Jammu: Angered over the delay in resumption of dialogue on key demands, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have decided to convene a crucial joint meeting next week to chalk out their future course of action and mount pressure on the Centre.
Sources said the date of the meeting is yet to be finalised, but it will focus on giving a new impetus to the agitation for grant of Statehood to Ladakh and inclusion of the Union Territory under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The two apex bodies have categorically rejected proposals reportedly being considered by the Centre to strengthen and empower the hill councils, terming such measures an attempt to sideline their core demands. “These proposals are not acceptable at any cost,” leaders asserted.
“We have decided to hold a joint meeting of LAB and KDA next week to finalise the next course of action,” Chering Dorjay, veteran Buddhist leader and co-convenor of LAB told The News Now.
He accused the Centre of adopting “dilly-dallying tactics” to push the key issues to the back burner and pointed out that although the last meeting between Ladakh leaders and the Centre was held in February, no progress has been made since then despite assurances of an early follow-up.
“The next round of talks was supposed to take place within 15 to 20 days, but more than two months have passed without any movement. This reflects that the Centre is not serious about addressing our demands,” the leader added.
Reacting to claims of accelerated development under the new Lieutenant Governor, LAB co-chairman CherringDorjay Lakruk said such projections were “misleading” and failed to address the region’s core concerns.
“I recently met the new L-G and conveyed that development is not the primary issue in Ladakh,” Lakruk said, adding that while several initiatives have been introduced, they appear aimed at “appeasing” the public rather than empowering them. “No outsider can understand the unique developmental needs of this sensitive region,” he said.
He further said that decision-making in the region continues to remain largely bureaucratic, with minimal local participation. “Since the term of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh ended, fresh elections are still awaited. The core issues remain unresolved,” he said.
Notably, on April 13, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has urged urged the union government to restart the stalled dialogue by announcing a date for the next round of talks.
Amid uncertainty over the next round of talks between the agitation groups of Ladakh and the High-Powered Committee (HPC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Wangchuk wrote on his social media handle under the title “Hanging Between Trust & Mistrust – Ladakh Awaits Dialogue”.
He also shared a screenshot of the official handout issued by the union government following the revocation of his detention under the NSA.
The last round of talks between the agitation groups of Ladakh and the High-Powered Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs was held on February 4.
