The Ladakh Apex Body has warned that it will intensify its agitation if the central government does not show “concrete” progress on its demands during talks scheduled for September 9 in Delhi. A sub-committee is set to meet Ministry of Home Affairs officials that day. Ahead of the meeting, the body called off a planned Kargil-to-Leh peace march to create space for negotiation, though leaders emphasized the decision does not signal a softened position.
The body’s central demands include a detailed government draft for a proposed Ladakh legislative assembly with specific powers, and the complete withdrawal of criminal cases filed against protesters after unrest and deaths in Leh last September. An activist stated that the decision to defer the march reflects cautious optimism, but future escalation depends entirely on the government’s offers at the upcoming talks.
The movement stems from Ladakh becoming a Union Territory without a legislature following the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir. Groups from Leh and Kargil have since pushed jointly for statehood, Sixth Schedule protections, and local control over land and jobs. Previous talks have produced incremental commitments without resolving the core demand for a legislature.