Leh, Oct 19: Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman Sajjad Kargili on Monday questioned the Centre’s move to amend the legal framework governing the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), claiming that the changes were introduced without consulting local stakeholders.
Kargili said the decision raised doubts over the central government’s commitment to ongoing talks on Ladakh’s constitutional safeguards and political future.
On October 16, the Centre amended provisions governing the Councils through the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation.
Under the amended framework, published in the Gazette of India, the number of elected members in each Council will be determined by the Ladakh Administration, ranging from seven to 24. The administration may also nominate up to four members from among women and unrepresented communities, subject to the prescribed limit.
The regulation also makes the Ladakh MP an ex-officio member, places Council elections under the Union Territory’s State Election Commission, and provides for election disputes to be taken to the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“At a time when talks are ongoing to negotiate a settlement for Ladakh, including demands for constitutional status and stronger protections for the LAHDCs, it is deeply problematic that the government has chosen to make substantial changes to the composition, powers and functioning of these Councils without consulting the people and stakeholders of Ladakh,” the KDA leader said on X.
He said these changes directly affect the institutions through which local self-government is exercised, making consultation especially important when the future of Ladakh’s political and constitutional arrangements remains under discussion.
The KDA, along with the Leh Apex Body, is jointly spearheading an agitation in support of various demands, including constitutional safeguards and a Union Territory-level legislative assembly and governing body with meaningful legislative, executive, financial, and budgetary powers for Ladakh and have held several rounds of talks with the Centre since 2021.
“The government is effectively changing the institutional framework that these negotiations are meant to address, while giving the Union Territory Administration greater control over the composition and functioning of the Councils,” Kargili said.
“This raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to the ongoing dialogue and whether the eventual settlement will secure meaningful autonomy for Ladakh or leave its representative institutions subject to executive discretion,” he said.
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