Wangchuk defers Kargil-Leh march for September 9 Centre talks

Leh: Ladakh's agitating groups have put their planned Kargil-to-Leh foot march on hold. The reason is a fresh round of talks with the Centre, fixed for September 9 in Delhi.

Announcing the call, Leh Apex Body (LAB) leader Sonam Wangchuk said the two-week march — due to start from Kargil on September 10 and end in Leh on September 24 — now waits on what Delhi brings to the table.

"Since the Centre has fixed September 9 for talks, we have decided to defer the foot march," Wangchuk said. "If September 9 talks are good, then we will also hold minimal programmes in September, but if the talks fail or there is an attempt to delay the process or if talks are not result-oriented then we will go full throttle with our agitation in September."

The march was meant to mark a year since the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh, in which four people were killed, more than 80 injured and 85 arrested. Organisers had planned to close it with a candlelight vigil in Leh on the anniversary.

Wangchuk conceded the original 15-day plan was straining even his own base. "The two-week-long foot march was too long, and the people felt it to be infeasible. So, we decided to keep it a five-day affair in the run-up to September 24," he said. If talks collapse, that shorter version returns.

The September 9 meeting is a sub-committee sitting of the Ministry of Home Affairs with the LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance. On the agenda: the minutes of the May 22 meeting, signed off at Leh on July 3, and Ladakh's four-point charter — statehood, Sixth Schedule safeguards, a UT-level legislature, and justice for last year's victims.

LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk said the talks succeed only if the Centre tables something concrete: a detailed draft on a proposed Ladakh assembly, its powers, and constitutional safeguards. Wangchuk echoed that, saying he has "high hopes" but expects Delhi to show its cards.

The Economic Times reports the MHA has framed the sitting as part of its ongoing dialogue for "deepening democratic processes" in the Union Territory. Ladakh chief secretary Ashish Kundra confirmed the September 9 date.

Backdrop matters. The dialogue process stalled after the September 2025 violence, when Wangchuk himself was among those arrested. It resumed this year after a judicial inquiry was announced, detainees were released, and a fair probe was promised. In May 2026, both sides reached an in-principle understanding on safeguards modelled on Articles 371A, 371F and 371G plus an elected UT-level body — though the Centre says full statehood is not currently feasible given Ladakh's revenue base.

One wrinkle: the Kargil Democratic Alliance has questioned the LAB's unilateral announcement even as it too cancelled the march, citing safety and preparation concerns on the Sham side. Sajjad Kargili, convenor of the proposed march, said Wangchuk had flagged that conditions there "could potentially turn unpleasant."

What we can verify

• March deferred: The Kargil-Leh foot march planned from September 10 has been postponed ahead of the September 9 MHA sub-committee talks in Delhi. — Hindustan Times, Economic Times, Kashmir Life
• Wangchuk's warning: If the September 9 talks fail or stall, the agitation goes "full throttle" in September, possibly as a shorter five-day march. — Hindustan Times
• Demands on table: Statehood, Sixth Schedule safeguards, a UT-level legislature, and justice for September 2025 victims; LAB wants a concrete Centre draft on the proposed assembly. — The Logical Indian
• September 2025 toll: Four killed, 80+ injured, 85 arrested in the Leh violence whose anniversary the march was to mark. — Hindustan Times, Economic Times

What remains unverified

• What the Centre will actually table on September 9 — no draft proposal published yet. [unverified]
• Whether the KDA-LAB friction affects a revived march — KDA has questioned LAB's unilateral call. [unverified]