LEH: In a significant development paving way for the Dialogue forward, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have shifted to structured negotiations by submitting fresh joint charter of demands to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
According to reports, after the submission of the joint Draft of demands, the High-Powered Committee (HPC) meeting is likely to be convened by the MHA in New Delhi in near future after MHA reviews the submission.
The move came nearly two months after September 24 Leh violence killing four civilians and injuring dozens including police personnel.
The groups have now finalised a fresh joint charter of demands for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), marking the first concrete movement since unrest erupted in September this year.
The document, prepared after a round of talks held late last month, was set to be emailed to the MHA on Sunday.
Earlier, the Centre had asked the two bodies to submit a detailed written Draft before the next meeting, reviving a Dialogue that had stalled for months.
The new Draft was finalised after several internal consultations, LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk, adding, ““After several rounds of talks within the LAB and then with the KDA, the document has been drafted. It is a joint draft from Leh and Kargil.”
The document consolidates their long-standing four-point agenda, incorporating statehood and Sixth Schedule inclusion, release of detainees of September 24, 2025, and statutory guarantees for political representation, land rights, jobs, and cultural protection.
The demands also include release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and revocation of National Security Act.
The groups have framed these demands in the context of deepening public anxiety since Ladakh’s separation from Jammu & Kashmir and its conversion into a Union Territory on August 5, 2019.
A major emphasis in the draft is the fallout from the September clashes, which the groups say exposed the fragility of institutional trust in Ladakh. The detention of renowned climate-activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose arrest drew national and international attention, is referenced as an incident that crystallised fears over civil liberties and the handling of dissent.
LAB and KDA argue that all detainees must be released to create a ‘neutral and fair atmosphere’ before any political settlement can move forward.
The submission follows the October 22 Sub Committee meeting in New Delhi, attended by senior MHA officials, the UT Ladakh administration, representatives of LAB and KDA, the Ladakh MP and the chairpersons of both Hill Councils. This was the first meeting in nearly five months; the earlier round was held on May 27. During the October talks, the Centre asked the two bodies to articulate their demands in a detailed written form for further deliberation.
Officials informed that the MHA is expected to schedule the next meeting after examining the document. For both LAB and KDA, this round carries heightened urgency, not only because of the lives lost in Leh but also due to rising fears over demographic change, shrinking local job opportunities, and the absence of constitutional safeguards.
The HPC will have six representatives each from LAB and KDA as against three each in the Sub Committee besides the Ladakh MP, Kargil Hill Council Chairperson and senior officials of the MHA and Ladakh UT administration. However, the LAHDC Leh has completed its term.
Talks between the Centre and Ladakh representatives had broken down after September 24 violence. Both the Ladakh bodies stayed away from the dialogue slated for October 6. However, they agreed for October 22 meeting only after the MHA ordered judicial inquiry into the violence headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
