Ladakh parties seek statehood on Sikkim pattern

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, January 21

In a joint move, two political groupings from the Ladakh region, the Leh Apex Body—an amalgamation of political and religious parties in Leh—and the Kargil Democratic Alliance—a coalition of political and religious parties in Kargil—have submitted a document to the Union Home Ministry, asking for the Union Territory a status similar to that of Sikkim.

Sajad Kargili, a senior member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), told The Tribune that they submitted the document to the Home Ministry and have listed four key demands starting from full statehood to Ladakh.

Formed after the abrogation of Article 370, the KDA and the Leh Apex Body have been asking for full statehood for Ladakh, constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the establishment of a Public Service Commission, and the creation of separate parliamentary constituencies for both Leh and Kargil.

“We have articulated our stance as clearly as we could. We have also written that until the Centre establishes a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh, the J&K Public Service Commission should handle recruitment for the region. However, a resident certificate of Ladakh must be the eligibility criteria for recruitment,” Kargili said.

“We have cited an example of Sikkim specifically. When Sikkim was established as a separate state, its population was less than Ladakh. Also, we have more area than Sikkim. Strategically Ladakh is as significant as Sikkim,” Kargili said.

In 2021, two years after the abrogation of Article 370 revocation, Leh, which had initially welcomed the move unlike Kargil, witnessed a shift in its political landscape with the establishment of the Leh Apex Body. This grouping started its campaign for constitutional protections for the people and the environment of the region and called for the implementation of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Later they called for full-fledged statehood for the UT of Ladakh.

Kargili said in its latest joint document, they also sought increased powers for the Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil and the creation of a dedicated High Court bench for Ladakh.

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