Empower Ladakh to turn the tide

INDEPENDENT India has witnessed several divisions into states and UTs, some of which took place after violent agitations. These changes have reflected the nation’s multicultural and multiethnic complexities. The current unrest in Ladakh is not just another assertion of an urge for shared sovereignty. Yearning for autonomy, Ladakh was granted UT status in 2019 after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). However, Ladakhis were back on the streets in December 2021, seeking protection of their rights.

The intransigence of the region and its people demonstrates a wish to shape their future with their own leaders and resources.

Ladakh is a cold desert whose significant area has been under illegal occupation of China as well as Pakistan. It also has the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. Considering Ladakh’s strategic significance and the presence of two hostile neighbours, India must remain vigilant and ensure good governance in the UT. If its economy does not grow sufficiently to boost employment and human resource development, residents of the region will remain dissatisfied and restless. This will be detrimental to India’s security and strategic interests along the Line of Actual Control.

Ladakh’s topography makes it challenging for the authorities to ensure that the benefits of development reach the people. The Ladakhi quagmire is rooted in the region’s conquest by Dogra king Gulab Singh’s general Zorawar Singh in 1834-35. When the J&K issue became contentious, Ladakh got embroiled in the larger dispute. The counter-offensive of the Indian Army in 1947 cleared Dras, Kargil and Leh of infiltrators. Ladakh thus became one of the three administrative units of J&K.

Ladakh has been underdeveloped for long. Poor health services have kept the mortality rate high. The sources of employment are limited to agriculture, the public sector and lately tourism. Except low-yield farming on difficult terrain, jobs are available mainly in urban areas.

Ladakhis held a grouse against the government and felt that their economic condition would improve only if power was with their own representatives. No wonder they staged protests in February 2024 that brought Leh and Kargil together, culminating in a complete shutdown. Sonam Wangchuk — engineer, innovator, educator and Gandhian activist — donned a leader’s role. He had already become a popular figure after his pioneering school inspired the famous Hindi movie 3 Idiots. His 21-day fast was withdrawn on March 26, 2024, on the advice of his well-wishers, but the Union government did not budge from its stand.

He launched an indefinite fast last month, but called it off after violence broke out in Leh. Subsequently, he was arrested under the National Security Act and sent to Jodhpur jail. It seems that the government is not keen on involving this important stakeholder in the talks, which can bring about a solution to the festering problem.

Wangchuk has called for an independent judicial probe into the killing of four protestors, even as he has reiterated his support to the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance over their demands for Sixth Schedule status and full statehood for Ladakh.

Ladakh sent four members to the Legislative Assembly and one to the Lok Sabha when it was part of the erstwhile state of J&K. The representation was considered inadequate, even as the authorities were accused of discriminating against the region and its people. Thus, the issues of development and employment continued to be put on the back burner.

Finally, the J&K government created Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils for Leh (1995) and Kargil (2003) in order to strengthen democratic and participatory governance. But this did not lead to any change in the situation on the ground.

The demand for UT status was fulfilled after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, but it restricted the opportunities Ladakhis had when their region was within J&K. The UT does not have many jobs to offer and there is no Public Service Commission to recruit them in the administration.

Ladakh, which has a population of around 3 lakh, has a fragile ecosystem. It is seeking statehood because UT status has given it limited autonomy, if at all; the people do not have rights over their resources. With a centralising BJP in power at the Centre, statehood is practically ruled out.

There is widespread apprehension in the region that the Union government will award contracts to the business community, and workforce from outside the UT will take away locals’ employment and economic opportunities. Hence, they are asking for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a separate public service commission and two parliamentary seats for Ladakh.

The demand of the people of Ladakh for special constitutional rights to spur development, employment and political representation is a legitimate one.

Ajay K Mehra is Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre for Multilevel Federalism