It;s also litmus test for Ladakh leadership
JK News Today Commentary
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared at a media conclave in Patna that the Centre is open to discussing all the issues of Ladakh and take an early decision on their genuine demands, his ministry invited Ladakh leaders for talks in Delhi on October 22. The invite was sent on October 19 and the Ladakh leaders responded positively, saying that they would take part in the dialogue process.
This may look like resumption of the talks which got deferred due to the unfortunate incidents of violence on September 24 when four young men died and several others, including police and CRPF personnel, injured, but it is continuation of the talks which were earlier scheduled to be held on October 6. The Centre was on the course, the violence initiated and instigated by few consumed the course of dialogue. The loss of the days in talks and the progress that it could have made had September 24 not happened can easily be blamed on those super-ambitious people.
Home Minister’s assurance on genuine demands which was followed by an invitation for talks to Ladakh leaders has generated a positive mood among the people. They have understood that the loss of September 24 has not only resulted in the loss of lives and property but also dented their image as peaceful people of the land of peace. Now it is for Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance leaders to carry forward the hope of the people. They have to present their case effectively on the realistic issues.
The talks are talks and these become more fruitful when the element of agitation and the threat of doing something more than peaceful sit-ins, hunger strikes and marches are kept out of it. The coercive protest always consumes ideas and the path forward because that is pressure tactics of forcing something which may be completely out of place.
Ladakh people know that the talks without any physical violence suit their nature and culture. They have come to understand that the September 24 did not make a point but caused damage to their cause in pursuit of their actual demands. So they believe that talks without any overdue pressure would help them achieve a respect for their demands and their resolution.
There is a feeling that Home Minister Amit Shah who had announced UT status for Ladakh, which met their 70-year –long demand in August 2019, always honours his word. Ladakhis were promised that they would be given UT status after doing away with the Article 370 about which they had serious reservations… The promise made in 2014 was honoured in 2019. The underlined idea is that the Centre of the day is quite sensitive toward their demands, and after due process things are delivered without any delay.
The people of the region have started distinguishing between achievable and not possible. The region is having huge area of over 59,000 Sq. KMs. Some have floated the idea of statehood for the region on this basis, is that really possible. Many sensible sections of population know that this is something which is not achievable because it is fraught with adverse situations. The region’s population is very low and its terrain cannot be managed by the State. It is better to leave it to the Union government to manage the affairs- the region borders Pakistan, PoK, China and AGPL in Siachen glacier.
Advocates of statehood for Ladakh give an example of Sikkim, a hilly region that became part of India on May 16, 1975 following a referendum abolishing monarchy. There is a difference between the two situations. Sikkim was not part of Independent India until 1975, whereas Ladakh, part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, became part of the country following accession of the state with India in October 1947. There is a huge difference between the two situations.
Sikkim had to be given the statehood because it had to be rewarded for coming to India after referendum. Politically, geographically Ladakh has been part of the country. It aspired for UT status and that was given to it and now the erstwhile UT supporters are asking for something more. They should be happy that the Centre is welcoming them back to talks with an open mind.
The Centre, however, needs to take a holistic view of the situation – the region, its geography and aspirations of the population, especially of the villages in the border areas. The border villages need economic activity and resources to sustain themselves. It needs a special study, because not only to present a first line of defence against adversaries’ designs but also to give them confidence that they are being taken care of. The migration of the villagers from these border areas should be checked and resources created within to sustain them in the land of their ancestors.
