Govt holds talks with Ladakh delegation on statehood, others demands

Srinagar: A delegation of leaders from Ladakh held a meeting with the government’s representatives here on Monday to press for their demands, including statehood for the high-altitude region, two Lok Sabha seats and bringing the area under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The 14-member delegation of the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) met the High Powered Committee (HPC) for Ladakh headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
“The meeting decided to discuss threadbare our main demands: statehood for Ladakh, inclusion of Ladakh in the 6th Schedule of the Constitution and the constitution of the exclusive public service commission for Ladakh on February 24,” according to a joint press release issued by the ABL and KDA.
The two organisations from Ladakh also decided to call off “for the time being” their plan to go on a hunger strike from Tuesday “in view of this significant development”.
The meeting resolved to constitute a joint sub-committee for carrying forward the exercise to look into the details of the demands.
“We have, accordingly, set up the sub-committee with the following members: Thupstan Chhewang, Chering Dorjay Lakrook and Nawang Rigzin Jora, representing the ABL, and Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, representing the KDA,” the release said.
The two organisations conveyed the names of the sub-committee members to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.
“All members of the sub-committee are in Delhi and we look forward to fruitful discussions at the next meeting,” the release added.
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.
There were four representatives from Ladakh in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The BJP-led Centre assured the delegation from Ladakh in December last year that it was committed to fast-tracking the development of the Union Territory and meeting the aspirations of the people in the region.
The assurance was given at a meeting held with the HPC for Ladakh.

Kashmir 370