Ladakh's Constitutional Demands: Chief Secretary Responds to Fact-Finding Report on Governance Crisis

Ladakh's primary demands center around establishing a legislature in the Union Territory and inclusion under the Constitution's 6th Schedule for autonomous tribal administration.

New Delhi:

Ladakh Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal has pointed to "certain sections" for attempting to undermine dialogue processes after realizing that ongoing talks could satisfy most of Ladakh's demands.

The region's fundamental requests include establishing a legislative assembly within the Union Territory framework and securing protection under the Constitution's Sixth Schedule, which provides autonomous governance structures for tribal areas.

Kotwal noted that significant progress was being made through discussions between the Centre's high-powered committee (HPC) and local organizations including Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

According to the Chief Secretary, specific groups worked negatively to sabotage these dialogues for personal and political advantage, compromising Ladakh's broader interests. He added that these elements deliberately sought to derail negotiations by continuing hunger strikes despite scheduled talks and misleading local populations.

These factors culminated in civil unrest on September 24, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives, stated the Chief Secretary of the Union Territory that was formed in August 2019 following the central government's decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status and divide it into two UTs.

Kotwal indicated that investigating agencies have collected evidence, with more information forthcoming, responding to a fact-finding report released by certain groups.

It's worth noting that unofficial fact-finding initiatives conducted by private individuals or organizations—rather than formal, court-supervised investigations—are frequently criticized for potential lack of objectivity when findings are disputed.

The fact-finding report unveiled today in Delhi, with Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan in attendance, was collaboratively prepared by the Socialist Party (India), the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), and Hum Bharat Ke Log.

The Socialist Party (India) identifies itself as an "independent incarnation of the Congress Socialist Party formed in 1934 within the Congress"; NAPM was established by activist Medha Patkar; and Hum Bharat Ke Log was launched in April this year to promote Gandhian principles.

A key conclusion in the report characterized activist Sonam Wangchuk's detention under the stringent National Security Act as "deeply unfortunate." Wangchuk is currently imprisoned in Rajasthan.

Socialist Party (India) Secretary Sandeep Pandey stated, "Sonam Wangchuk is not Amritpal Singh that he should be taken away from Ladakh and jailed in another state," calling for the release of Wangchuk and 45 others detained following last month's protests.

Amritpal Singh was previously Punjab's most wanted criminal who later won a parliamentary seat while incarcerated.

Activist Sajjad Kargili highlighted that despite having a larger population than Sikkim, Ladakh has only one Lok Sabha representative. He claimed the BJP has failed to fulfill its promise of bringing Ladakh under Sixth Schedule protection.

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan alleged that protests are being criminalized and even MPs face travel restrictions to certain states. "Citizens demanding jobs or constitutional rights are being jailed. This is not democracy," she asserted.

Regarding Lok Sabha representation, the Chief Secretary clarified that discussions about increasing Ladakh's parliamentary seat took place during the high-powered committee meeting, noting this would be addressed during future delimitation processes. He emphasized that policies aren't solely determined by population figures, as Ladakh remains a priority regardless of its small population.

The Chief Secretary categorically denied claims of demographic changes and cultural homogenization. He suggested that terms like "demographic flooding" and "cultural genocide" were being employed to mislead people and create confusion.

"Regarding solar parks, industrialization and environmental concerns, we are committed to developing a carbon neutral Ladakh. All initiatives will require local community consultation and consent. There are no mining activities or commercial resource exploitation in Ladakh. Politically motivated organizations should not mislead the public," the Chief Secretary affirmed.

On land administration, he confirmed that all authority continues to reside with the respective Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs).

"We've already begun making land regulations more citizen-friendly. No powers will be removed from the LAHDCs. In fact, each LAHDC's capital expenditure budget has increased from just Rs 150 crore before Ladakh became a UT to Rs 750 crore," the Chief Secretary stated.

Ladakh's transition from initially celebrating its Union Territory status in 2019 following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370, to the current tensions over statehood demands, has prompted speculation about possible foreign interference or local vested interests engineering the crisis.

However, dissatisfaction has been growing over recent years regarding a perceived political vacuum under the Chief Secretary's administration. This factor has united political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil on joint platforms to advance their demands.