Centre to hold next round of talks with Ladakh leaders in Kargil

The Central Government will hold the next round of talks with Ladakh's political leadership in Kargil in the first week of October on constitutional safeguards and a proposed model of governance for the Union Territory.

The development comes as political groups in Ladakh have withdrawn plans for protests marking the first anniversary of the killing of four people last year. Instead, a symbolic 20-km march will be held in Leh and a rally in Kargil on September 23, followed by a Martyrs' Day event on September 24.

Climate activist and Leh Apex Body member Sonam Wangchuk said the decision to scale down the protests was linked to the cold weather and what he described as some “warmth in politics”.

Sajjad Kargili, co-chairman of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, said the planned march from Kargil to Leh had been called off. He said the KDA would hold a rally in Kargil on September 23 as talks with the Centre continue.

The government has agreed to provide Ladakh with constitutional safeguards under Article 371 and establish an elected body to govern the Union Territory under a proposed “sui generis” model.

Ashish Kundra, Chief Secretary of Ladakh, said Parliament would amend Article 371 to provide constitutional safeguards and that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had begun the process.

Under the proposed arrangement, Ladakh would have an elected governing body but would not become a Union Territory with a legislature or a state with a legislature. Kundra described it as a “sui generis” model designed specifically for Ladakh.

The Centre and Ladakhi leaders held talks in Delhi on Tuesday. Following the reported progress, several Ladakhi leaders urged the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance to reconsider the planned protests.

Former Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhewang described the recent meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs as fruitful, saying it involved positive discussions on several key issues concerning Ladakh.