Srinagar, Oct 10: A high-level team from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is scheduled to visit Leh to meet leaders of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and other representatives of Ladakh for crucial talks on October 15, media reports said on Saturday.
According to media reports, three LAB members expected to attend the meeting are Lakruk, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and Ladakh Buddhist Association president Gelong Stanzin Dorjay.
The KDA will be represented by Sajjad Kargili, Asgar Ali Karbalai and Ghulam Rasool Naqvi.
They added that Hanifa Jan, Lok Sabha member from Ladakh, Thupstan Chhewang, former MP, Kargil Hill Development Council chairman Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon and Tashi Gyalson, former chairman Leh Hill Development Council are also expected to attend the meeting, among others.
Top bureaucrats of Ladakh besides the senior MHA officials will be attending the Sub-Committee meeting.Jammu Kashmir News
As per the sources, LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk said that they haven’t received any written invitation for talks but the Ladakh Chief Secretary (Ashish Kundra) has briefed them that the Sub-Committee meeting will be held on October 15 and the venue this time will be Leh instead of New Delhi.
Lakruk reiterated that they will be submitting replies to nine queries given to them by the MHA in last Sub Committee meeting held in New Delhi on September 9.
“We are ready with the replies finalized with the help of our legal advisor from New Delhi and we will hand over the document to the MHA officials,” the LAB chairman said
However, senior KDA leader Sajjad Kargili, when approached for expectations from the upcoming Sub-Committee meeting proposed to be held in Leh, said they are expecting draft of UT-level body from the Home Ministry officials.
“The draft should come from the MHA in the meeting for UT-level body with legislative, financial and executive powers,” Kargili said.
On response to MHA’s 9 queries, the KDA leader said since the proposal for UT-level elected body has come from the Home Ministry, they should submit the draft. There should be no delay in it, he added.
In September 9 Sub-Committee meeting in New Delhi, it was decided that there will be direct election to the UT-level body i.e. its representatives will be elected by the people and not by members of seven Autonomous Hill Development Councils.
Sources said the reponse to nine queries sought by the MHA from the LAB pertained only to limited issues and not all powers which the newly-elected UT-level body will have. In September 9 talks, the Ladakh bodies were also told that land, culture, heritage, forest, environment and natural resources will be under the UT-level elected body under Article 240.
In May 22 meeting held in New Delhi, the LAB and KDA reached an in-principle understanding with the Central Government on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing Constitutional safeguards on the lines of Article 371 A, F, and G and constitution of UT-level elected body with legislative, financial and executive powers.
Later, two more meetings were held by the MHA in Leh in which the issues pertaining to the UT-level body were discussed but the Home Ministry has so far not come out with broad contours of the body like its name, total number of seats, exact powers and other related issues.
The UT administration in Ladakh has already notified seven District Hill Development Councils. Previously, there were two Hill Councils-Leh and Kargil. The district Kargil presently has the elected Hill Council while the Leh Council had completed its term in October last year
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