Centre to hold talks with Ladakh groups on October 22

The Ministry of Home Affairs has invited Ladakh groups for talks on October 22, the first formal interaction between the government and leaders of the cold desert since the September 24 protests in which four persons were killed and nearly 100 injured.

Leh Apex Body co-chairman and member of the sub-committee Cherring Dorjay Lakruk confirmed to The Tribune that the groups had been called to New Delhi for discussions focused on the Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh. “We will also discuss the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and 25 others who were detained after the September 24 protests in Leh,” said Lakruk.

A sub-committee comprising six Ladakh leaders — three each from the LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — along with Member of Parliament from Ladakh Haji Hanifa Jan, have been invited for the talks.

Lakruk said if the upcoming discussions were successful, the next round of talks with the high-powered committee chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai would be held soon. “There will be some gap between the two meetings,” he said.

The MHA had on Friday ordered a judicial probe by a retired Supreme Court judge into the September 24 killings in Leh. The Ladakh groups had been demanding a judicial probe as a pre-condition for the talks to begin. Earlier, the talks scheduled for October 6 were boycotted by the LAB and the KDA.

Asgar Ali Karbalai, co-chairman of the KDA, said besides the demand for the Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh, compensation for the family members of those killed would also be demanded from the government. The Ladakh leadership has consistently put forward four key demands — inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, grant of statehood, establishment of a dedicated Public Service Commission for Ladakh and two parliamentary seats (currently the UT has only one).

Karbalai, however, said the focus of the sub-committee would only be on the Sixth Schedule and the statehood during this meeting. “We will discuss other demands later,” he said.” Meanwhile, the situation remained peaceful in Leh on Sunday, a day after a silent march by Ladakh leaders seeking to express solidarity with those killed during the September 24 violence was foiled. The administration suspended mobile Internet across the UT and imposed restrictions.