Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Amid the ongoing 'Climate Fast' by noted Ladakhi innovator Sonam Wangchuk, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has called for a half-day strike and a protest march on March 20 in Kargil to press for the various demands including statehood for Ladakh and the implementation of the sixth schedule.
The KDA, which is part of a coalition of political, religious, and social organizations in Ladakh, also voiced support for innovator Sonam Wangchuk's Climate Fast. Wangchuk, who is advocating for similar causes, has been staging a hunger strike in Leh for the last two weeks.
The KDA has organized a protest march slated for the morning of March 20 from Fatimiya Chowk to Hussaini Park, where representatives will address a gathering of protesters, an organiser said.
-
Protest in #Kargil on 20 March 2024, 10am onwards for Statehood and Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. #SaveLadakh #StatehoodForLadakh #SixthScheduleForLadakh pic.twitter.com/qH8hPGlG0B
— Sajjad Kargili | سجاد کرگلی (@SajjadKargili_) March 18, 2024
Discussions between the KDA and the Central government on March 6 proved futile, prompting the decision to proceed with the strike. Qamar Ali Akhoon, co-chairman of the KDA, indicated that the strike resolution was reached during a meeting and pledged to keep the public informed about ongoing negotiations with the government.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk took to X to criticize the government's approach to Ladakh, denouncing it as a denial of democratic rights. "This Government likes to call India the ‘Mother of Democracy’. But if India denies democratic rights to people of Ladakh & continues to keep it under bureaucrats controlled from New Delhi then it could only be called a Stepmother of Democracy as far as Ladakh is concerned,” Wangchuk wrote in a post.
Over the Day 14 of his 'Climate Fast', Wangchuk wrote in another post, “250 people slept hungry in - 12 °C to safeguard Ladakh's land, environment and tribal indigenous culture Our nomads are losing prime pasture land to huge Indian industrial plants to the south and Chinese encroachment to the north. To show the ground reality we're planning a Border March of 10,000 Ladakhi shepherds and farmers soon”.
Since Ladakh's establishment as a separate Union territory in 2019, both the LAB (Leh Apex Body) and KDA have been actively campaigning for the region's rights through various demonstrations and discussions. Despite submitting a comprehensive list of demands to the Ministry of Home Affairs in January, subsequent meetings have failed to yield concrete results.
