As Leh calls for Legislature, Kargil wants Statehood
No BJP leader among invitees
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 26: The Union Home Ministry today invited an 11 members delegation of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a conglomerate of several political, religious, social and student organizations of Kargil district, for talks on their issues in New Delhi at 11 am on July 1.
The meeting will be chaired by Union Minister of State for Home GK Reddy.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has already held preliminary round of discussions with the Leh Apex Body, which is also joint forum of several organizations and after meeting the KDA on July 1, it was expected to call joint meeting of Leh and Kargil representatives to take decision on their demands.
Eleven representatives of the KDA, who have been invited by the MHA for talks, include Feroz Khan, Chairman-cum-Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil, Qamar Ali Akhoon, former Minister and prominent National Conference leader, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie, former MLA and Congress leader, Sajjad Kargili, representative of Islamiya School Kargil (ISK), who had contested 2019 Lok Sabha election as an Independent candidate, Sheikh Bashir, who represents Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT), Aga Mohammad Shah, representative of Noorbaksha, a religious organization, Shah Nawaz, who represents Ahle Sunnat-ul-Jamaat, Zakir Hussain of Student Education Movement of Kargil, Haji Haniefa Jan, district president National Conference, Nasir Hussain Munshi, district president Congress and Syed Ahmad Rizvi, Anjuman Suheb-Zamia.
However, there is no BJP leader in 11 leaders invited by the Union Home Ministry for talks in New Delhi.
Official sources explained that since the BJP had refused to become part of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, they didn’t find place in the 11 members delegation called by the MHA for talks on the issues of Kargil. The BJP hadn’t joined KDA as the latter had demanded restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A to Ladakh, a demand to which the BJP is stoutly opposed.
Only today, Excelsior had exclusively reported that after talks with Jammu and Kashmir political parties, the Home Ministry is set to call Ladakh representatives for dialogue shortly.
Meanwhile, the KDA today shifted its stand from restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A to grant of full-fledged Statehood to Ladakh.
“We oppose abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A, but since the matter is sub-judice, it may take years for the Apex Court to deliver verdict. Till then, the KDA has decided to demand full-fledged Statehood for Ladakh in the meeting with the Ministry of Homes Affairs,” KDA Secretary Nasir Munshi, who is one of the invitees to the meeting, said.
The KDA has also accepted the invitation of Leh Apex Body for floating joint platform for talks with the Home Ministry.
Sources said the KDA has received an invitation for talks from the Leh Apex Body. However, since the Ministry of Home Affairs has invited the KDA constituents for dialogue on July 1, the Kargil representatives have decided to visit Leh for talks with the Apex Body after meeting with the Union Minister of State for Home.
The demands of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance are now different.
While the Leh Apex Body has decided to raise the demand for Ladakh as Union Territory with Legislature, the Kargil Democratic Alliance today supported full-fledged Statehood for Ladakh.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Kargil, KDA co-chairman Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie said: “We have received an invitation for the talks. We are 11 parties in the Kargil Democratic Alliance. We have been invited for a meeting with Minister of State for Home GK Reddy and we are going”.
He said the KDA’s first demand would be the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A. “However, if they say the issue is pending before the Supreme Court of India, then we will be asking for full-fledged Statehood for Ladakh,” he added.
Karbalaie said injustice has been done with the region with the dismembering of J&K State and bifurcating J&K into two Union Territories.
“And we will also brief the Minister how we are suffering in the Union Territory,” he added.
The MHA talks offer to KDA comes couple of days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah held talks with 14 political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi and assured fast-paced delimitation process followed by elections and restoration of Statehood.
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