Leaders describe meeting as ‘fruitful’; Centre assures early draft on constitutional safeguards, empowered UT governance and expedited formal negotiations besides, creating Ladakh Administrative Service (LAS) and Ladakh Police Service (LPS) cadres
LEH: Claiming breakthrough in the ongoing dialogue over Ladakh’s constitutional and governance demands, representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Friday announced that the minutes of the previous meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) panel have been finalised and signed after extensive deliberations in Leh, paving the way for the next phase of formal negotiations.
Addressing the media after a marathon meeting with the MHA panel at the Civil Secretariat, LAB Co-Chairman Chering Dorjey Lakruk said the discussions primarily focused on resolving the “sticking points” in the minutes of the May 22 meeting. He said both sides eventually reached a consensus, following which all stakeholders signed the agreed minutes.
He described the outcome as largely in line with the expectations of the Apex Body, adding that the government made sincere efforts to accommodate the sentiments expressed by the Ladakh representatives.
Further, he said discussions on constitutional safeguards under Article 371 had also moved forward, with the Centre indicating that safeguards stronger than those available under various clauses from Articles 371A to 371J could be explored for Ladakh. He added that concerns relating to the Annual Performance Appraisal (APR) of bureaucrats had also been substantially clarified in the agreed minutes.
While expressing satisfaction over the finalisation of the minutes, Lakruk stressed the need to convene formal negotiations at the earliest so that the dialogue could reach a logical conclusion without further delay.
He further revealed that while the government’s draft proposal is still under preparation, the Apex Body has already prepared its own draft. The draft, he said, will first be jointly examined with KDA leaders before being reviewed by legal and constitutional experts. Any necessary revisions will be incorporated before it is formally submitted to the Centre.
According to Lakruk, the MHA panel conveyed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is keen to resolve Ladakh’s long-pending issues at the earliest and bring the dialogue to a meaningful conclusion.
Echoing similar sentiments, KDA Co-Chairman Haji Asgar Ali Karbalie described the meeting as the first occasion on which the MHA appeared to have demonstrated visible seriousness regarding Ladakh’s demands. He said the government’s representatives indicated willingness to provide the strongest possible constitutional safeguards and agreed in principle that an elected executive body should exercise administrative control over the bureaucracy, including writing the Annual Performance Reports (APRs) of officials serving in Ladakh.
Karbalie also said the meeting discussed the release of more than 80 persons facing cases in connection with the September 2024 protests. According to him, the MHA assured that these cases would be reviewed seriously and revoked in the same manner as previous cases withdrawn against activist Sonam Wangchuk.
He further said the Centre expressed commitment to creating separate Ladakh Administrative Service (LAS) and Ladakh Police Service (LPS) cadres, an issue the Home Minister was stated to be personally monitoring.
The KDA leader also raised concerns regarding gazetted posts and reservation implementation in institutions, including universities. He said the administration assured that the existing 95 per cent reservation policy for Ladakh residents would be implemented promptly and that contractual appointments of outsiders would be addressed.
Karbalie said the broader objective remains the creation of an empowered democratic setup for Ladakh with executive, legislative and financial authority, enabling locally elected representatives to frame laws, implement development programmes and ensure administrative accountability.
Responding to questions regarding Ladakh’s controversial excise policy, he said no detailed discussion took place on the subject. However, he emphasised that until the proposed governance structure is established through amendments to the Ladakh Reorganisation Act and related laws, the administration should avoid implementing major policy decisions without consulting public stakeholders.
On the next round of talks, Karbalie said no date has been fixed but the MHA assured that discussions would resume soon given the Home Minister’s desire for an early resolution.
Member of Parliament Mohmad Haneefa Jan, who also attended the meeting, described the discussions as “highly fruitful” and appreciated the initiative of holding the meeting in Leh. He said the principal objections raised by LAB and KDA regarding the wording of the previous minutes had now been rectified through mutual agreement, allowing the dialogue to move ahead.
The MP expressed hope that the government’s draft would now be prepared without delay and eventually lead to a democratic institutional framework capable of addressing Ladakh’s governance concerns after years of public struggle.
Former Chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyalson, said Friday’s meeting was essentially a follow-up aimed at finalising the minutes that had remained pending because of differences over specific wording.
He noted that the confusion related only to the language used in two points concerning bureaucratic accountability and constitutional safeguards, while the broader understanding between both sides had remained intact. With those issues resolved and the minutes unanimously signed, Gyalson said the focus would now shift to drafting the proposed governance framework.
He added that both the government and the LAB-KDA combine are preparing separate drafts, which will form the basis of the next phase of negotiations aimed at addressing Ladakh’s long-pending constitutional, administrative and governance aspirations.
