Ladakh leaders to hold key talks with MHA on Oct 22 over statehood, Sixth Schedule demand

The invitation follows a turbulent few weeks in the region marked by protests, restrictions, and casualties.

Leaders from Ladakh are scheduled to meet officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi on October 22 to discuss key issues, including the demand for statehood and the need for constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule for the Union Territory.

According to the Leh Apex Body, three members each from the Leh Apex Body (LAB), the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and Ladakh’s Member of Parliament will attend the talks. The discussions are expected to address long-pending concerns about Ladakh’s political status, job security, and protection of land and cultural identity.

The discussions are expected to focus on four long-standing demands raised by Ladakh’s leadership: inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, statehood, the establishment of a separate Public Service Commission, and the allocation of two parliamentary seats for Ladakh, which currently has only one.

The invitation for talks follows weeks of unrest in the region, marked by protests, restrictions, and casualties. On September 24, four people were killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Leh district.

The Home Ministry has since ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, along with retired District and Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Parihar and IAS officer Tushar Anand.

However, the Leh Apex Body has objected to the composition of the inquiry panel, pointing out that no Ladakhi representative has been included. “It is surprising that there is no Ladakhi in the inquiry team. The presence of not a single Ladakhi looks strange. We want the probe to be held transparently,” LAB co-chairman Cherring Dorjay Lakruk told The Tribune.