Centre’s Ladakh roadmap fails to find consensus; next talks on Oct 22

The Centre’s efforts to break the deadlock over Ladakh’s long-pending political and constitutional demands has suffered a setback, with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) rejecting the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) draft proposal as inadequate and seeking a revised framework before the next round of negotiations on 22 October.

The meeting on Thursday in Leh exposed significant differences between the Centre’s 15-page proposal and the alternative draft submitted by Ladakhi representatives, particularly over constitutional safeguards and the nature of the region’s future governance. With both sides sticking to their respective positions, the talks ended without a breakthrough, leaving the MHA to respond to the demands raised by the LAB and KDA.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the LAB and KDA, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, BJP leader Tashi Gyalson and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil Chief Executive Councillor Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon.

LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook said, “We also shared our draft with the MHA, which gave a presentation on its draft. There were gaps between the two drafts and there was a lack of consensus. We expect a fresh response from the MHA to our draft to reach a consensus. We will also study and prepare our response to the MHA draft”.

Lakrook asserted that the demand for a legislature for Ladakh and special constitutional safeguards remained non-negotiable. “We stand by the understanding reached in the previous meetings. We hope the Centre keeps its promise”, he said.

Wangchuk described the meeting as a continuation of the dialogue rather than a failure but flagged the wide differences between the two proposals.

“The MHA draft was not satisfactory. We expect a revised draft to be shared by the MHA with Ladakhi groups by 18 October, given the huge differences between the two. We hope the MHA will narrow down the differences before the 22 October talks. Otherwise, we were perplexed to see the MHA draft”, he said.

The KDA also rejected the Centre’s proposal as inadequate, with its co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai saying it did not reflect the aspirations of the people of Ladakh. “It does not match the demands of Ladakhis. We will continue to seek democratic and constitutional rights and guarantees”, Karbalai said.

Gyalson said the discussions were aimed at reaching a resolution after years of deliberations, and that the meeting considered the MHA’s 15-page draft alongside suggestions submitted by the LAB and KDA. The next round will be held in New Delhi on 22 October, he added.

Ladakh was made a separate Union Territory in August 2019 after the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reorganised the erstwhile state into two Union Territories. Since then, the LAB and KDA have been at the forefront of the demand for statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, safeguards for local employment and land rights, and a legislature for the region.

The Centre had indicated in July this year that it was considering a customised constitutional arrangement for Ladakh, including a possible framework under Article 371 and a legislature for the region.