Jammu: In a major breakthrough in the ongoing talks between the Centre and Ladakh’s civil society representatives, the leaders of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday reached an in-principle agreement to establish an customized elected Union Territory-level body with executive, financial and legislative powers for Ladakh.
The consensus reached after extensive deliberations between the two sides, during which they finalised in Leh town wherein they signed the minutes of the previous meeting of the MHA-constituted sub-committee held on May 22. The consensus is the first major progress in the negotiations since Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory in 2019.
The signed document stated, “After detailed deliberations, it was unanimously decided that while statehood would remain the long-term aspiration of Ladakh in the present situation, as a first step an appropriate customized model of governance by establishing a UT level body with executive, financial and legislative powers would be established”.
The informal meeting and signing of minutes was attended by Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra and additional secretary Home Prashant S Lokhande while the LAB and KDA were representative by Mohd Haneefa Jan, Thupstan Chhewang, Chering Dorjay Lakruk, CEC Kargil Council Mohd Jaffar Akhoon, Co-chairman KDA Asgar Ali Karbalai, vice president All Ladakh Gonpa Association Ven Lobzang Tashi, Deldan Namgyal, former CEC Leh Council Tashi Gyalson.
“We are satisfied over the agreed minutes. We have conveyed to the MHA officials that the official talks should be held at the earliest to take the process to the logical conclusion,” veteran Buddhist leader Chering Dorjay Lakruk, who is also the co-convener Leh Apex Body (LAB) said after the talks.
“Our draft proposal is ready, while the MHA’s draft is still under preparation. We will hold consultations with the KDA and legal experts before finalising our proposal and submitting it to the government,” the LAB leader said.
He said the Centre had adopted a positive approach towards Ladakh’s concerns and indicated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was keen to ensure an early resolution of the long-pending issues.
“It was observed that the government of India was quite positive in addressing our concerns. Union Home Minister Amit Shah desires that the process, which has stretched too long, should reach its logical conclusion without any further delay,” he said.
KDA co-convener Asgar Ali Karbalaie said it was felt that the MHA was serious and express concern (to address the issues of Ladakhi people). All our reservations, whether on legislative or constitutional safeguards, including all safeguards under Article 371 to be provided to Ladakh, were addressed. It was also decided that all bureaucrats will come under the elected executive body.
He said the Centre had agreed in principle that all bureaucrats in Ladakh would function under the proposed elected executive body. The delegation was also assured that the issues relating to the creation of separate Ladakh Administrative Service (LAS) and Ladakh Police Service (LPS) cadres would be taken up seriously with the Union Home Minister.
Karbalaie said the Chief Secretary had also announced that they would soon notify the reservation policy which had been agreed upon principally for the employment of local people.
The leaders said the prolonged discussion focused primarily on resolving contentious points in the meeting minutes. Following detailed negotiations, both sides reached a consensus, leading to the signing of the finalised minutes by all stakeholders.
Lakruk said that the Government of India has made considerable efforts to accommodate the sentiments and concerns raised by the representatives of Ladakh, resulting in an agreement that they described as satisfactory.
“One of the major developments relates to the constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. Representatives said that while discussions earlier revolved around provisions similar to Article 371A, the government has now indicated that safeguards extending from “A to J” under Article 371 could be considered if they provide stronger constitutional protection for Ladakh. This assurance has now been reflected in the agreed minutes,” he said.
Another important issue concerning the Annual Performance Reports (APRs) of bureaucrats was also clarified. According to the representatives, the agreed minutes now state that APRs of officials would ultimately be finalized by the elected executive body once such a governance structure is established for Ladakh.
The delegation urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to expedite the formal negotiations so that the dialogue reaches a logical conclusion at the earliest.
Regarding the draft proposal for Ladakh’s governance structure, the Apex Body leaders said their own draft has already been prepared, while the MHA informed them that its draft is still under preparation. The Apex Body said it would first hold consultations with KDA and legal experts before finalising and submitting its proposal to the government.
Speaking about the overall atmosphere of the meeting, the representatives said they sensed a much more serious and constructive approach from the Ministry of Home Affairs than in previous interactions. They conveyed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is keen to resolve Ladakh’s issues at the earliest and has directed officials to work towards an early and meaningful conclusion.
The leaders further stated that most of their reservations regarding constitutional safeguards, legislative powers and administrative issues were addressed during the discussions. They said the government agreed in principle that all bureaucrats in Ladakh would function under an elected executive authority once the proposed governance framework is established.
The meeting also witnessed discussions on the withdrawal of cases registered against more than 83 individuals detained during the protests of September 24. According to the representatives, the government assured them that, following the withdrawal of cases against Sonam Wangchuk, similar action would be initiated for the remaining detainees.
The delegation also raised concerns regarding gazetted posts and the implementation of reservation policies, particularly in universities where contractual appointments continue without adequate reservation benefits. Officials assured that the agreed 95 percent reservation policy for Ladakh residents would be implemented expeditiously and that concerns over contractual appointments would be addressed.
The leaders reiterated their long-standing demand for an elected executive, legislative and financial authority for Ladakh, stating that such a democratic structure should have the power to legislate for the Union Territory, implement developmental funds and exercise administrative control over the bureaucracy.
