Srinagar
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Saturday questioned the decision of the incumbent governor administration of keeping the headquarters of newly established Ladakh division at Leh and said that it is discriminatory to the interests of Kargil district and other adjoining areas.
Welcoming the decision of granting division status to Ladakh, party’s provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani in a statement issued from party headquarters asked the governor administration to also take genuine concerns of the people of Kargil into account. “Ever since the decision was made public, a number of voices has come out from Kargil protesting against what they call an unfair decision. We received a number of calls from the aggrieved people of Kargil expressing their disapproval of the decision to keep division headquarters permanently at Leh,” he said.
Nasir thanked the party vice president for voicing his opinion in support of granting more autonomy to other areas of the state. “The objective of any government has to ensure equitable opportunities, irrespective of region, religion or caste to its people. Nothing is more dangerous when decisions try to create differences among communities. Therefore, the sensible way to come out of the current imbalance is to place headquarters on a rotational basis in Leh and Kargil. It would better if the divisional headquarters work from Kargil for six months and then at Leh for six months.”
Nasir maintained that NC is committed to give regional autonomy to different regions and sub-regions of the state. “Decentralisation of power forms the core of party ideology and is the bedrock of our Naya Kashmir document. It was NC which has been advocating regional empowerment when in power and out of it. Granting hill development councils was part of the plan. This move was also envisioned in our vision document,” adding, “There are other regions in the state which also deserve special consideration from the government. God willing when we come to power, we will leave no stone un-turned to grant such provisions to other economically, socially disadvantaged areas of the state including Pir Panchal and Chenab areas.”
“Ladakh has a vast territorial expanse. Granting headquarters at kargil and Leh on a rotational basis will help satiate the developmental needs of the people of Ladakh,” he said.
