Center-Ladakh talks hit fresh impasse as draft proposal ‘not taken up’

The nearly six-year-long agitation in cold desert region Ladakh for constitutional safeguards shows little sign of resolution, with the latest round of talks between the Center and Ladakh representatives ending without discussion on their joint draft proposal seeking Statehood and Sixth Schedule status.

Leh Apex Body (LAB) Co-Chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook said that during the recent meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi, no discussion was held on the draft proposal jointly submitted by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

“Instead, the Government repeatedly highlighted certain ‘disadvantages’ of the Sixth Schedule and Statehood, which are factually incorrect,” Lakrook alleged, adding that no alternative proposal was placed before the Ladakh delegation.

The stalemate comes against the backdrop of a sustained agitation that began after Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory without a legislature from erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.

Since then, civil society and political groups in Leh and Kargil — under the banners of LAB and KDA — have been demanding Statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule to safeguard land and jobs, a separate Public Service Commission and two parliamentary seats for the region.

The movement witnessed its most violent phase in September 2025 when protests in Leh spiralled into clashes, leaving four people dead. The unrest marked a turning point in the agitation and drew national attention to Ladakh’s demands.

Soon after, renowned climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk — who had emerged as a prominent face of the movement — was detained under the National Security Act (NSA). He has since been lodged in Tihar Jail, a development that further intensified tensions and hardened positions within Ladakh.

With emotions still raw over the September violence and Wangchuk’s continued detention, the lack of progress in talks has raised fresh concerns about the direction of the dialogue process.

Lakrook also expressed disappointment over remarks reportedly made during the meeting by KDA member Kunzes Dolma. According to him, she stated that Ladakhis, particularly Buddhists in Kargil and Zanskar, were satisfied with the present Union Territory arrangement and did not support the demand for Sixth Schedule status and Statehood.

He alleged that such statements were allowed in a manner that projected a lack of unity among Ladakhi representatives.

President of the Ladakh Gonpa Association, Gelong Stanzin Dorjay, who also attended the meeting, said he felt that Ladakh’s demands were not being taken seriously and reiterated that unity was essential at this stage.

The LAB alleged that its legal experts, who drafted the proposal, were not allowed to attend the meeting to provide clarifications.