The Centre has agreed to resume talks with representatives of Ladakh on May 22, according to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. The announcement comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Ladakh on April 30-1 to pay respects to the Holy Relics of the Lord Buddha.
The talks will be a continuation of the sub-committee for political dialogue formed after a meeting between the High Powered Committee and a 14-member delegation of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on February 19, 2024.
The LAB and KDA have been demanding statehood and inclusion under the sixth schedule for Ladakh since 2021. The region became a Union Territory on October 31, 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370. Protests demanding the sixth schedule have rocked the UT and had echoes in Delhi.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) in September last year, but was released last month to facilitate 'constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.'
