Ladakh-Centre dialogue set to resume on Oct 22

The Ladakh delegation include representatives from the Leh Apex Body, the Kargil Democratic Alliance as well as MP Mohd Haneefa Jan and lawyer Haji Mustafa

Crucial talks between the Centre and Ladakh representatives, which were called off nearly three weeks ago, are set to resume on October 22, people aware of the matter said on Saturday, raising hopes of an end to months-long deadlock.

A security officer in Leh after curfew was imposed following the violence last month. (PTI)

The eight-member delegation will include members of the region’s two main organisations—the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)—along with Ladakh MP Mohd Haneefa Jan and lawyer Haji Mustafa. According to LAB co-chairperson Chering Dorjay Lakruk, the team will meet a ministry of home affairs (MHA) sub-committee in Delhi, with the focus on restoring statehood and securing safeguards under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule, which provides a degree of autonomy.

“We were informed by the home ministry that a meeting of the sub-committee is scheduled for October 22, and both LAB and KDA are invited to it. We welcome the decision of the government to invite us and look forward to the positive outcome of the dialogue,” Lakruk said.

KDA chief Sajjad Kargili said they agreed to meet the Centre to end the impasse that has gripped the strategically situated UT.

“We decided to attend the sub-committee meeting because we want to end the deadlock. Home minister Amit Shah’s statement that the government wants a solution is a positive development. We hope the government will meet the aspirations of the people of Ladakh and implement the Sixth Schedule,” Kargili said.

The Sixth Schedule includes provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram and establishes autonomous councils that have legislative, judicial, executive and financial powers to govern these areas.

Speaking at the Hindustan Bihar Samagam 2025 in Patna on Saturday, Shah urged the people to have patience, adding that “there will be a good resolution to all their just demands.

The last round of talks between the two sides was held in May. A follow-up meeting was initially scheduled for October 6, but LAB and KDA pulled out after four people were killed and around 100 injured during protests in Ladakh on September 24. The demonstrations were held in support of full statehood and constitutional safeguards for jobs and land. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested in connection with the violence under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and lodged in Jodhpur jail.

LAB and KDA had demanded a judicial probe into the violence—a condition the Centre agreed to on Friday.

“We agreed to the talks after the Centre announced a judicial probe into the September 24 killings, which was our main demand. If there is some positive development in the upcoming talks, the next round of discussions will be with the High-Powered Committee (HPC) led by Nityanand Rai,” Dorjay said.

Kargili also called for compensation for the families of those killed and the “immediate release of those detained, including Sonam Wangchuk.”

Jan echoed the views and said, “Leh has not completely emerged from the violence, particularly after the loss of lives of youth. We want justice for the families whose youth were killed.”

Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, welcomed the resumption of talks but emphasised the need for concrete outcomes.

“We want a meaningful dialogue on statehood, the Sixth Schedule, justice for Sonam Wangchuk, and a fair judicial inquiry into killings. The talks are a positive move, but these have to yield results,” she said.

The Union Territory of Ladakh was created on August 5, 2019, after the Centre effectively abrogated Article 370, which used to bestow special status on Jammu and Kashmir, and split the erstwhile state into two UTs – J&K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.

Since then, a string of protests has rocked Ladakh and had echoes in Delhi. In February 2024, thousands protested in Delhi, Leh and other parts of Ladakh, demanding statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

In 2023, the Union home ministry formed a high-powered committee under minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai to discuss ways to protect Ladakh’s unique culture and language, considering its location and strategic importance. The panel, which included the members of the LAB and KDA, deliberated on protections for land and employment, the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil, and other constitutional safeguards.

The two bodies have also demanded the allocation of two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh instead of the current one, citing the UT’s vast geographical size and the creation of a Ladakh Administrative Service—similar to DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service)—to address administrative manpower needs.