The Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra, on Saturday outlined the progress made in discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on constitutional safeguards and the proposed democratic framework for the Union Territory.
Referring to the ongoing dialogue concerning constitutional safeguards, the Chief Secretary described the successive meetings between Ladakh’s representatives and the MHA as constructive, with tangible progress towards addressing the aspirations of the people. Earlier, Ladakh-based representatives, who participated in the Sub-committee meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs, had expressed their dissatisfaction over a draft proposal on constitutional safeguards and a legislature for the Union Territory at the end of the October 15 meeting in Leh.
Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman Asgar Karbalai said the Ladakh representatives submitted detailed, point-by-point replies to a questionnaire and subsequently presented an MoU, after which the Home Ministry shared its draft proposal.
“We are totally dissatisfied with the presentation. It does not match our demands or what the people of Ladakh want,” Karbalai said.
He said the Home Ministry agreed to share the draft with the leadership of the KDA and the LAB, following which their legal experts would prepare a response and submit their draft by October 18.
The proposals will now be discussed at the next meeting in Delhi on October 22, Karbalai said.
Briefing media persons in Leh, the Chief Secretary informed that, following discussions on October 15, the MHA shared a detailed framework document with Ladakh’s representatives on October 16. The document proposes a two-stage approach involving a constitutional amendment and a subsequent regulation under Article 240 of the Constitution, with provisions envisaged for a directly elected Union Territory-level body and safeguards concerning land, natural resources, culture and other issues raised by the representatives.
He clarified that the document was intended to facilitate further discussion and was not the outcome of a concluded legislative process. The proposed constitutional provisions and the subsequent regulatory framework would require detailed examination and deliberation before being finalised.
The Chief Secretary said that several institutional questions remained open for consideration and examination, including the nomenclature and composition of the proposed body, the method of election, representation of women and underrepresented communities, nominated and ex-officio members, the authority responsible for conducting elections, delimitation of constituencies, electoral rolls, tenure and the relationship of the proposed body with existing institutions such as the LAHDCs, Panchayats and municipalities.
Reaffirming the Central Government’s commitment to the dialogue, the Chief Secretary said the objective was to arrive at a balanced and workable framework that reflects the democratic aspirations of the people while ensuring institutional clarity and taking into account its distinctive geographical, cultural and administrative circumstances through sustained dialogue and mutual understanding.
The Chief Secretary emphasised that these issues could not be settled unilaterally and required broad-based consensus among the leadership and stakeholders of Ladakh.
He urged all stakeholders to approach the process constructively and expressed hope that the remaining issues would be resolved through continued consultation in the coming weeks and months.