Why the disquiet in Ladakh

Naseer Ganai

In the unforgiving grip of Ladakh’s bone-chilling winter, where temperatures plunge to -20ºC, hundreds of Ladakhis defied the biting cold and gathered in unity on February 3. The iconic Polo Ground in Leh witnessed a massive demonstration. Prominent Ladakhi leaders took to the stage, their voices echoing across the snow-covered landscape and beyond, as they articulated the grievances of the people.

Developments must be watched by all

The call for mass protests signals a distrust of New Delhi’s intent. The Ladakhis are reciprocating by signalling their own seriousness of intent. And that too, with a strong unity between Leh and Kargil forged three years ago. In a way, the tiny population of Ladakh is signalling the importance of religious, regional and political unity in the face of their voices not being heard; it is precisely what gives power to people over the State. — Prof Siddiq Wahid, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi

---

The region, Beyond tourism

• Ladakh is known as both a tourist destination and a strategically significant area due to its proximity to the hotly contested border with China, particularly since the Galwan incident. It consistently garners attention for these dual aspects. According to a political analyst based in Delhi, the people of Ladakh have, for long, been crying for attention to their political aspirations, urging the government to address internal political issues. However, there appears to be a lack of concern, he says.
• The agitation has become part of Ladakh’s landscape, with both the KDA and the Leh Apex Body in unison opposing the government’s decisions frequently and asking for the implementation and assurances regarding the Sixth Schedule and statehood.
• Former MP Thupstan Chewang has emerged as a popular leader in the region. In 2018, he resigned from the BJP and started seeking rights for Ladakhis. He says a widespread protest was organised across Ladakh and it had the support of all.

The speakers, while reminding the Centre of the promises made by the NDA leaders regarding the Sixth Schedule status for the region, accused the BJP leaders of Ladakh and in New Delhi of betrayal. The call for protest was jointly issued by the Leh Apex Body, representing a coalition of various political, religious and social groups of Leh, and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), comprising diverse political, religious and social entities from the Kargil region of Ladakh.

“We have been consistent in our demands for several years. Some local leaders may attempt to downplay it, but the presence of 30,000 people in this bone-chilling weather serves as a clear message that this is not merely the demand of a few, but the whole of Ladakh,” said Ladakhi innovator Sonam Wangchuk, addressing the people.

In January last year, Wangchuk had observed an extended fast to press for the implementation of the Sixth Schedule.

On February 19, the Union Ministry of Home’s High-Powered Committee (HPC), constituted two years back, is set to hold a dialogue with Ladakhi leaders from Kargil and Leh. The HPC is led by MoS (Home) Nityanand Rai.

The strategic Ladakh region shares borders with China and Pakistan and is home to 2.7 lakh people. Currently, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura are included in the Sixth Schedule, which allows for the establishment of autonomous district councils in tribal areas with legislative and administrative autonomy.

While Leh and Kargil have been administered by autonomous hill development councils since 1995, inclusion in the Sixth Schedule would grant them increased powers. This would empower them to make laws concerning land, forests, trade, property, markets, education, taxation, and mining activities.

The LAHDC, Leh, was constituted by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act of 1995 during the PV Narasimha Rao government, and its first election was held in 1995. Later, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led Peoples Democratic Party government established a similar council for Kargil district in 2003.

RAISING THE BAR

Former Member of Parliament Thupstan Chewang, a founding member of the Leh Apex Body, says the ongoing negotiations with the Centre are crucial. The HPC, he adds, had in the earlier meeting asked both the KDA and the Apex Body Leh to submit their demands in writing.

Following extensive consultations, a comprehensive draft proposal was submitted jointly by both organisations, demanding statehood with a legislature, Sixth Schedule, a public service commission and two separate parliamentary seats for the Kargil and Leh regions. They call it the four-point formula. “We thought they would respond to our proposals, but they didn’t and delayed the process further,” Chewang says.

