3 min readNew DelhiMar 14, 2026 01:42 PM IST
Almost six months after he was placed in detention under the National Security Act (NSA), environment activist Sonam Wangchuk is set to walk free after a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decision to this effect Saturday, reigniting hope that those seeking a resolution to several issues related to the administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh will be brought back to the negotiation table.
Wangchuk was placed under detention on September 26 last year on the heels of negotiations – over issues ranging from the provision of a legislature to a Public Service Commission – which were scheduled with the Centre on October 6.
“This is a welcome step; we hope that the MHA will now return to the negotiation table with all the necessary sensitivity and commitment required to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Ladakh,” Sajjad Kargili, founder member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) which joined forces with the Apex Body, Leh (ABL) to push for specific demands despite the historically divergent political interests of Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil, said.
“Whether it is the provision of statehood and protection under the Sixth Schedule or the provision of a Public Service Commission, we hope that there will be movement along a raah-e-hal (the path to a solution),” Kargili told The Indian Express.
Following Wangchuk’s detention, Kargili was among the leaders related to the combined movement in Ladakh raising a pitch for specific solutions to issues that had emerged following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, of which Ladakh used to be a part.
The ABL had pulled out of talks with the Centre over Wangchuk’s detention following a violent confrontation in Leh that left four dead and over 70 wounded during a call for a bandh.
According to Kargili, the UT is yet to get statehood, a legislature, as well as the formulation of Transaction of Business Rules between the Hill Council and the UT administration, despite promises by the BJP-led Centre.
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The combined movement also expects the proposed Public Service Commission to provide government jobs to UT residents with a preference for domicile and a provision of reservation.
Prior to the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, when Ladakh was a part of Jammu and Kashmir, Kargili said the UT “had some voice” and could question elected representatives – which was not the case since the modification of the Constitutional status of the state had converted J&K, and Ladakh into separate UTs.
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