Himalaya Niti Abhiyan urges all social and political groups to support Ladakh’s peaceful democratic movement

The Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, through its President Kulbhushan Upmanyu and Convener Guman Singh, appeals to you for your support for the non-violent movement that has been ongoing in Ladakh for the past five years. The justified demands of the people, who have been engaged in a peaceful agitation for such a long period, have been kept pending for several years. Recently, due to the deteriorating health of people on a hunger strike and as an expression of anger, some youth were involved in unpleasant incidents. We appreciate Sonam Wangchuk’s appeal to stop the violence in Ladakh and express hope that the youth will heed his appeal and keep the movement peaceful. We condemn the local administration and the central government for carelessly aggravating this issue, which could be resolved through dialogue, with their negligent attitude. It is the government’s duty to not let a non-violent movement become violent by delaying its resolution.

The people’s movement for fulfilling democratic aspirations, including inclusion of the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, employment, and restoration of the people’s representative system in Ladakh, is justified. To get their demands accepted, the agitating Ladakhis, under the leadership of Sonam Wangchuk, attempted to make their point last year by undertaking a foot march from Ladakh to Delhi for almost a month. Why is the matter being delayed, forcing the people to resort to agitation repeatedly? It is evident that the government is failing to establish dialogue with the people of Ladakh, which is why the people repeatedly have to adopt the path of agitation. The government’s actions against Sonam Wangchuk, using investigative agencies and initiating proceedings to take back the land allotted to the university run by him, are condemnable.

We demand that the government immediately initiate talks with the struggling people of Ladakh regarding all four key demands of the movement and find a just solution in the interest of Ladakh and the nation.

The main demands of the movement are: Ladakh be granted full statehood; it be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to strengthen local decision-making power over resources; two seats be allotted in the Lok Sabha; and priority be given to local residents in jobs. All these demands are justified. In the national interest, the central government should not allow the sentiment to develop among people in this frontier region that no one is listening to them. The people of Ladakh have always been committed to national security. If democratic power comes into their hands, they will only work for the nation’s good. Strongly condemning incidents like firing, we demand that immediate peace efforts be activated to restore peace and that the people’s voice be heard. People feel threatened by unscientific techniques and greedy processes in the exploitation of local resources. The handing over of the extraction of solar energy and rare earth minerals mostly to big capitalist companies poses a danger of over-exploitation and, in the absence of local control, threatens to harm the local environment and local economic interests. A common understanding should be built on these issues, and decisions should be made in the interest of Ladakh and the nation. Protecting Ladakh’s environment or glaciers is a paramount national interest. In this era of climate change, when the entire Western Himalaya is already in the grip of natural disasters, there is a need to listen to Ladakh’s voice seriously. The government’s negligence in resolving the issues of this sensitive region, surrounded by two hostile neighbors, could prove costly for the country.