Srinagar: Representatives of the Union Government are scheduled to meet leaders of the Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in Leh on July 2 to discuss issues that have emerged following the May 22 meeting between the two sides, sources said.
Sources told Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the Centre’s delegation is likely to be led by a senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The meeting will be informal, as formal discussions are held through the sub-committee and the High-Powered Committee constituted for Ladakh.
The fresh engagement comes after differences surfaced over the draft minutes of the May 22 sub-committee meeting in New Delhi.
LAB and KDA had alleged that the draft omitted key points discussed during the meeting, particularly those concerning the primacy of elected representatives over the bureaucracy in the proposed governance framework for Ladakh.
Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra had clarified that the document circulated was only a draft prepared to facilitate discussions and said any omissions could be brought to his notice for onward communication to the Government of India.
Following the May 22 meeting, LAB and KDA had claimed they had reached an in-principle understanding with the Centre on restoring democratic governance in Ladakh and providing constitutional safeguards on the lines of Article 371A, 371F and 371G.
According to the joint statement issued at the time, the proposed framework envisaged legislative, executive and financial powers being vested in an elected Union Territory-level legislative body, with all bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary, functioning under its executive authority.
