The struggle of Ladakh for protections to the union territory has found resonance in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre agreed for providing constitutional safeguards to the Ladakh leadership during their Friday talks.
Valley leaders say that the Ladakh struggle holds many lessons for the J&K leadership while some question why J&K was “being singled out & stripped of safeguards”.
National Conference leader and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Ruhullah Mehdi lashed out at his own party leadership for not being able to do what Ladakh leadership did.
Mehdi said that Ladakh development was a “slap” on the J&K leadership.
“In a small place like Ladakh where leadership can unite and fight for their rights, there is no excuse for the leadership here(J&K) . And it was only this fight which I have been asking the leadership here for the past 4-5 years, which they did not fight and the people of Ladakh showed how it is done,” Mehdi said.
“Ladakh has now been promised safeguards for land, jobs, culture, and local identity, exactly the kind of protections people of J&K have been demanding.The people of Jammu & Kashmir gave a clear mandate for these rights. The question is: when will that mandate be used for what it was truly given?,” he said.
The Centre on Friday, during a meeting of the Ladakh bodies and sub-committee of the Union home ministry, agreed on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards on the lines of Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram under Article 371.
Ladakh organisations like Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance have been mounting joint pressure for statehood and protections under sixth schedule including protests and meetings after the Centre had effectively abrogated Article 370 in 2019, which used to bestow special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and split the erstwhile state into two UTs – J&K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.
The region went into turmoil following the killing of four persons during protests on September 24 triggering the region into chaos with the administration imposing curfew and arresting dozens of persons including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the NSA. Wangchuk was ultimately released on March 14, after nearly six months of his incarceration.
People’s Democratic Party(PDP) MLA from Pulwama, Waheed Para said Ladakh holds lessons for J&K.
“What Ladakh achieved in 7 years, we failed to achieve in 70. A population of barely 3 lakh persuaded the Government of India, J&K couldn’t.There’s a lesson for Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.
Mehboob Beg, PDP spokesperson, pointed out the disparity between Ladakh and J&K.
Another PDP leader Yasir Reshi said that despite having representation in the Parliament, the (ruling) party has failed to articulate a coherent narrative or create any discourse on the “grave injustices meted out to the people of J&K—neither inside nor outside the Parliament.”
“Today, many political actors in J&K appear more inclined to please the BJP than to stand firmly for the rights, dignity, and constitutional identity of the people they claim to represent,” he said.
However, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that comparing the Ladakh scenario and Kashmir imbroglio was like comparing ‘sanctuary with a faultline’.
“In 2019, Leh got what it wanted and we woke up to what we feared. In these years they changed their mood and were pampered; we cried, hustled, reasoned and were booted down,” Dar said on X.
“Writing Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh does not make them the same, not in the eyes of @BJP4India. Their agenda was, is and perhaps will remain the same. Ruling Kashmir from New Delhi. This, despite the Supreme Court’s decision and everything else that the people of J&K made abundantly clear in 2024. Could it be because we are Muslims who refuse to bow down before a majoratarian communal mindset?,” he said.
