Ladakh talks talk of the town in Kashmir; Mehbooba gives unity call in letter to Omar

SRINAGAR: Ladakh talks have become talk of the town in Srinagar.

Former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has written to CM Omar Abdullah and all other political parties urging them to unite and make an appeal to the prime minister and the home minister, “to initiate a meaningful and sustained engagement with the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

While she has urged the CM to convene an all-party meeting on the lines of Ladakh, she has also separately written to heads of Congress, BJP, Peoples Conference AAP, Awami Ithaad Party, CPM, Panthers Party as well as civil society groups, including Pandit and Sikh Community representatives, asking them to set aside differences in the larger interest of people and get united.

“The recent breakthroughs achieved by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance in their engagement with the Govt of India offer an important lesson: sincere dialogue can lead to meaningful outcomes,” Mehbooba’s letter to them said.

“Today, Jammu & Kashmir once again stands at a critical juncture in its history. A deep sense of despair, uncertainty and disillusionment has taken hold across the region. In these circumstances, it is imperative we build a broad consensus to help steer J&K out of the current impasse,” she said.

In her letter to the CM, she said she had sought an appointment with him but due to his preoccupation, it has not been possible. “Therefore, I am taking the liberty of writing to you since time is running out and we cannot afford to delay things any further,” the letter says.

She urged the CM “as head of state” to initiate the much-needed process of bringing all parties together through an official meeting. “This will set the ball rolling for us to formally reach out to the central govt. Given the fact that disagreements and squabbling between regional parties have been detrimental to the collective interests of J&K, a reasonable consensus, especially post-2019, is the only solution. If Ladakh could do it, so can we,” she said.

Omar, however, responded saying “we spoke on Saturday when you asked to meet.” “I told you I was in Pahalgam on Sunday and would get in touch on Monday or Tuesday to fix to meet. Your letter gives the impression that I’ve kept you waiting for an appointment for weeks on end, which is clearly not the case. Be that as it may, your letter to me is now in the public domain and I will be sending you a reply, similarly routed, once I’ve consulted my senior party colleagues.”

After the May 22 meeting with the MHA panel on Ladakh, the UT representatives had claimed the Centre has agreed to give a legislative assembly like council to it and the elected head of the council will have powers even over the chief secretary. They also said Ladakh will get a constitutional framework on the lines of Article 371.

MHA had formed the committee on Jan 2, 2023, led by junior home minister Nityanand Rai, to address key issues of Ladakh after repeated protests in the region for statehood. Since then, several rounds of talks have been held.

The process stopped after four people were killed and over 80 injured in alleged police firing on protesters in Leh demanding statehood on Sept 24, 2025.

Sonam Wangchuk, LAB member and environmentalist, was accused of inciting the protesters. He was arrested, charged under NSA and kept in Jodhpur jail. The Centre revoked his NSA detention in March this year. After his release, Wangchuk has pressed for such talks. He was part of May 22 talks with the Centre.