Arteev Sharma
Jammu: Welcoming the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) decision to convene a fresh meeting of the sub-committee on Ladakh, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) today announced to postpone its proposed two-week-long Kargil-Leh Padyatra with a caution that the agitation for constitutional safeguards and other demands would be intensified if the talks fail to yield concrete and satisfactory results.
The LAB also expressed hope that the MHA would come out with a detailed draft on the proposed structure of a legislature for the Union Territory of Ladakh, withdrawal of cases registered against youths in connection with last year’s September 24 violence in Leh and suitable compensation to the families of those killed in what the LAB described as “indiscriminate firing” on protestors.
The announcement comes a day after the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) announced to start two-week-long Padyatra from Kargil to Leh from September 10. However, senior KDA leaders maintained silence over the LAB’s decision to postpone its Padyatra. Repeated phone calls and messages seeking their reaction to the development went unanswered.
Addressing a press conference in Leh town, LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk, accompanied by senior leaders of the Apex Body including climate activist and senior LAB leader Sonam Wangchuk, said, the decision to hold the sub-committee meeting was a positive development, but maintained that the outcome of the talks would determine the future course of the agitation.
“A good decision has been taken to hold the sub-committee meeting and we welcome it, but we do not know the outcome of the meeting,” he said, adding “if the Centre showed seriousness towards Ladakh’s demands, including the provision of a Union Territory with legislature and safeguards under Article 371, and the talks remain constructive and result-oriented, the LAB will take the developments positively”.
“However, if the talks fail, we will intensify our agitation. At present, we will not disclose our plans, but we will mobilise the people,” he cautioned.
Lakruk also expressed concern over the delay in the release of the report of the Inquiry Commission constituted to look into last year’s September 24 violence in Ladakh, saying that “the failure to deliver a genuine report will amount to injustice to the victims”.
“The inquiry commission report is yet to come out. In case we do not get a genuine report, it will be an injustice to the victims,” he said.
On the issue of cases registered against protesters and the release of youths detained following the violence, the LAB leader referred to a recent Supreme Court verdict concerning the withdrawal of cases against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters and questioned why similar relief had not been extended to youths in Ladakh.
“We have been requesting the government to withdraw the cases against our people who were fired upon and kept in jails since long. We were told that it would be done in a phased manner,” he said and alleged that the prolonged process appeared to be part of a “bigger conspiracy” to delay the withdrawal of cases and use the issue as “bargain in negotiations” with Ladakh’s leadership.
Wangchuk, while addressing the media, said the LAB was observing September as “Martyrs’ Month” and had been organising a series of programmes in a phased manner to press for Ladakh’s long-pending demands and justice for those affected by last year’s September 24 violence.
He said the major programme planned as part of the agitation was the Padyatra from Kargil to Leh, which was scheduled to begin on September 10, and citizens from across the country had been invited to join the march in support of what the LAB termed the “genuine and legitimate issues” of Ladakh.
However, with the Centre scheduling the next meeting of the MHA sub-committee in New Delhi on September 9—just a day before the proposed start of the Padyatra—the LAB has decided to suspend the march for the time being,
“We have decided to postpone the Padyatra in view of the talks. If the talks on September 9 remain constructive and produce good results, we may not hold any further programme. But if the talks fail to bring anything constructive, or if the government adopts dilly-dallying tactics, we will intensify our remaining programmes in September,” Wangchuk warned.
He said the LAB was now awaiting implementation of the decisions taken during the May 22 meeting between the MHA officials and Ladakh’s leadership and would assess the September 9 talks on the basis of concrete progress rather than assurances.
Wangchuk said that if the talks failed to yield a satisfactory outcome, the LAB was also considering modifying the format of the Padyatra by organising marches from different areas during the last five days of September instead of conducting the originally planned two-week-long march from Kargil to Leh.
“We hope people from different walks of life across the country will come forward in support of the people of Ladakh, its environment and the people living along the borders,” he said.
The leader said the LAB had “high hopes” from the September 9 meeting and expected the Centre to approach the talks with seriousness and sincerity.
He said the LAB would consider the talks successful if the government came up with a detailed draft on the proposed structure of a Ladakh Assembly and clearly outlined the rights and safeguards being contemplated for the Union Territory.
“We have high hopes that the government will come forward seriously and honestly on September 9 by bringing a detailed draft on the structure of the Ladakh Assembly and Ladakh’s rights. We will describe it as successful if the government makes progress in this direction,” he said.
The LAB leader also listed several other issues on which he expected concrete action from the Centre, including compensation to the families of those who lost their members in the September 24 violence last year.
He said the government should also make progress on withdrawing cases registered against youths in connection with the incident and release the report of the inquiry commission constituted to investigate the violence.
Wangchuk warned that failure to address these issues, coupled with what he described as “partiality” or “step-motherly treatment” towards the people of Ladakh, particularly those living in the border areas, would leave the LAB with no option but to launch a major agitation.
“We will be forced to launch a major agitation if the government does partiality or gives step-motherly treatment to the people of Ladakh who live on the borders after September 9,” he said.
Yesterday (on September 3), the MHA announced the next meeting of the sub-committee constituted in New Delhi on September 9 to deliberate on issues concerning the Union Territory of Ladakh.
