Ladakh Council passes resolution demanding statehood

Samaan Lateef

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Srinagar, November 26

The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, has passed a resolution, demanding statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts. On November 10, the BJP-led Leh LAHDC too had passed a resolution, seeking constitutional safeguards.

Punchok Tashi, an executive councillor of the LAHDC, Kargil, submitted the resolution, saying there was an increasing resentment among the Ladakh people regarding the public representation since the special status was scrapped. “It has further given rise to apprehensions among the public with regards to safeguarding land, jobs, culture and ecology,” reads the resolution.

It said Ladakh should be given full-fledged statehood in view of its strategic importance and the unique geography and culture of the region.

With the re-organisation of the erstwhile state of J&K in 2019, Ladakh has only one public representative in the Parliament. It said, “MP elections pit the people of Kargil against those of Leh as there is only one seat. Rift among the local populace of this strategic location may also prove detrimental to the national security. Communal harmony in such a sensitive region becomes of paramount importance where India faces two warring and belligerent neighbours.”