KARGIL: Today, Sajjad Kargili, head of the Political Affairs division of Jamiat Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil, held a press conference to strongly condemn the recent crackdown on peaceful protestors in Delhi. He criticized the continued suppression of voices demanding justice and political rights for the people of the region, warning that “all is not well in Ladakh.”
In his address, Kargili emphasized that Ladakh has been consistently deprived of its fundamental political rights since its bifurcation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. “We have been left without statehood, without our constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule, and without the autonomy to control our own future,” he said. “This deprivation is unacceptable.”
Kargili expressed the frustration of the Ladakhi people at the lack of a separate public service commission for the region, stating that no single Ladakhi has been recruited into government services since the formation of the Union Territory. “We want our own cadre and public service commission, tailored to the needs and aspirations of the people of Ladakh. The imposition of the DANICS cadre, which has no roots in Ladakh, is a clear reflection of the central government’s neglect of our local governance.”
He rejected the idea of continuing as a Union Territory and emphasized the demand for statehood, asserting that the people of Ladakh should have control over their own administration and future. “The imposition of the UT status has failed to address our problems. It is time for the government to recognize that the people of Ladakh reject the current setup and demand political empowerment through statehood and constitutional protections,” Kargili added.
The crackdown on peaceful protestors, Kargili said, is a grave injustice and further proof that the concerns of Ladakh are being ignored. He called for immediate cessation of such actions and reiterated that the people of Ladakh will continue to peacefully resist until their demands are met.
Kargili concluded by calling on the government to restore Ladakh’s political rights and warned that failure to do so would only deepen the growing discontent among the region’s people.