Yash Khajuria
Leh, Dec 30: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is expected to convene the next meeting of the High Powered Committee on Ladakh to take forward discussions on long-pending demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, sources familiar with the developments said.
The last meeting of the committee was held on October 22 in New Delhi. Since then, the Home Ministry has been examining a detailed draft proposal jointly submitted by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, the two platforms leading the political movement in the Union Territory.
According to sources, the Centre is considering holding the next round of talks in the second week of January 2026. The proposal under review runs into 29 pages and was submitted to the MHA on November 17 after extensive consultations with local stakeholders across the Union Territory.
The LAB–KDA coalition, which has been spearheading the movement for statehood and Sixth Schedule protection, has also sought the release of detained Ladakh residents, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, as part of confidence-building measures ahead of further dialogue.
Ladakh Member of Parliament and member of the MHA-appointed sub-committee, Mohamad Haneefa Jan, however, said that no formal communication has been received regarding the proposed meeting. He added that he had approached the Home Ministry a few days ago seeking early resumption of talks.
According to him, officials informed him that the draft proposal submitted by Ladakh leaders is still under examination and that the process may take some more time before the next meeting is scheduled.
However, sources familiar with the developments said that the newly appointed Chief Secretary of Ladakh is set to take charge from January 1. After assuming office and settling administrative matters, the Chief Secretary is likely to hold consultations with Home Ministry officials in New Delhi, following which a date for the committee meeting may be finalised.
The draft proposal submitted by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance seeks general amnesty for Sonam Wangchuk and others who were taken into custody following the September 24 violence in Leh town, which left four people dead and dozens injured.
The document places Ladakh’s demands within a proposed legislative framework. It seeks full statehood through a new law providing for a 30-member Legislative Assembly, with a majority of seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes. It also calls for constitutional amendments to extend Sixth Schedule provisions to Ladakh, citing the region’s predominantly tribal population.
The proposal refers to a 2019 recommendation by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, which had advised the government to bring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule owing to its demographic and cultural composition.
While acknowledging that discussions with the Home Ministry over the past four years have been largely responsive to Ladakh’s concerns, the draft argues that the existing Union Territory arrangement leaves gaps in legislative authority, financial autonomy, and protection of customary laws.
It points out that despite the presence of two hill councils with elected representatives, most decision-making powers continue to rest with the Lieutenant Governor-led administration. The document argues for replacing the present councils with autonomous development councils in line with the Sixth Schedule to strengthen participatory governance.
The Centre had earlier announced a judicial inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge into the September unrest, a move that led to the resumption of talks between the Home Ministry and Ladakh representatives in October.
Meanwhile, the Leh Apex Body has praised locals for submitting more than 50 affidavits to the judicial commission, headed by Justice (retd.) B.S. Chauhan, which is inquiring into the September 24 protests and the killing of four civilians in an alleged firing by security forces.
“We hope the inquiry will be non-partisan and fair. Our people were killed and many were injured. Nine locals are still behind bars. We intend to submit more points regarding the deployment ahead of September 24 before the commission,” a member of the Apex Body said.
He said the LAB expected the inquiry commission to come up with details on who fired the bullets at civilians. “The incident has hurt the soul of Ladakh and our collective psyche,” he added.
The judicial commission was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in October this year to inquire into the circumstances that resulted in violence and the deaths of four civilians during street protests on September 24 in Ladakh’s Leh district.
The Ladakh–MHA talks had broken down in September after Sonam Wangchuk launched a three-week hunger strike demanding early talks on Ladakh’s political future. Protests by trade bodies, youth groups, and civil society organisations later escalated into clashes.
The October 22 meeting marked the first engagement after the violence, with leaders of the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance holding discussions with the Home Ministry sub-committee in New Delhi.
With the proposal now under detailed scrutiny, attention remains focused on the Centre’s next steps as Ladakh continues to await clarity on its political and constitutional future.
