Kargil, Leh to fight for special status, culture protection jointly

Srinagar: For the first time, the joint leaderships of Leh and Kargil talked together in detail and decided to fight jointly for special status and for the preservation of culture and environment in the Ladakh region, as the Central government has yet to extend any laws to this Union territory so far. One of the senior leaders of Kargil democratic alliance, an umbrella of all political parties and religious organisations, told this newspaper that in the first meeting, they have agreed to fight jointly for the preservation of Ladakh identity. Qamar Ali Akhoon, former minister and senior leader of the Kargil democratic alliance, said, “Instead of a sixth schedule, Ladakh should get statehood and it will give us a chief minister of our own and we will legislate the laws for our identity. We are also for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A and in case of the sixth schedule, we will be with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and not with Leh.”
Asked how the first meeting was held, he said that both people’s movement for the sixth schedule, from Leh and democratic alliance of Kargil, in the most cordial atmosphere, talked to each other to understand what could be the common goal.
“After the meeting, we agreed to fight jointly against any move of the Central government to disempower people of Ladakh by any extension of law from the Centre, especially about the purchase of land,” Akhoon said.
The local unit of the BJP from Ladakh is the part of People’s Movement of Sixth Schedule formed by all political and religious groups in Leh to get Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh region. It has in it the most visible face of Leh Thupstan Chhewang who has been an MP and BJP leader before he resigned from both posts. The Kargil Democratic Alliance has been protesting and opposing the revocation of Article 370 and has also given their affirmation to PAGD that they would be the part of any resistance in the future for its restoration.
Asgar Ali Karbalai, co-chairman of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, told the media recently after the meeting on Wednesday with the Leh leadership, that they will continue to meet and try to jointly fight for the rights of people living in Ladakh region.
Thupstan Chhewang said that they will hold more such meetings in the future so that the interests of people of Ladakh could be safeguarded from any “onslaught” from the Centre.