2 days after ‘deal’ with Centre, Ladakh representative says nothing final so far

SRINAGAR: Two days after claiming that the Centre had in principle agreed to grant Ladakh Union Territory a legislative assembly, a CM and constitutional safeguards similar to Article 371, a key Ladakh representative Sunday said “no final agreement or concrete outcome has been reached as yet”.“Discussions are still underway,” Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman Sajjad Kargili said in a statement. “We had shared our draft proposals demanding statehood and sixth schedule safeguards, and the govt has now responded with certain suggestions. It is expected to come up with a formal draft before the next meeting,” said Kargili, who was part of Friday’s talks held in New Delhi with a Union home ministry sub-committee.He said once the draft is received from the MHA, they will hold detailed consultations with constitutional and legal experts, along with other Ladakh representatives.After Friday’s talks, Leh Apex Body (LAB) and KDA members had claimed assurances from the Centre on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards on the lines of Article 371 A, F, and G (s applied to Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram).According to LAB and KDA, the Centre told them the only reason why Ladakh cannot be made a state now is that it lacks adequate revenues to meet basic expenses like staff salaries. However, they said, the new model will lead Ladakh towards full statehood after it meets the revenue criteria.MHA had formed a committee on Jan 2, 2023, led by junior minister Nityanand Rai, to address key issues of Ladakh. Since then, several rounds of talks have been held.The process stopped after four people were killed and over 80 injured in alleged police firing on protesters in Leh demanding statehood on Sept 24, 2025.Sonam Wangchuk, LAB member and environmentalist, was accused of inciting the protesters. He was arrested, charged under NSA and kept in Jodhpur jail.The Centre revoked his NSA detention in March this year.After his release, Wangchuk has pressed for such talks. He was part of Friday’s talks with the Centre.