Unrest mounts in Ladakh:
Centre’s silence testing public patience in Ladakh, warns KDA leadership
Syed Hashim
Kargil, Dec 6, KNT: Public unease is steadily growing across Ladakh due to continued delays and uncertainty by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the region’s four core constitutional demands, with Ladakhi leaders warning that the peaceful movement will continue until legitimate rights are granted.
While speaking to the news agency Kashmir News Trust, Kargil Democratic Alliance Co-Chairman Haji Asghar Ali Karbalai said the people of Ladakh have been engaged in a sustained and peaceful struggle for the past six years under the leadership of the Apex Body and the KDA. He asserted that the movement has always remained non-violent and has never posed any threat to national security, peace, or stability.
Karbalai said Ladakhi representatives had made it clear from the outset that dialogue was the only acceptable path forward. However, he added, persistent neglect and repeated breaches of assurances by the Central government had forced people to resort to protests, sit-ins and agitations to make their voices heard.
Expressing concern over what he described as a half-hearted approach towards reservation and employment, Karbalai said government notifications on reservation, domicile and recruitment had not been fully implemented on the ground. He pointed out that despite an announcement of 95 percent reservation, effective implementation was lacking in colleges and universities. He further said outsourcing and contract systems continued for gazetted posts, a practice he termed unacceptable, particularly in the higher education sector. With unemployment at alarming levels in Ladakh, he said the concerns of educated youth were not being addressed with the seriousness they deserved.
Referring to September 24 as a black day in Ladakh’s history, Karbalai said four youths were killed, over 90 injured and more than 70 arrested on that day. He alleged that several innocent individuals remain in jail. He also expressed anguish over the detention of Sonam Wangchuk under the NSA, noting that the educationist and environmentalist has been in custody for over 100 days despite decades of service to society.
Karbalai said the Apex Body and KDA had, in their very first meeting with the government, demanded the unconditional release of all detainees, including Sonam Wangchuk, along with dignified and adequate compensation for the families of those killed and the injured. He maintained that unrest in Ladakh would persist until these demands were met.
He further said that after September 24, the government had sought a joint written draft from the Apex Body and KDA on Sixth Schedule status and statehood, which was submitted within the stipulated timeframe. However, despite assurances that another meeting would be held within three days, no further talks have taken place even after one and a half months.
Describing the government’s silence as a serious test of public patience, Karbalai warned against any assumption that the people of Ladakh could be subdued. He also alleged attempts by certain elements to create divisions between Buddhists and Muslims, and between Kargil and Leh, urging locals to remain united against any conspiracy aimed at weakening Ladakh’s collective voice.
Karbalai said the people of Ladakh would continue their peaceful movement until their constitutional and lawful rights are secured. [KNT]
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