No draft on Ladakh’s proposed UT-Level Assembly, LAB-KDA express disappointment after MHA talks

MHA reiterates elected UT-level body with direct elections, delimitation; LAB-KDA warns against irreversible administrative changes before democratic setup

YASH KHAJURIA

LEH: The much-anticipated September 9 meeting between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) ended without a draft on the proposed democratic structure for Ladakh, leaving the two apex bodies expressing disappointment and warning that any major “irreversible” administrative or political changes undertaken before an elected Union Territory-level body is constituted would trigger public resistance.

The meeting, held in New Delhi in continuation of the dialogue on the “In-Principle Understanding” reached during earlier rounds of talks, was expected by the LAB-KDA delegation to produce a draft outlining the proposed elected UT-level body and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. However, according to the joint press note and subsequent media briefing by the two bodies, no such draft was placed before them.

KDA Co-Chairman Sajjad Kargili said the delegation had arrived with the expectation that, nearly four months after the May 22 meeting, a draft would be ready for discussion. Instead, he said, the MHA presented a list of questions and indicated that a draft would be discussed at the next round of talks.

“We expected that a draft would be prepared and that we could discuss it and move forward, but unfortunately there was no draft today,” Kargili said, describing the absence of a draft as a source of considerable disappointment for the delegation.

Despite the lack of a draft, the MHA, according to LAB-KDA, reiterated that the proposed UT-level body would be directly elected by the people, with a separate delimitation exercise and constituencies for the elections.

Kargili said the MHA also assured the delegation that constitutional safeguards relating to land, mining, identity, culture and language would be addressed under the proposed framework, a key demand that the two bodies have been pursuing for several years. However, he stressed that LAB and KDA would consider such assurances meaningful only after seeing the actual draft.

“We will be satisfied only when the draft reaches us and we can see whether these things are actually translated on the ground,” he said.

The joint press note stated that the MHA indicated that the intended UT-level body would possess legislative powers over areas including land, culture and language, forests, environment and natural resources, besides other matters reserved for the Union Territory under Article 240. The elected body would also have budgetary, planning and financial powers.

LAB and KDA, however, maintained that the proposal did not adequately guarantee authority over all areas falling under Lists II and III of the Seventh Schedule, specifically citing subjects such as law and order.

The sharpest point emerging from the meeting was the joint objection by LAB and KDA to what they described as major and irreversible changes being undertaken before the establishment of a democratically elected UT-level body.

The two organisations have specifically raised objections over developments relating to the creation of new districts, proposed hill councils for the new districts and other major administrative restructuring.

They argued that allowing such changes before an elected UT-level legislature gets an opportunity to deliberate and legislate on the structure of governance would reverse the proper democratic sequence and potentially deprive the people of Ladakh of the right to determine the future architecture of their government and local administration.

Sonam Wangchuk, while briefing the media, said LAB and KDA had conveyed in writing that they would not accept major decisions affecting the region’s “shape and structure” before the democratic setup was put in place.

He specifically referred to concerns over major restructuring, land transfers and other irreversible decisions, saying the administration had also been cautioned about the consequences.  “If major decisions are taken before the democratic assembly comes, and its shape and structure are changed, we will not accept it,” Wangchuk said, adding that the two bodies did not want to return to agitation but would be compelled to do so if such circumstances arose.

The joint press note similarly states that LAB and KDA would call upon the public to join a protest if irreversible changes were made to Ladakh’s administrative and political setup before the UT-level elected body was constituted.

The MHA has assured that the next round of talks would be held in the first week of October in Kargil, during which a draft Article is expected to be discussed. LAB and KDA said they expect the Ministry to work on the draft before then and seek their comments on broader issues.

Wangchuk said the October meeting would provide an opportunity to examine whether the proposed democratic structure genuinely addresses Ladakh’s aspirations. He also stressed that the proposed democratic assembly should be brought before Parliament at the earliest, preferably during the Winter Session, followed by elections so that Ladakh gets an elected body capable of dealing with the region’s wider issues.

One significant assurance emerging from the meeting concerned compensation for those killed and injured in the September 24, 2025 unrest. Wangchuk said the MHA had indicated that compensation had been approved and that a formal announcement would be made shortly.

The delegation also sought withdrawal of cases registered in connection with the agitation. According to Wangchuk, the MHA had earlier proposed a phased approach, which LAB and KDA did not accept. The two bodies demanded that the cases be withdrawn together rather than in phases, and the Ministry agreed to consider the demand, though no final commitment was made.

The September 9 meeting was therefore viewed by the two bodies as falling short of expectations, particularly because no draft was produced despite the gap since the previous meeting.

Kargili said the dialogue process must demonstrate “seriousness and sincerity” and result in a solution that genuinely reflects the aspirations of the people of Ladakh.

With the next round scheduled for October, the focus now shifts to whether the MHA will place a concrete draft before LAB and KDA and whether the proposed framework will provide the constitutional, legislative and democratic safeguards being demanded by the two regions.