Sonam Wangchuk urges Centre to resume talks with Ladakh groups

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday urged the Centre to resume dialogue with Ladakh’s socio-political groups, warning that delays risk deepening mistrust in the region.

Talks between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the two main groups, the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, have been stalled since violence in Leh in September last year, when four people were killed in police firing. Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act after the unrest and spent six months in Jodhpur Central Jail.

Wangchuk said the revocation of his detention had raised hopes that the government would move toward restoring trust, but noted that 2.5 months have passed since the last meeting on February 4 without a new date being announced. He cautioned that “shady entities” were exploiting the delay to create divisions between Leh and Kargil.

On February 4, the government’s high-powered committee met with the Ladakh groups in New Delhi, but the talks ended without a resolution. In March, protests were held across Ladakh after the KDA called for a shutdown, demanding greater democratic representation, statehood, and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.

KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai said the Centre had promised another meeting within 15 days but had not followed up. He said the committees have held more than 15 rounds of talks since 2020 without resolving key demands.

Wangchuk urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to take timely action to resolve the issues in the national interest.