SRINAGAR: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has convened a meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh on October 6 in New Delhi, more than four months after the last round of talks, according to Jammu Jammu-based newspaper Daily Excelsior.
The meeting comes soon after Thupstan Chhewang returned as chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB). The LAB, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been pressing for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The groups have urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to personally chair the meeting in view of the sensitivity of the issues, though the HPC is formally headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The last HPC meeting was held on May 27, when issues related to reservations and domicile were resolved, clearing the way for recruitments in the Union Territory. At that time, leaders of the LAB and KDA were assured that the next round of talks on statehood and Sixth Schedule status would be held within a month. However, the meeting is now being convened after more than four months, reports said.
According to LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk, the MHA has sought seven names each from the LAB and KDA for participation in the meeting. The LAB delegation will be headed by Thupstan Chhewang and will remain apolitical in view of the upcoming Leh Hill Council elections. The name of Union Territory Congress chief Nawang Rigzin Jora has been replaced with Advocate Thinles Angmo, following a decision to keep party leaders out of the delegation. The BJP has not been a part of the LAB since its formation.
By contrast, KDA can include political representatives since elections are not due in Kargil district. Lakruk also clarified that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a 35-day fast in Leh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections, will not be part of the delegation that will hold talks with the MHA. “We have requested the MHA that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should hold talks with LAB and KDA. We have also suggested that the talks be held in Leh,” Lakruk was quoted as saying.
The HPC includes seven members, each from the LAB and KDA, Ladakh’s Lok Sabha MP, the chairpersons of the Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils, the Chief Secretary of Ladakh, and senior officers of the MHA, including those handling Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh affairs.
The October 6 meeting will also be closely watched in light of the uncertainty surrounding the Leh Hill Council elections. While the polls are due next month, the MHA’s August 2023 announcement of five new districts for Ladakh has left unresolved questions about boundaries, headquarters, and administrative structures. It remains unclear whether all seven districts of Ladakh will eventually have separate Hill Councils or whether a new governance framework will be introduced, reports said.
