Ahead of scheduled talks between Ladakh leaders and Indian Ministry of Home Affairs later this week, anger is mounting in Ladakh over an internal crisis in the Leh Apex Body, with residents accusing the leadership of weakening the region’s political movement through infighting.  According to Kashmir Media Service, the LAB, one of the two key groups representing Ladakh in dialogue with New Delhi, is facing a public fallout after founding chairman Thupstan Chhewang publicly questioned the organisation’s functioning and claimed the dialogue with India had reached a dead end.

Chhewang said he was removed without wider consultation, while LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk accused him of echoing the New Delhi’s line and compromising on core demands. The dispute deepened after Chhewang objected to the Apex Body raising concerns over the recent restructuring of the power sector in Ladakh, a move critics have condemned as privatisation. The issue had already sparked strong opposition from both LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.

Residents expressed fury that internal divisions were emerging at a critical moment. “I would stand with the leader who genuinely supports the demand for Sixth Schedule safeguards and statehood, for which the people of Ladakh have been striving since 2021,” one local said. “Anyone who compromises on these core demands should be held accountable before the people.”Uncertainty also looms over the scheduled subcommittee talks, as leaders are yet to receive a formal invitation for the meeting announced by L-G VK Saxena.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)