Leh: Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk has accused authorities of omitting key commitments from the draft minutes of recent talks between Ladakh representatives and the Central government, triggering fresh controversy over the region's ongoing negotiations.
Wangchuk alleged that important understandings reached during the discussions—including the demand for a legislative assembly for Ladakh and the principle that officials should function under elected representatives—were excluded from the draft record circulated after the meeting. He said that even after objections were raised, the revised draft failed to include these points.
The activist also alleged that representatives were neither given a copy of the amended draft nor allowed to photograph it, raising concerns about the transparency of the process. The dispute comes at a crucial stage in talks between Ladakh groups and the Centre.
The negotiations involve the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which have been seeking statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution since 2021. A special meeting convened by the Union Home Ministry on May 22 was seen as an important step in addressing these demands.
Rejecting the allegations, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said the final minutes have not yet been released and that the circulated document was only a draft shared among stakeholders. He maintained that any omissions could still be identified and communicated to the Central government.
Wangchuk said Ladakh representatives have prepared their own record of the discussions and warned of protests if the disputed points are not included in the final document. Even as officials describe the talks as a potential breakthrough, the disagreement over the draft minutes has cast a shadow over the process.