KARGIL, Apr 15: The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Wednesday demanded immediate resumption of stalled talks with the Centre, reiterating that it remains open to any fresh proposal except council-based arrangements and that its core demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards for Ladakh are non-negotiable.
Addressing reporters alongside Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa Jan and leader Sajjad Kargili, KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai said no progress had been made since the February 4 meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), despite assurances that talks would resume within 10–15 days. He said the KDA and Leh Apex Body (LAB), which have led joint agitations for statehood, Sixth Schedule status and constitutional safeguards since 2019, had clearly rejected the Centre’s earlier “territorial or council-based” proposal and conveyed that their demands reflected the constitutional rights and aspirations of Ladakh’s people.
Karbalai stressed that the KDA was still willing to engage “with an open mind and open heart” if the government showed seriousness and sincerity, but warned that repeated delays forced them back to protests despite MHA requests to avoid shutdowns, marches and hunger strikes. He dismissed talk of internal differences, asserting KDA and LAB “speak in one voice” and would not bow to pressure or inducements.
MP Haneefa Jan underlined that dialogue, not sporadic meetings, was the only way forward and insisted that once talks restart, they must be sustained and outcome-oriented rather than limited to “two or three hours” without results. Sajjad Kargili highlighted the continuing absence of constitutional safeguards and meaningful democratic representation in Ladakh, saying democracy had effectively been “missing” in the region for six years and warning that protests would continue if the dialogue did not resume in a credible manner.
The leaders said they had also urged Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena to release detained youth and withdraw cases linked to the September 24 Leh violence as a goodwill measure to build trust and pave the way for talks.
