Ladakh delegation meets Uttar Pradesh LoP, seeks support for constitutional safeguards

Lucknow, Oct 7 (PTI) A delegation from Ladakh met Uttar Pradesh Assembly Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey here on Tuesday to seek political support for its demand for statehood for the Union Territory.

The delegation comprised members of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Socialist Party (India).

Addressing a press conference later at the Press Club here, KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said that the people of Ladakh have been peacefully fighting for their constitutional rights for the past four years and they vow to continue the movement until their demands are met.

Socialist Party general secretary Sandeep Pandey said the delegation would meet Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday.

Pandey was part of a delegation fronted by National Alliance Of People's Movement (NAPM) and Hum Bharat Ke Log, which had visited Ladakh during climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's agitation for more freedom for Ladakh.

Socialist Party leader Mohd Shoib, and former Uttar Pradesh minister Moid Ahmed, were also at the press conference.

The visiting delegation, in a statement, strongly criticised the government crackdown on the protesters last month.

They condemned the detention of Wangchuk, and others, and the firing at protesters in Leh on September 24 that left four people dead.

The delegation demanded that the Centre immediately accept the key demands of Ladakh's people.

The outfits have been demanding inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect its tribal character, full statehood to ensure democratic representation through an elected assembly, and the establishment of a separate public service commission for local recruitment.

They also seek the creation of two parliamentary constituencies, Leh and Kargil, given the vast geographical spread and the absence of Rajya Sabha representation.

The delegation demanded an immediate release of all those detained during the protests and the withdrawal of cases against them.

It also sought a high-level judicial probe into the September 24 firing, which it termed a "matter of national shame," especially the killing of a 1999 Kargil War veteran. PTI MAN KIS VN VN