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Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 3: Cutting across their political affiliations, the leaders of all political parties and other organizations today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh as one delegation and projected only one demand i.e. the grant of Union Territory (UT) status for Ladakh, which they had first raised in 1989.
Instead of meeting separately, the all political parties of Ladakh including BJP, Congress, PDP, NC, sitting Minister Chering Dorjey, sitting Chairman-cum-CEC of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Dr Sonam Dawa and heads of religious and other organizations from both Buddhist and Muslim communities, met collectively to the Union Home Minister, who was joined by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and projected the demand of UT status to Ladakh with Legislature.
In 2002 Assembly elections also, Leh district had displayed extraordinary unity and sent both MLAs (Rigzin Jora and Sonam Wangchuk) unopposed as their representatives from Leh and Nobra constituencies respectively on the mandate of Leh Union Territory Front (LUTF).
Official sources told the Excelsior that the demand was placed when local heads of around 15 political parties, religious communities and civil society groups meet the Home Minister, who reached Leh this morning on two-day visit to Ladakh. He will visit Kargil tomorrow before returning to New Delhi.
The Home Minister said he saw the real unity in diversity among the people of Ladakh and the entire country was proud of the people and the region as they were maintaining cordial relations among different communities, an official handout issued by the Home Ministry said.
It said Rajnath Singh appreciated the people of Ladakh for being true and staunch nationalists and standing shoulder to shoulder with the Army and security forces in defending the country from both external and internal threats.
The delegation comprised Ladakh Affair Minister Chhering Dorjay (BJP), Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhewang (BJP), Leh MLA Nawang Rigzin Jora (Congress), Nobra MLA Deldan Namgyal (Congress), LAHDC, Leh CEC Dr Sonam Dawa Lonpo (BJP), District Congress Committee president Tsering Samphel, BJP president Tsewang Gonbo, PDP president Advocate Tashi Gyalson, NC president Sonam Wangdus, LBA president Tsewang Thinles, Anjuman Moin Ul Islam president Sheikh Saif Ud-Din, Anjuman Imamiya president Asharf Ali, Christian Association president Dechen Chamga and Sufia Noorbaksh Leh president Ghulam Mohammad among others.
In their memorandum, the delegation members said: “given the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, all of us are committed to realization of long standing demand for grant of Union Territory status to Ladakh. We are committed to realization of this long standing demand and appeal to the Government of India in one voice to consider our demand for grant of the UT status with legislature for Ladakh”.
Sources said Rajnath Singh also reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir with State Government officials who briefed him on the prevailing law-and-order situation in the State and on the position of supply of essential commodities as well as the movement of trucks carrying fruits to various parts of the country.
The Home Minister will visit Kargil tomorrow.
Earlier, asked about his trip to Ladakh, Singh told reporters that he has come to understand the problems of the region by interacting with a cross section of people.
“Whatever problems the people face here, we will try to resolve them,” he said.
This is Singh’s fourth visit to Jammu and Kashmir ever since the unrest began in the State following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.
Singh had led an All Party Delegation to Srinagar and Jammu on September 4-5.
The leaders of various political parties met over 400 people who came in 50 different delegations representing various sections of society in Srinagar and Jammu.
Earlier, the Home Minister had visited Srinagar on August 24-25 and July 23-24. Singh was accompanied by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officials.
Rajnath Singh said that security forces were giving a “befitting reply” to such attempts by Pakistan-based terrorist groups.
“Our security forces are giving a befitting reply,” he told reporters when asked about the attacks on security forces by militants in the State.
Singh’s comments came hours after a BSF and adjoining Army camps in Baramulla were attacked by heavily armed militants last night.
The Home Minister is on a two-day visit to Leh and Kargil to interact with a cross-section of people and take their suggestions on resolution of Kashmir issue.
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