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Days after agitating groups in Ladakh observed a bandh across the Union Territory to protest the Union Government’s alleged delay in implementing the decisions taken at the May 22 meeting, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will hold a crucial preliminary meeting with representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in Leh on Thursday.

The meeting will be held to finalise the decisions taken during the May 22 meeting, including the modalities of the broad understanding reached between Ladakh’s leaders and the Centre on a new administrative and political framework for the Union Territory.

Reports said the meeting will be attended by the additional home secretary and other senior MHA officials, while the LAB and KDA are expected to be represented by their top leadership.

According to reports, the discussions are likely to focus on giving shape to the broad understanding reached during the MHA subcommittee meeting held in New Delhi on May 22. During that meeting, both sides reportedly agreed in principle that legislative, executive, and financial powers should be vested in elected representatives of Ladakh through a Union Territory-level elected body.

Reports further suggested that the central team is also likely to gather ground-level feedback from stakeholders before finalising its draft document on the proposed UT-level elected body, constitutional safeguards, and the creation of seven district autonomous councils.

The meeting is also expected to deliberate on the contours of the proposed arrangement and chart a roadmap for implementing the agreed framework.

“Fruitful” meeting held on May 22

As reported earlier, during the May 22 meeting, the agitating groups from Ladakh reached an in-principle understanding with the Government of India on restoring democratic governance in the Union Territory and providing constitutional safeguards on the lines of Article 371 provisions applicable to states such as Nagaland, Sikkim, and Mizoram.

The understanding was reached during a meeting of a subcommittee comprising senior representatives of the LAB, KDA, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which deliberated on the future administrative and political framework of Ladakh.

“Things will be worked out in due course of time, but one thing is clear: we have reached a consensus on having a Union Territory with a legislature,” Chhering Dorjey, co-convenor of the Leh Apex Body, had told The International Business Times shortly after the May 22 meeting.

The joint press note issued by the LAB and KDA after the meeting indicated that the Centre and the protesting groups had reached a broad consensus on ending the prolonged agitation.

During the meeting, both the LAB and KDA reiterated the long-standing aspirations of the people of Ladakh regarding the restoration of democracy, constitutional safeguards, and the demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections, reflecting the shared commitment of all stakeholders towards an inclusive and sustainable governance framework for the region.

Bandh observed in Ladakh on June 23 against Union Government’s “delay tactics”

On June 23, a complete shutdown was observed across Ladakh in response to a joint call given by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) against what they termed the Union Government’s “delay tactics” in granting constitutional safeguards to the residents of the mountainous region.

The bandh disrupted normal life across Ladakh as a large number of people participated in rallies demanding the implementation of the decisions taken during the May 22 meeting.

Shops, businesses, commercial establishments, and private institutions remained closed in most parts of the Union Territory, including Leh and Kargil, in response to the bandh call.

However, transport services, which had been exempted from the strike due to the ongoing tourism season, continued to operate normally.

The two groups accused the government of widening the “trust deficit” by failing to incorporate key understandings reached during the May 22 talks into the official Minutes of Meeting (MoM).

They also criticised the administration led by the lieutenant governor, alleging that decisions on issues such as liquor policy, land, power, transport, and tourism had been taken without consulting the local population.

The LAB and KDA have jointly spearheaded a campaign seeking statehood for Ladakh and the extension of constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. The groups have held several rounds of talks with the government since 2021.

LAB and KDA leaders have claimed that the May 22 discussions covered a proposed democratic framework for Ladakh with legislative, executive, and financial powers, along with constitutional safeguards through a proposed Article 371-K.