Ladakh outfits hold protest in Jammu, press for statehood

Jammu, January 15

A protest was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in Jammu, demanding statehood, on Sunday. The protesters from Leh and Kargil said the Central Government had formed a committee recently that did not include members recommended by them. They demanded statehood, constitutional safeguard for land and jobs, formation of a public service commission and creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil district.

KDA leader Sajjad Kargili, during the protest at Press Club in Jammu, said the demands had already been communicated to the Central Government. He said it was for the first time that people from both Kargil and Leh had come together over a political issue.

Both the groups have decided to hold another protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in the coming weeks. “Until the demands are met, protests by the KDA as well as the LAB will continue in Jammu and Delhi,” said Jigmet Paljor, a member of the LAB.

“We have decided to stay away from the high-powered committee constituted recently by the ministry of home affairs as the government ignored our four-point agenda and also paid no heed to our suggestion about the composition of the panel,” former MP and apex body chairman Thupstan Chhewang said.

Flanked by his deputy Tsering Dorjey Lakruk, KDA co-chairpersons Qamar Ali Akhoon and Asgar Ali Karbalai besides others said they were not against the dialogue with the government on the issues concerning the people of Ladakh.

Former minister Karbalai said they had been peacefully agitating for their four-point agenda, which also include the creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil districts, recruitment and job reservation for the youth of Ladakh along with creation of a public service commission.

Dorjay, also a former minister, said the entire population of Ladakh is with them. (With PTI inputs)