Overview

• The resignations of Thupstan Chhewang and Nawang Rigzin Jora from the Leh Apex Body and High Powered Committee have unsettled Ladakh’s negotiating front.
• Jora has since agreed to continue participating in the Apex Body and HPC talks; Chhewang said he will reconsider appeals to withdraw his resignation.
• The Leh Apex Body nominated climate activist Sonam Wangchuk as its representative on both the High Powered Committee and its subcommittee.
• New Delhi proposed July 28 for the next negotiation round, but Ladakhi leaders rejected that date and set a mid-July deadline to align talks with Wangchuk’s planned hunger strike.
• With domicile and reservation rules already in place, Ladakh’s core demands of statehood and Sixth Schedule status remain pending.