After Leh apex body pulls out, Kargil says ‘no Ladakh talks with Centre till Sonam Wangchuk is released’

He also demanded a judicial inquiry into the September 24 firing by the security forces during a shutdown in Leh.

“KDA dismisses all allegations of the UT administration and MHA, and we want to tell them that Sonam Wangchuk, who is a hero of the country, should be immediately released,” PTI quoted Karbalai as saying. He also condemned Ladakhis being tagged “anti-nationals” by certain groups of people. “We want to tell the government of India we don’t need a certificate from anyone. We have sacrificed our lives for the country. Stop portraying Ladakhis as anti-national,” he said.

Informal talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were scheduled for Tuesday, and scheduled discussions on October 6. In an interview with The Indian Express on Monday, KDA member Sajjad Kargili had said its stand on the talks “is the same” as the ABL.

Both groups have statehood for Ladakh and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule at the core of their demands related to the Union Territory. “They have decided against participating in the negotiations, and the announcement is likely today,” a source said. Kargili is likely to address a press conference where the decision to throw its weight behind the ABL would be announced, as per sources.

ABL chairman Thupstan Chhewang had on Monday announced that there would be no engagement on its part with the Centre till the time that “peace and normalcy are restored” in Ladakh.

Following the ABL’s announcement, the MHA had, in a statement, said that the government had “always been open for dialogues on Ladakh matters” with both bodies and would “continue to welcome the discussion with ABL and KDA through the HPC [high-powered committee] on Ladakh or any such platform”.

The dialogue mechanism established with the ABL and KDA through a dedicated HPC on Ladakh, it added, “has yielded good results till date in the form of increased reservations to the Scheduled Tribes of Ladakh, providing women reservation in LAHDCs and protection to local languages. The process of recruitment for 1800 posts in government has already commenced in UT of Ladakh.”

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