Kargil, Sept 03: The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Tuesday announced its support for the the ongoing ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ organized by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), to urge the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda.
The talks between Ladakh representatives and the Central government ended in March without any concrete outcome.
The foot march was started on September 1 from Leh by leaders of the LAB, and has completed the third day on Tuesday, halting at Saspol.
The Leh Apex Body along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance are jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of statehood, extension of the Constitution’s sixth schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
In a press conference held in Kargil, the KDA leaders announced that they have decided to support the pad yatra to Delhi, led by activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Leh Apex Body.
“We will start our Caravan from Kargil on September 27 and would halt at Srinagar, before proceeding for Jammu, the next day. On September 30, we will reach Delhi and join the leaders from Leh,” it was announced.
The yatra, which commenced on September 1, is set to culminate in Delhi on October 2, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.
KDA Co-Chairmen Qamar Ali Akhone and Haji Asgar Ali Karbalai, along with representatives from Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust, Anjuman Jamiat Ulema Isna Ashriya Kargil, Anjuman Sahib Zaman Sankoo, LAHDC Kargil, District Congress Committee, student organizations, and others were present at the Presser.
Karbalai asserted that the objectives of the Delhi Chalo Padyatra align with the four-point agenda that both the Leh Apex Body and the KDA have been advocating over the years and informed that Kargil leaders, including the Member of Parliament and LAHDC members, will also join the pad yatra in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Padyatra led by Sonam Wangchuk reached Saspol on the third day, covering a total of 65 kilometers in the first three days, in their month-long march to Delhi via Himachal Pradesh.
In a bold and evocative appeal, Wangchuk had on Monday galvanized public support for his campaign to protect Ladakh and the broader Himalayas, advocating for constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
“I wish to see people who genuinely support the cause in hand, which will ensure a prosperous, peaceful, and safe Ladakh and India,” he had said and lauded Ladakh’s tradition of peaceful protest, which he believes reflects the true spirit of Indian democracy and ethos.