The Union Territory of Ladakh did not evolve through a typical political process; rather, it emerged suddenly due to the decision to abrogate Article 370 on August 5, 2019. This decision caught many off guard, with Kashmiris in shock and unable to communicate with each other for the next six months due to a prolonged communication blockade.

In contrast, there was widespread jubilation over the abrogation of Article 370 in Leh. In Kargil district, closer to Kashmir and with strong ties to the Valley through marriages and businesses, there was resentment from the outset against the abrogation. Demonstrations took place throughout 2019 in Kargil as the decision was perceived as having been imposed on them.

While Leh had long desired to be a UT, dating back to the 1950s, the realisation of this status, after the initial welcome, brought concerns about its impact on identity, demographics, land rights, and job opportunities as the region’s population is less than three lakh.

Many felt the creation of the UT marginalised the pre-existing hill councils, shifting powers to the Lieutenant Governor and the administration, leaving local councils feeling powerless. In 2020, for the first time in the history of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, it organised protests seeking funds. Such a development was unheard of in the Ladakh region.

According to a former minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Hill Councils of both Leh and Kargil were more powerful in J&K state and the Chief Minister and ministers would listen to them. However, with the establishment of the UT, Leh witnessed a bureaucratic administration for the first time.

Tensions escalated as the Hill Councils perceived their power being eroded by the Lt Governor. Ladakhis began demanding constitutional rights, leading to the formation of the Peoples Movement of Ladakh, later renamed the Leh Apex Body. They demanded constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, seeking to protect the interests of locals.

In Kargil, the KDA was formed in 2021, with political and social organisations joining it. The KDA joined forces with the Leh Apex Body to present a four-point demand.

Hill Council election

The real test began as Leh prepared to hold its first-ever elections to the LAHDC, Leh, in 2020. The Ladakhi leaders launched protests and called for a boycott. The boycott call rattled Delhi. A delegation of Ladakhi leaders under the Leh Apex Body met Home Minister Amit Shah. According to them, the ministry assured the delegation of conceding the demands after the LAHDC polls, following which the Leh Apex Body, withdrew the poll boycott call.

While the Leh Apex Body took part in the polls, the BJP also agreed to its demands on paper. In its poll manifesto for the LAHDC, Leh, elections in October 2020, the BJP pledged constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule. In the ensuing LAHDC polls, the BJP secured victory. As nothing seemed to be happening on the constitutional guarantee of the Sixth Schedule, the Ladakhi leaders listed three more demands in addition to the Sixth Schedule, making it a four-point formula.

On September 3, 2021, the BJP-led LAHDC, Leh, passed a resolution urging for safeguards either under Article 371 of the Constitution of India, the Sixth Schedule, or domicile laws to uphold the tribal rights of the indigenous people of Ladakh. This was a watershed development. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home constituted the HPC to talk to the Ladakhi leaders.

Earlier, on September 11, 2019, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, led by Dr Nand Kumar Sai, an education reformist and innovator, recommended Ladakh’s inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. According to the criteria, only areas with a tribal population of 50 per cent or more are eligible for the Sixth Schedule status. The panel said that Ladakh, with its diverse tribal communities — including Balti, Beda, Bot, Boto, Brokpa, Drokpa, Dard, Shin, Changpa, Garra, Mon, and Purigpa — is highly suitable for such status.

However, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed a parliamentary standing committee in 2022 that the primary objective of including tribal populations under the Fifth/Sixth Schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development, which, according to them, has been addressed by the UT administration in Ladakh since its inception.

Chewang outlines the future course of action: “We eagerly anticipate the outcome of the upcoming meeting with the High Power Committee on February 19. A favourable resolution in sync with the aspirations of the people of Ladakh should be embraced. However, if the outcome fails to meet expectations, we are prepared to escalate protests across the region.”

He says he and Wangchuk will launch a fast-unto-death and if anyone wants to join it, they can. “If during this agitation, any of us dies, this fast-unto-death agitation should continue and others will join it,” he adds. The disquiet in Ladakh is palpable.  

#Ladakh #Leh