The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has said that they will go on a three-day hunger strike beginning on August 9 to press for its longstanding demands, including inclusion under the sixth schedule, job reservation in Ladakh and the extension of statehood.
Addressing a press conference, senior KDA leader and former legislator Asghar Ali Karbalai said the residents of Ladakh are growing increasingly frustrated by the ongoing delay in initiating a meaningful dialogue on the issue.
Karbalai said, “Several top officials and politicians from New Delhi have visited Ladakh over the past few years. However, none of them have spoken about the extension of the sixth schedule or the demand for statehood,” adding, the deafening silence is not acceptable.
He further declared that people from across Kargil will gather at Kargil Chowk on August 9 and launch the three-day hunger strike to draw attention to their demands.
“We are not going to tolerate this behaviour any longer. The promises made to the people of Ladakh must be fulfilled at the earliest, without ifs and buts,” he said.
The KDA represents a union of political, social, and religious groups in Kargil who have come together under the banner to press their demands of constitutional safeguards under the sixth schedule to protect Ladakh’s land, culture, and employment rights.
This comes just days after the Union Government celebrated the anniversary of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, along with the bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
It is pertinent to mention that people in Ladakh had celebrated the 2019 abrogation for providing direct representation, not KDA leaders claim that the promises made by the Centre Government have remained unfulfilled to date, even after 6 years of the controversial decision.
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