Centre To Resume Talks With Ladakh Leaders As High-Powered Panel Meets On February 4

Last Updated:January 16, 2026, 23:24 IST

So far, discussions within committee have centred on safeguarding land and job rights for locals, strengthening the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Leh and Kargil,.

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The High-Powered Committee (HPC) on the Union Territory of Ladakh is set to meet on February 4, restarting formal talks between the Centre and Ladakh’s representatives after discussions were put on hold following violent clashes in Leh last year.

The meeting will be chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and will take place in New Delhi. It comes at a crucial time, as the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) continue to press for their main demands, including constitutional safeguards and greater political autonomy for Ladakh, which became a Union territory in 2019.

Earlier, the Union government had informed the Ladakh administration that the meeting would be held towards the end of January. The date has now been confirmed for early February.

“It is conveyed that next meeting of the High-powered Committee for the UT of Ladakh under the chairmanship of Nityanand Rai, minister of state for home affairs, Government of India (Gol) will be held on February 4, 2026 at 4 pm in Conference Hall Number 25000H, fifth floor, Kartavya Bhawan-3, MHA, New Delhi," said Ruchicka Katyal, deputy secretary to the Gol and member secretary of the HPC, in an official communication.

The committee was formed by the Union home ministry in 2023 to look into ways to protect Ladakh’s unique culture, language and local interests, keeping in mind its strategic importance and sensitive geography. It includes members from the LAB and the KDA, which together represent trade unions, tourism bodies, religious organisations and political groups from both Leh and Kargil.

So far, discussions within the committee have centred on safeguarding land and job rights for locals, strengthening the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Leh and Kargil, and exploring possible constitutional protections. The mandate of the committee includes examining “constitutional safeguards that could be provided to ensure the measures and protection".

Reacting to the earlier announcement of the meeting, KDA member Sajad Kargili welcomed the move, though he said the expectations of the people remain high. “While the announcement may have come later than expected, it is nonetheless a welcome step. We hope the forthcoming meeting will substantively address the core aspirations of the people of Ladakh—particularly the demand for statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, and serious consideration of the draft proposals submitted to the MHA by the #Leh Apex Body and the #Kargil Democratic Alliance," Kargili wrote on X.

“Let’s hope for best," he added.

The last full meeting of the HPC was held in May. Another meeting scheduled for October 6 was postponed after clashes erupted in Leh on September 24, in which four people were killed and several others injured. Following the violence, Ladakh leaders demanded a judicial probe.

However, dialogue did not stop entirely. In October 2025, sub-committee level talks were held, during which Ladakh representatives demanded the immediate release of arrested leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuck, who has become a prominent face of the movement.

News india Centre To Resume Talks With Ladakh Leaders As High-Powered Panel Meets On February 4

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