SRINAGAR: Social and political organisations associated with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are gearing up for a forthcoming meeting with the high-powered committee from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), reported The Tribune.
This gathering will focus on a four-point agenda, which notably includes statehood.
Although the specific meeting date remains undisclosed, deliberations regarding the composition of the delegation to engage with the committee are already underway. This delay in the scheduling can be attributed to Kargil’s leaders’ involvement in the recently conducted Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections, which temporarily postponed further discussions.
The four-point agenda, as per The Tribune encompasses key demands; securing statehood for Ladakh, seeking protection under the sixth schedule of the constitution, advocating for two Lok Sabha seats for both Leh and Kargil (currently there is only one), and emphasizing job reservations for local residents.
Sajjad Kargili, a political activist and KDA member, expressed the expectation that a delegation comprising ten Ladakh leaders would meet with the MHA committee. He said, “We anticipate that the delegation will consist of five leaders from Kargil and five from Leh.”
The delegation is likely to feature the Chief Executive Councillors (CEC) of the Leh and Kargil councils (LAHDC).
In the previous June meeting, six members, including former MP Thupstan Chhewang, former ministers from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, namely Chering Dorjay, Nawang Rigzin Jora, and Qamar Ali Akhoon, along with former MLA Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai and Kargili, participated.
Jigmat Paljor, a LAB member, revealed that the delegate list is in the process of being finalised for the meeting with the MHA panel. He added, “A meeting involving both KDA and LAB will be held in the coming days to establish the approach for discussions with the MHA panel.”
The delay in the meeting with the MHA panel is attributed to the Kargil polls and the visit of the Dalai Lama to Ladakh.
