Srinagar, May 23 (UNI) Member of Parliament from Srinagar and National Conference’s disgruntled leader Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday termed the “breakthrough” between Ladakh’s civil society groups and the union Government a “slap on the face” of the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the people of Ladakh had demonstrated how rights could be secured through sustained struggle.
Ladakh was carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and made a separate union Territory in August 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the former state into two union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh
Reacting to reports that the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) had reached an “in-principle” understanding with the Centre on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards, MP Ruhullah said the achievement exposed the failure of J&K’s leadership to fight for the rights of its people.
“This is a slap on the face of the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir. If the leadership of a small region like Ladakh can fight against the Government of India and secure their rights, then there is no reason why the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir cannot do the same,” Ruhullah told reporters.
He added that he had been raising the issue for the last several years and accusing the mainstream leadership in J&K of failing to put up a serious political struggle.
“This is what I have been saying for the last five to six years — that the leadership of Jammu and Kashmir is not fighting. The people of Ladakh have shown us how to fight,” he said.
The remarks came after LAB and KDA announced that they reached an In-Principle Understanding with the Government of India on restoring democracy in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards on the lines of article 371 A, F, and G (as applied to Nagaland, Sikkim and Mizoram).
The two Ladakh-based bodies have been engaged in talks with the union Government since 2021 over their four-point agenda, which includes statehood for Ladakh, safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil, and a dedicated public service commission for the union Territory.
