3 min readSrinagarMay 24, 2026 07:40 PM IST
Days after talks between the Centre and representatives from Ladakh made significant progress, reaching an “in principle understanding” on key issues, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman has warned against “unnecessary excitement or undue pessimism”.
Sajjad Hussain Kargili, who is part of the high-powered committee (HPC) in which the talks are held, said “no final agreement or concrete outcome has been reached” yet.
“Negotiations are a continuous process, and discussions are still underway. As of now, no final agreement or concrete outcome has been reached,” said Kargili, who participated in the last round of talks as a KDA representative. “We had shared our draft proposals demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule, and the government has now responded with certain suggestions,” he said.
He said the Centre is expected to come up with a formal draft before the next meeting of the HPC.
“Once that is received, we will hold detailed consultations with constitutional and legal experts, along with the respected representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB), to carefully examine whether the proposed framework truly safeguards the interests and future aspirations of Ladakh,” he said, adding, “We will also assess its implications on regional balance, sensitivities, and long-term safeguards and democratic structure.”
Kargili said it would be “prudent to avoid both unnecessary excitement and undue pessimism” until a comprehensive review is undertaken.
On Friday, the Centre and the representatives of Ladakh had their latest round of talks, wherein “significant progress” was made.
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“We made significant progress this evening in our talks with the government. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Leh Apex Body, and KDA leaders of Ladakh had a broad consensus on restoring democracy with a tailor-made legislative body that will have executive, financial and lawmaking powers and have safeguards under Article 371 of the Constitution,” said Sonam Wangchuk, a member of the Leh Apex Body, who participated for the first time in talks, after the meeting. He added, “The elected leader of the legislative body will have overall control over the Chief Secretary and the rest of the bureaucracy. In due course, Ladakh will be accorded full statehood when it has enough revenue of its own to support the operational expenses of salaries, pensions, etc.”
