Exclusive: Sonam Wangchuk will be part of Ladakh talks today, Apex Body Leh tells Centre
This is the first time that Wangchuk, who was released after six months of preventive detention under the NSA in March, would be part of the dialogue process.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will be part of the Apex Body Leh delegation for talks with the Centre on Ladakh’s future, as leaders push for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections. (File Photo)
As talks between the Centre and representatives from Ladakh are scheduled for tomorrow (May 22), the Apex Body Leh (ABL) has informed the Centre that climate activist Sonam Wangchukwill be part of its delegation.
This is the first time that Wangchuk, who was released after six months of preventive detention under the National Security Act (NSA) in March, would be part of the dialogue process.
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Source said that the ABL has informed the Centre through Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra that the Leh body will be represented by three members – Chering Dorjay Lakrook, who is president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and co-chairman of the ABL; Dorjay Stanzin, president of the Ladakh Gonpa Association; and Wangchuk, an ABL member.
The ABL has also informed the Centre that the Leh body would bringalong its legal advisor, Vikram Hegde, for assistance and advice during the talks.
Sources say that Thupstan Chhewang, whose resignation as chairman of the ABL was accepted recently, will not be part of the Leh body.
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Chhewang had recently questioned the functioning of the Apex body, saying the talks between the Centre and the Ladakh representatives have hit a dead end. Chhewang, the former BJP parliament member from Ladakh, had also raised questions about the composition of the talks committee. Sources say he was upset about the growing clout of the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the representation given to Muslims in the Apex body.
Sources say that to address any grievances among Ladakh Buddhists, the ABL has decided to include Stanzin, a prominent Buddhist figure and president of the Gonpa Association, in the talks. Stanzin is also a member of the body.
While the ABL representatives are expected to arrive in the national capital on Thursday, the Kargil Democratic Alliance representatives have already arrived in New Delhi for the talks.
The KDA would be represented by its chairman, Asgar Karbalai, co-chairman, Sajad Hussain, and member, Ghulam Rasool.
“We have not received any agenda for the talks from the Centre, but our agenda is only statehood and the Sixth Schedule,” Hussain told The Indian Express. “For seven years now, the Centre has been pushing us to the wall and not taking us seriously. We want the talks to happen in a conducive atmosphere, and we are successful in putting our concerns. But it is also important that the Centre listens to the concerns of the people of Ladakh.”
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will be part of the Apex Body Leh delegation for talks with the Centre on Ladakh’s future, as leaders push for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections. (File Photo) 
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