Deadlock in statehood negotiations with MHA: Ladakh leaders

The negotiations between a group of Ladakh leaders and the Ministry of Home Affairs over the demands for statehood, the Sixth Schedule, and an exclusive public service commission for the Union Territory have broken down. Leaders in Ladakh are planning to devise a plan to put pressure on the government.

Meeting with MHA officials on Monday was the subcommittee made up of Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai, and Sajjad Kargili from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Thupstan Chhewang, Chhering Dorje, and Nawang Rigzin Jora from the Leh Apex Body (LAB). The meeting took place at North Block, New Delhi, with Pawan Kotwal, the advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, in attendance.

The negotiations have come to a standstill since the administration is unwilling to budge on any of the requests, Chhering Dorje said to The Tribune. On Wednesday, the group will return to Ladakh.

The leaders have been in New Delhi for the last several days after the formation of a subcommittee on February 19 with six leaders from Ladakh. Previously, 14 leaders from various social, religious, and political organizations made up the Ladakh delegation.

Dorje indicated that when all parties got together and had a discussion, the next line of action will be determined in Ladakh. He did not completely rule out the prospect of the large-scale demonstrations that had been seen in the past returning.

The Ladakh delegation said in a statement later in the evening that the Lieutenant Governor’s Advisor and representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs met with the LAB and KDA subcommittee. “There was no clear conclusion at the end of the conference. Home Minister Amit Shah then hosted a meeting at his home for the members of the subcommittee. There was no success from this meeting either. The residents of the two districts (Leh and Kargil) would be consulted by both authorities before determining the next course of action, it said.

In the meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry said that the government was dedicated to providing the Ladakh UT with the required constitutional protections.

It said that the Ladakh representatives had been actively collaborating with the ministry’s powerful committee. It also said that a great deal of progress had been accomplished.

Protest most probable

The next course of action will be determined in Ladakh after all parties conduct meetings, according to Chhering Dorje, a member of the Leh Apex Body. He doesn’t completely rule out the prospect of demonstrations starting back up.
Three representatives from the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the Leh Apex Body were among the six members of the Ladakh delegation.
The impasse persists

The representatives from Ladakh have been calling for the creation of an exclusive public service commission for the UT, statehood, and the Sixth Schedule.
They claim that since the administration is unwilling to budge on any of their requests, the negotiations with authorities have come to a standstill.