The story so far: In January this year, Ladakh’s two key socio-political conglomerates, the Leh Apex Body (LAB), representing several Buddhist religious and political parties, and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing Muslim religious groups and local parties, submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as part of an ongoing dialogue between the Centre and the newly-carved Union Territory over a series of fresh demands from the region. These demands include extending the territorial control of Ladakh up to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
What is the current status of Ladakh?
Ladakh, spread over 59,146 square kilometres, was a part of the Kashmir division of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. It was carved out as one of the Union Territories, the other being J&K, out of the State on August 5, 2019, as the Centre ended the special constitutional position of the region provided to it under Article 370. However, unlike the UT of J&K, Ladakh does not have a legislature. But it has two elected hill councils, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC) and LAHDC-Leh. They run micro governance issues of the region with a population of 2.74 lakh (2011 census). Ladakh is a Muslim-majority UT, with the Leh district dominated by Buddhists and Kargil by Shia Muslims. The region witnessed a divided reaction to the Centre’s moves to abrogate Article 370 and 35A, provisions that granted exclusive rights to locals over land, jobs and natural resources. Leh for many decades, supported the demand for UT status. However, Kargil, after the events of 2019, has been insisting on reunification with Kashmir.
