We will attend, discuss agenda: Apex Body
Talks likely on LAB, KDA document
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 16: After more than three and half months, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has once again opened channels for talks with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) by convening the High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting on Ladakh in New Delhi on February 4.
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The HPC will be chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
Last sitting of LAB and KDA besides others was held in New Delhi on October 22 but it was the Sub Committee meeting which was attended by the officers from MHA and UT administration of Ladakh.
“The High-Powered Committee for the UT of Ladakh under the chairmanship of Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home, Government of India will be held on February 4, 2026 at 4 PM in Kartavya Bhawan, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi,’’ the Meeting Notice issued by the MHA Ladakh Division today, said.
Earlier, the MHA had conveyed to the LAB and KDA leadership that the meeting will be held in second part of January.
“We will attend the meeting,’’ LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook told the Excelsior on telephone from Leh.
He said the document submitted by them to the MHA will be discussed in the meeting. The document carried in detail the demands of LAB and KDA.
The HPC besides being headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai has wider participation from LAB and KDA (six members each) as compared to the Sub Committee, which has three members each from the twin bodies. The Ladakh MP and Chairpersons of Hill Councils of Leh and Kargil are also its members. However, presently, the Hill Council Leh is non-existent as it completed its term in October last year and fresh elections were not held to the body.
The Ladakh bodies are confident that the next rounds of talks will be fruitful as the MHA officials had in October 22 meeting shown very positive response on the issues raised by the LAB and KDA leaders.
Both the bodies, as per the sources, are likely to hold their own meetings followed by joint meeting to discuss the issues for February 4 meeting though they have made it clear that they will like the talks on the detailed document already submitted to the Union Home Ministry.
The MHA team has studied in details the document submitted by the Ladakh bodies.
The Ladakh bodies had incorporated draft Act of Ladakh Statehood and provisions of Sixth Schedule along with their document seeking 30-seat Legislative Assembly and Statehood with protection of Article 371 besides Sixth Schedule provisions, two Parliamentary seats and some other issues in the comprehensive document submitted by them to the MHA on November 18, 2025.
Titled as ‘Sixth Schedule Provisions and a case for Statehood, Draft Framework for Ladakh’, the LAB and KDA joint document sought integration of proposed State of Ladakh under Article 371 as Article 371-K. It presented in detail its case for inclusion of Ladakh in Article 371 of the Constitution of India.
Talks between the Centre, LAB and KDA had broken down after September 24, 2025 violence which took place during strike called by youth wing of the LAB seeking preponement of talks with the MHA which were scheduled for October 6. Four civilians were killed and many others were injured in the violence.
Both the Ladakh organizations (LAB and KDA) stayed away from the dialogue slated for October 6. However, they agreed for October 22 meeting only after the MHA ordered judicial inquiry into the violence headed by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court.
Prior to October 22, the talks between twin bodies and the MHA were held on May 27, 2025.
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