Sonam Wangchuk urges Centre to resume talks on Ladakh issues

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, released from the Jodhpur jail on March 14 after the revocation of the stringent National Security Act (NSA) by the Union Home Ministry, is apparently growing impatient in the absence of an announcement of the fresh schedule of talks.

A week after he visited Kargil, where he emphasised that the unity between regions like Leh and Kargil has given strength to the movement in support of their demands, including statehood for Ladakh and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region, Wangchuk Monday claimed Ladakh is hanging between trust and mistrust while it is awaiting resumption of the dialogue.

In a post on X, Wangchuk said, “Today marks exactly one month since the unconditional revocation of my detention under the NSA, 1980.

The revocation order gave us hope that the Centre was willing to correct past mistakes, as it spoke of “building mutual trust” for a “constructive and meaningful dialogue.” However, even after 2.5 months since the last dialogue on February 4, not even a date for the next round of talks has been announced”. Referring to the attempts being made to create division between Leh and Kargil, Wangchuk said in the same post on X, “On the ‘trust’ front, shady entities are using this gap to sow seeds of Leh- Kargil (Buddhist - Muslim) divide. As people in this sensitive border region grow disheartened and demoralised, I urge  PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to take timely measures, in national interest, to resolve the issues at the earliest”.

To foster better coordination and build trust between the Union Territory administration and local stakeholders, the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has been actively working to resolve long-pending grievances and address key public issues.