member delegation of the ABL and the KDA, representing various organisations of the Union Territory.

Thupstan Chhewang, Chering Dorjay Lakruk and Nawang Rigzin Jora, representing the ABL, and Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, representing the KDA, are members of the sub-committee.

Akhoon, Chhewang, Lakruk and Karbalai signed the press statement issued on Monday.

The other demands of the delegation include two Lok Sabha seats (one for Kargil and one for Leh) and job opportunities for the residents of the Union Territory, sources said earlier.

Ladakh currently has one Lok Sabha constituency.

Ladakh, which no longer has any Assembly constituency, was earlier part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

According to the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, Jammu and Kashmir has been made a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly and Ladakh a Union Territory without any Assembly.

(With inputs from PTI)

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