'Cricket Fine, Conference Not?' Ladakh Activists Want Sonam Wangchuk Freed

Demanding Sonam Wangchuk's immediate release, leaders of the Kargil Democratic Alliance today questioned why the activist was being linked with Pakistan just because he attended a climate change conference in Islamabad. They also questioned why Wangchuk's visit was being politicised even as India continues to play cricket with Pakistan despite the tension between the two neighbours.

A group of activists from Ladakh addressed the media in the national capital, Delhi, and protested against Wangchuk's arrest under the National Security Act. The Ramon Magsaysay award winner was arrested last week after the unrest in Ladakh claimed four lives. The government has accused Wangchuk of inciting violence with his speeches. He is currently in jail in Jodhpur.

At the Delhi press meet, Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance said, "He attended a UN conference on climate change. If playing cricket matches with Pakistan is not a crime, why is this being politicised?" he asked.

Earlier, Ladakh's Director General of Police SD Singh Jamwal had referred to Wangchuk's "suspicious" Pakistan visits. He said the activist attended an event in Pakistan hosted by the newspaper Dawn, and kept in touch with a Pakistani person of Indian origin. This visit happened in February this year.

Social entrepreneur and Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, has told NDTV that the couple went to Pakistan to attend a UN conference on climate change.

"It was a conference that was held at the behest of the United Nations... which works with all in the Himalayan region because climate change and glaciers are not going to look at your boundaries to cause a flood in Pakistan or India. Some issues go beyond geopolitics and where countries, even though they may have geopolitical tension, have to work together," she said, adding that Wangchuk even praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the conference for his initiatives on fighting air pollution, reducing carbon emissions, and dealing with climate change.

The Kargil Democratic Alliance sought a judicial probe into the September 24 violence in Leh, which also claimed a soldier's life. "We have given our blood to protect the borders. How is it fair to treat us this way? One of the dead was a soldier, and the responsibility lies with the government. Ordering fire on protesters is itself a crime," Kargili said.

The activists reiterated their four long-standing demands - statehood for Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, gazetted jobs for youth, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil. "The demand for Sixth Schedule and statehood is non-negotiable," Kargili said, accusing the government of wanting "bureaucrats to run Ladakh while the people remain silent and uninvolved." He added that every meeting with the Centre so far had only been convened after sustained protests. "Whenever we have been silent, nothing has happened. Even this year, it was only after 11 days of protest that the government called us for talks."

Environmental justice activist Manshi Asher said the movement was being defamed, although it is rooted in concerns about cultural identity, democracy, and unemployment. "The youth are reacting now because livelihoods are collapsing and identity is at stake," she said.

The Ladakh leaders will be meeting Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials tomorrow, ahead of a high-level meeting scheduled for October 6. "We have been in talks for a long time, but nothing has come of them. The government must act with wisdom and sensitivity because the people of Ladakh already feel alienated," said Kargili.

Ladakh, part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, became a Union Territory when the BJP-led Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, Ladakh being one.

The move was initially welcomed. But over the past three years, Ladakh has seen growing unrest against the Centre's rule, and residents have repeatedly called for statehood and constitutional safeguards for their land, culture, and resources.

Activists from Ladakh now want the restoration of statehood and protection of the Sixth Schedule that safeguards tribal rights, cultures, and resources.