Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance call for strike on Ladakh on June 23, warn administration of any misadventure

Srinagar: The representatives of Ladakh on Saturday announced a strike on June 23 across the region against the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UT administration for delaying implementation of commitments made during the May 22 meeting in New Delhi and failing to accurately reflect agreed points in the official minutes of the meeting.

The members of Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance while addressing a presser in Leh after a detailed meeting accused the central government of dilly dallying tactics and playing ping pong with the people of Ladakh and not addressing their core issues as was promised in the last meeting in New Delhi.

The meeting was also attended by Ladakh MP Hanifa Jan and Sonam Wangchuk, who departed for Switzerland before the presser.


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"We expect the government to rectify the minutes and ensure that all decisions taken during the meeting are accurately reflected...It cannot be a case of taking two steps forward and two steps backward. Such an approach only raises doubts about the government's intentions," said Chering Dorjay Lakruk, co-chairman of ABL.

Lakruk accused government of buying time and assuming that Dalai Lama's visit and stay in Ladakh starting from later this month would prevent people from protesting for their democratic and constitutional rights. "We have many ways to protest. The government should not think it has two months to continue delaying decisions while selling Ladakh's interests...we are aware what is happening behind the scenes. Whole Ladakh will observe strike on June 23 and all shops and business establishments will remain closed. However, taxis and transport services have been exempted considering the ongoing tourist season," said Lakruk. He further said that if the agreed framework is not implemented, ABL and KDA may be forced to return to their original demands of Statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards.

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KDA co- chairman Asgar Karbalai said the May 22 meeting MHA had proposed a democratic setup with legislative, executive and financial powers for Ladakh. "We were told that the special provisions of Articles 371(A)(G) (F) will be included in a new provision of Article (K) that would be implemented in Ladakh. But nothing of this is mentioned in the minutes...the proposed structure would function like an Assembly with powers to legislate on all Union Territory subjects. It would have executive powers headed by a Chief Minister and possess financial authority as well," said Karbalai. The KDA co-chairman said one of the key assurances given by the MHA during the meeting was that the entire bureaucracy, including the Chief Secretary, would function under the elected executive, thereby ensuring that administrative powers remained under Ladakh's democratic institutions.

"These were the core points agreed in principle, but they are missing from the minutes. We were assured that within days the final draft and complete minutes would be shared. Nearly a month has passed and neither has happened," he said.

The leaders accused the government of repeating old delay tactics and warned that Ladakh's patience had limits. "We have tolerated enough. If the government crosses the limits of our patience, this movement can take any form. At that stage, ABL and KDA should not be blamed," said Karbalai. The representatives also accused the UT administration of pursuing policies in sectors such as power, land, transport and tourism without consulting Ladakhi stakeholders. Karbalai urged the MHA and UT administration to immediately bring all consensus points into the official minutes and prepare the promised draft so that the issue could finally be resolved and Ladakh could move towards a "new beginning."

The leaders also alleged that attempts were made to create divisions among political parties, religious organisations and social groups in Ladakh in order to weaken the movement. However, they stated that such efforts had largely been rejected by the people of Ladakh who remained united on its core political demands.

They also defended Sonam Wangchuk's participation in Cockroach Janata Party programs stating that he was a national hero and was attending such forums in his personal capacity and him raising Ladakh's concerns before national stakeholders would only strengthen the movement. "The people of Ladakh have shown immense patience over the last six years. That patience should not be mistaken for weakness...this is not colonial British era, China, Afghanistan or North Korea but a democratic country where we will raise our voice for our rights," said Sajjad Kargili, co-chairman of KDA.