Legal provisions being scrutinized minutely
HPC meet may take some more time
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 28: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to take some time to study 29-page document submitted jointly by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on its core demands including Statehood and Sixth Schedule status. The MHA will call representatives of both the bodies for talks only after it firms up its stance on the demands mentioned in the exhaustive document.
Initially, the MHA representatives had sounded the LAB and KDA that the High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai will be called within couple of days of the submission of their document. However, since the document was quite lengthy and the twin bodies of Ladakh had also submitted legal points on grant of Statehood and Sixth Schedule, the MHA officials have conveyed to the bodies that it will take time to go into them.
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Sources told the Excelsior that officials of the MHA especially those dealing with Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh desk have conveyed to some of the representatives of LAB and KDA that they will take time to go into details of the 29-page comprehensive document of the two bodies before reacting and calling the next meeting.
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. The legal provisions mentioned by the two bodies have to be studied minutely by the Home Ministry officials, the sources said.
However, there is reportedly consensus among the Apex Body and KDA leaders that the Union Home Ministry should be given some time to properly study their document, react and call next meeting, the sources said, adding since it was detailed document the two bodies don’t want to act in haste and are ready to wait for the MHA’s decision.
However, there was no official reaction from the LAB and KDA.
The Sub Committee meeting of the MHA was held on October 22 and both the bodies were satisfied with outcome of the meeting saying the Home Ministry officials appear to be positive on the issues faced by Ladakh. While the Sub Committee comprised the MHA and the UT Ladakh administration officials, three members each of LAB and KDA, Ladakh MP and Chairpersons of the Hill Council, the next meeting scheduled to be held was that of the HPC headed by Nityanand Rai.
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.
The LAB and KDA also submitted The State of Ladakh Act, 2025 along with the document seeking a 30-member Assembly for the proposed State of Ladakh , out of which, 28 will be reserved for the members of Scheduled Tribes (STs) of Ladakh i.e. the local people. It also sought two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh.
It proposed Autonomous District Council for each district of the State of Ladakh instead of present Hill Development Councils.
Last meeting of the Sub Committee attended by top MHA and UT Ladakh administration officials, representatives of LAB and KDA, Ladakh MP and CECs-cum-Chairpersons of Leh and Kargil Hill Councils was held on October 22 in New Delhi. The dialogue had resumed after nearly five months as the previous meeting was held on May 27.
The MHA had sought detailed document from the LAB and KDA listing their demands before next meeting.
Talks between the Centre, LAB and KDA had broken down after September 24 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.
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