Ladakh-based activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday expressed disappointment over the outcome of a meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying no draft on the proposed democratic setup for Ladakh was presented despite a gap of nearly four months since the previous meeting.
Wangchuk, said the previous meeting was held on May 22 and there were high expectations from today’s meeting, as the MHA had sufficient time to work on the issues discussed earlier.
“Today, no draft was presented before us. Instead, we were given a list of questions which, we were told, would be discussed in the next meeting,” Wangchuk said.
He said the next meeting has been agreed to be held in Kargil during the first week of October. “There was nothing particularly new in today’s meeting. Whatever was discussed had already been discussed during the May 22 meeting. They again talked about an Assembly, direct delimitation and elections. There was no significant progress,” he said.
Wangchuk said the assurance regarding compensation for those killed and injured during the incidents of September 24 last year was one positive aspect of the meeting.
“They strongly agreed to provide compensation to those who were killed and injured. They said the compensation has been approved and will be announced soon,” he said.
On cases registered against people, Wangchuk said the delegation had demanded withdrawal of all cases together, rejecting the earlier proposal for a phase-wise withdrawal.
“We strongly demanded that all the cases should be withdrawn together. They said they would consider our demand, but at this stage we cannot say that they have agreed to it,” he said.
Wangchuk said the delegation also pressed for the establishment of a democratically elected Assembly in Ladakh at the earliest.
“We demanded that the proposal should be brought before Parliament during the Winter Session, so that action can be taken at the earliest and elections can be held to establish a democratic body in Ladakh,” he said.
He said the elected democratic body should subsequently take up all major issues concerning Ladakh.
Wangchuk further said the Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) had unanimously demanded that no major decision affecting the character and shape of Ladakh should be taken until a democratic setup is established.
“In particular, there should be no major irreversible restructuring of the region of Ladakh, whether related to democratic structures, land transfers or any other major issue that could change the character of Ladakh, before a legitimate democratic body is established,” he said.
He said the demand was also submitted in writing, making it clear that the delegation would not accept major decisions being taken before the establishment of a democratic Assembly.
Wangchuk said although the MHA considered the matter outside its immediate purview, the delegation formally conveyed its concerns to the Chief Secretary of the UT Administration.
“We formally informed the Chief Secretary that such decisions would not be acceptable to us. If circumstances force us to do so, we may have to launch an agitation. We do not want that and hope such a situation does not arise,” he said.
Wangchuk said the democratic Assembly could potentially be established within about a year if the proposal is brought before Parliament during the Winter Session, followed by elections and the establishment of District Councils and other democratic institutions. “That was our request to the authorities,” he said.
