Ladakh statehood issue: Leh, Kargil bodies not to participate in High-Powered Committee meeting

Following a joint meeting of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, members from both groups noted on Saturday that they were not going to participate in any meeting convened by the MHA's High-Powered Committee dealing with the issue pertaining to Ladakh's proposed statehood. They further sought the inclusion of their members into any such future formation.

Jammu: An emergency meeting of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) was convened at Jammu on Saturday regarding the recent announcement by the Union Home Ministry about the formation of a High-Powered Committee to resolve the outstanding issues of the Union Territory of Ladakh and to take a decision about the participation in the subsequent meetings to be held.

Following the meeting, officials from the two bodies informed that they have decided not to participate in any meeting convened by the proposed High-Powered Committee. They further resolved that participation would only occur when the meeting would be headed by a committee that is empowered to discuss four issues.

The issues in question are statehood for Ladakh, which is currently a Union Territory, constitutional safeguard under the sixth schedule of the Constitution to protect the interests of the tribal population in the region, formation of PSC (Public Service Commission) and job reservation for youth and lastly the creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies of Leh and Kargil.

To bring their demands to the notice of the Centre, the two groups have decided to stage protests in Jammu on January 15, as well as dharnas in Jantar Mantar in Delhi in the third week of February 2023. The meeting also sought the selection of members for the High-Powered Committee, with both groups noting that the Centre has chosen members without consultation with either of them. Both LAB and KDA listed names of members proposed back in 2021 as per the MHA's instruction at the time.

LAB-proposed panel: Venerable Thiksey Rinpochhe, Thupstan Chhewang, Tsering Dorjey Lakruk, Acharya Stanzin Wangtak, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Ashraf Ali Barcha, and Dr. Abdul Qayum. Proposed panel for KDA: Qamar Ali Akhone, Asgar Ali Karbalai, Sajjad Hussain Kargil, Shiekh Bashir Shakir, Agha Syed Ahmad Rizvi, Agha Syed Mohammad Shah, Haji Ghulam Nabi Var, Skarma Dadul.