SRINAGAR: Regretting that Union Government was not reaching out to noted innovator and Ladakhi Magsaysay Award recipient Sonam Wangchuk, who is on hunger strike to demand statehood status for Ladakh, former law minister of Jammu and Kashmir Syed Basharat Bukhari said it was unfortunate that New Delhi was ignoring such stalwarts and was not paying heed to the demands of Ladakhis.
In a statement issued here, Bukhari said, “How can New Delhi be so unconcerned with the people like Wangchuk who has not only inspired millions of people across the globe through his immense Philanthropy and social work. Demanding the status of Statehood was their right and if someone like Wangchuk goes for hunger strike in freezing sub zero temperature, the government was duty bound to at least reach out to him.”
The former law minister emphasised the need of dialogue between all stakeholders and said that every stakeholder was important and should be taken seriously.
The statement of Bukhari has come at a time when two rounds of talks between the representatives of Ladakh and Home minister Amit Shah have ended without yielding any results.
Wangchuk started the fast on March 6 after the second round of dialogue between leadership of Ladakh and Union home ministry reached a dead-end with the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) saying that the sub-committee level talks and their separate meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah didn’t yield any concrete and positive outcome.
Basharat Bukhari urged the Union Government to reach out to Wangchuk and convince him to end his fast in the sub zero temperature. He said protesting peacefully within the ambit of constitution was the fundamental right of any individual which should be respected and addressed too.

  Kashmir 370

KR Desk