Sixth Schedule for Ladakh in jeopardy as People’s Alliance takes Kargil on board
SRINAGAR: Kargil local leaders seem to have joined People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), planning for Leh to get a sixth schedule by Union Home Ministry as promised after the latest LAHDC elections.
People of Leh are waiting anxiously with their leaders for the central government’s announcement about “safeguarding their land and jobs” as the latest amendment to the land laws in Jammu and Kashmir has made them angry and anxious.
“We are almost part of the People’s Alliance and in future would be part of their meetings in Srinagar and other parts. We have never supported union territory status for Ladakh nor do we need a sixth schedule. We are for the re-unification of Ladakh with Kashmir ” said the main face of Kargil Democratic Alliance.
All the political forces along with religious and social organizations have come under this platform to fight for reunification with Srinagar and not to be ruled from Leh.
This open divide in union territory of Ladakh is not good news for the BJP leadership of Leh as the party already suffered some reverses in LAHDC elections. Now the Kargil leaders’ move has surely delayed the step to have any central law on the pattern of Bodo tribes.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with other leaders of People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration reached the people of Drass and Kargil and got a very warm welcome and response.
Omar said that they have come to Ladakh to know what people want and finally after consultations with all shades of opinion in entire Ladakh, a final decision would be taken on how to go ahead for a united fight to get back what has been snatched from the people of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehbooba Mufti in her tweet after the response in Kargil said, “Glad to see all of you at Kargil to engage with the people. High time someone reached out to them since they too have grave apprehensions about the future”.
Omar Abdullah was quoted as saying in Kargil, “We don’t want to talk about something in Srinagar or Jammu or in the Parliament and have a different situation on the ground.” He added that soon they will reach out to all people in entire Jammu and Kashmir in order to convey to the central government that we want the position of August 4, 2019, back.
Taking a dig at the centre, Omar Abdullah told people in Drass and Kargil that people of Jammu and Kashmir were not consulted either for bifurcation or to downgrade the state into two union territories. He described all these decisions as “illegal and unconstitutional” taken “without consulting the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
Reports from Leh and Kargil said that, Congress, PDP and National Conference have started consultations with all the influential leaders on in order to muster up support “so that people of Ladakh also become the part of the struggle launched by Kashmiri leadership to force the Union Government to roll back all the decisions of August 5, 2019.”
Talking to the media former lawmaker from Kargil Asgar Ali Karbalai said that they were now part of People’s Alliance and would be the part of a peaceful struggle to get back all the snatched rights.
According to reports, even the recently floated political platform headed by Thupstan Chhewang is waiting for the implementation of a promise by Amit Shah that he will give Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh Union Territory. “We also have a lot of fears about the real intentions of BJP in Leh. We are waiting and watching the situation. However, we will not take any decision in haste” one of the Congress leaders from Leh told this reporter while confirming that they were in touch with Kashmiri leadership.
Sunday Guardian
