JAMMU — With no contact from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs since the October 15 Sub-Committee meeting in Leh, the Leh Apex Body has called a meeting for November 3 to discuss future course of action, followed by a joint session with the Kargil Democratic Alliance.
The gap in talks follows the MHA's October 15 draft proposal, which Ladakhi representatives say backtracks on commitments made in May regarding a UT-level elected body and constitutional safeguards under Article 371. In May, the LAB and KDA reached an in-principle understanding with the Central Government on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing Constitutional safeguards on the lines of Article 371 A, F, and G, and the constitution of a UT-level elected body with legislative, financial and executive powers.
However, the October 15 meeting hit a roadblock as, according to the LAB and KDA, the MHA backtracked on the UT-level body head writing ACRs of the Chief Secretary. The home ministry had announced that the next round of dialogue would be held in New Delhi on October 22, but the LAB and KDA did not receive any invitation, and there has been no further contact since.
In view of this, the LAB has called its meeting in Leh on November 3 to discuss future course of action. The LAB meeting will be followed by a joint session with the KDA to discuss how to proceed ahead in view of the MHA's lack of interest in further talks on the UT-level elected body and implementation of parts of Article 371.
The UT administration has been engaged in the conduct of Panchayat and Municipal elections scheduled to be held on November 21. There are reports that elections to eight Autonomous Hill Development Councils can also be held next, most likely in March-April 2027.
LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk said the LAB and KDA might resort to a mass agitation if the Centre continued to deviate from its promises. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the creation of Sankoo district, taking Ladakh's total number of districts to eight. Five districts were established earlier this year.
Historian Nawang Tsering Shakspo called the emergence of multiple organisations amid the stalemate an unfortunate development for a historically peaceful region. A new group has emerged under the leadership of former LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang, which the LAB alleged was engineered by the authorities to undermine the existing leadership and derail the dialogue process with the Centre.
The BJP's Ladakh unit defends the administrative measures, saying they should be viewed positively. Tashi Gyalson, former Chief Executive Councillor of the LAHDC Leh, defended the developments, saying the creation of new districts and other administrative measures should be viewed positively.
On the streets of Leh, there is a growing sense that the politicisation of talks is hurting the larger Ladakh cause. Residents express fear of demographic change and outsiders being allowed to buy land.
The LAB and KDA had submitted replies to seven queries put to them by the MHA in the October 15 meeting. However, both organizations were of the view that the draft proposal revealed by the MHA was far less than what they had expected and what they had been promised on the structure of the UT-level elected body and implementation of provisions of Article 371.
The demand for providing full democratic powers to Ladakh has been reiterated. New Delhi must engage substantively or risk further erosion of trust in a region where the stakes involve ecological heritage, cultural survival, and demographic autonomy.
