Ladakh has been in the national news because of the border stand-off with China. But residents of Leh, the capital of the cold desert regio...
Ladakh has been in the national news because of the border stand-off with China. But residents of Leh, the capital of the cold desert region, have other worries.
Few people in Leh were affected by the military standoff happening miles away in Eastern Ladakh, explained Chhering Dorje Lakrook, former Bharatiya Janata Party leader and minister in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. “It only has an impact on those living on the border,” he said. “The main concern in Leh is protection for land, jobs, culture, and this will continue until our demands are finally met.”
These anxieties took shape after August 5 last year, when the Centre revoked special status under Article 370 and split the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. Ladakh became a separate Union Territory without a legislative council.
There were contrasting responses in the two districts of Ladakh. Many in Muslim-majority Kargil district were dismayed. Buddhist-majority Leh district, where Union Territory status had been a long-standing demand, rejoiced initially. But soon afterwards, worries crept in: opening up the region to outside buyers and businesses would mean the local population could lose land and jobs. In Leh, the overwhelming demand was now protection under the Sixth Schedule of...
