Ladakh leaders hopeful of positive outcome from High Powered Committee talks with MHA

Kargil, Jan 9: Ahead of the crucial High powered committee, The Ladakh leaders are optimistic about a positive outcome from the upcoming High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the last week of January. The meeting aims to discuss key issues affecting the region, including statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, and constitutional safeguards.

After months of the stalled dialogue between Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an amalgam of social, political, trade, students and religious groups from Ladakh, are scheduled to hold a crucial HPC meet with the MHA in last week of January.

Sources said that the meeting is likely to take place after 26th January. MoS Home Nityanand Rai who is also the chairman for the high powered committee will chair the meeting. Besides Rai, Lieutenant Governor Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, Chief Secretary Ladakh , Union Home Secretary, Joint Secretary MHA, Incharge Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs, Ladakh MP Mohammad Haneefa Jan, CEC Kargil Hill Development Council Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon will also attend the crucial meeting.

Representatives of LAB and KDA who will be part of the Ladakh leaders delegation are Senior politician from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang, a two-time Lok Sabha member from Ladakh, Chering Dorjey and Nawang Rigzin Jora, both former Cabinet Ministers in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State, all from LAB besides senior leader Qamar Ali Akhoon, a former Cabinet Minister in previous J&K Government, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie, ex MLA and Sajjad Kargili, prominent social-political activist from Kargil and representative of Anjuman Isna Asharia Kargil, all from KDA.

Member of Parliament Ladakh Mohd Haneefa Jan said they will reiterate their demands and have already submitted the draft to the MHA, adding that they are hopeful of positive outcome from the meeting. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have submitted a 29-page joint draft proposal to the MHA, highlighting their demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule status. Sajjad Kargili of the KDA expressed hope that the forthcoming meeting would substantively address the core aspirations of the people of Ladakh .

“While the announcement may have come later than expected, it is nonetheless a welcome step. We hope the forthcoming meeting will substantively address the core aspirations of the people of Ladakh—particularly the demand for statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, and serious consideration of the draft proposals submitted to the MHA by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance” Kargili said.

“We also hope that the High-Powered Committee will take up humanitarian concerns, including the continued detention of #SonamWangchuk and others, as well as the issue of compensation for those injured and the families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate events of 24 September” he added.

LAB co-chairperson Chering Dorjay said that they have agreed to the talks with the hope for a meaningful outcome. “We are hopeful of its outcome and that is why we are going to Delhi for the talks. There is hope that something positive will come out of this,” he said.

Tashi Gyalson, former Leh Chief Executive Councillor, thanked the Home Minister for standing with the people of Ladakh and expressed optimism about the meeting's outcome.

Pertinently, Last round of talks between the Ladakh bodies and MHA was held on October 22 last year in New Delhi. After the Sub Committee meeting, the MHA officials sought detailed document from the LAB and KDA on their demands which they submitted.

The Sub Committee comprised senior officers of MHA and UT of Ladakh, three members each from LAB and KDA, Ladakh MP and Chairperson-cum-CEC Kargil Hill Development Council while the High Powered Committee (HPC), whose meeting hasn’t been held for past quite some time, is headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and has six members each from LAB and KDA, Ladakh MP and Kargil Hill Council Chairman, among others.

October 22 Sub Committee meeting in New Delhi was held after nearly five months as the previous meeting took place on May 27.

Talks between the Centre, LAB and KDA had broken down after September 24 violence in Leh in which four civilians were killed and 100 others, many of them paramilitary personnel, were injured. Violence occurred during bandh call given by youth wing of the LAB demanding preponing of talks on the issues raised by LAB and KDA, by the Union Home Ministry.

Both the Ladakh organisations (LAB and KDA) stayed away from the dialogue slated for October 6. However, they agreed for October 22 meeting only after the MHA ordered judicial inquiry into the violence headed by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court.