SRINAGAR: A crucial meeting on autonomy between a ministry of home affairs (MHA) subcommittee and Ladakhi representatives in Leh on Wednesday ended inconclusively, with both sides agreeing to hold talks again on Oct 22 in New Delhi.“The MHA team gave a presentation of its draft proposal and we submitted our draft. We found considerable gaps between the two. However, we have stressed that further discussions should take place soon,” Chering Dorjay Lakrook, co-chairman of Leh Apex Body (LAB), said Thursday.LAB member Sonam Wangchuk, who also attended the meeting, said the MHA would share a revised draft proposal with Ladakhi leaders on Friday morning as there was a huge gap between the drafts.“We will not say the meeting was a failure. It is a continuation process but it was not satisfactory. We are waiting for the revised draft and hope it will reflect some changes. The difference between the two proposals was like the difference between earth and sky. Instead of moving forward from the previous meeting, we have moved backwards,” Wangchuk said.
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Lakrook pointed out that LAB remained firm on its key demands including safeguards under Article 371 and a Union territory with a legislature.The last such meeting was held on Sept 9 in New Delhi. LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two Ladakh organisations negotiating with the Centre on autnomy, were part of the talks. Ladakh chief secretary of Ladakh Ashish Kundra had then spoken of “a sui generis model under Article 371 which does not exist anywhere in the country”.Ladakhi representatives have been in talks with the Centre since 2023 but the process stalled briefly after four people were killed and over 80 injured in alleged police firing on protesters demanding statehood in Leh in Sept last year.Earlier on Thursday, LAB condemned Beijing’s remarks on Ladakh, saying the region has never been part of China in recorded history but an integral part of India.