Ladakhis demand U.T. status

By Vinay Kumar

SRINAGAR, MAY 30. The Centre's principal interlocutor on Kashmir, Mr. K.C. Pant, today faced an such overwhelming opinion in Leh for granting Union Territory status to the hilly Ladakh region, that he could not turn up in time for a meeting with the Awami National Conference (ANC) president, Mr. G.M. Shah. The Pant-Shah meeting is now likely to be held tomorrow at Mr. Shah's Maulana Azad Road residence.

Mr. Pant who turned towards the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir was deluged by a cross-section of the people of Leh who came out in hundreds demanding Union Territory status for Ladakh. ``There were a number of demonstrations in the main bazaar of Leh. People were expressing support for the demand of giving Union Territory status to Ladakh,'' Mr. Pant told newspersons later in the evening.

The entire route of Mr. Pant's motorcade was lined up with people holding mini-tricolours and demanding separation from Jammu and Kashmir. Shops in the Leh's main bazaar downed shutters, and at some points Mr. Pant's motorcade had to be taken through an alternative route.

A memorandum, demanding U.T. status, drafted by 19 organisations was handed over to Mr. Pant. During his four-hour stay in Leh, he had a packed schedule and met representatives of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Ladakh Buddhist Association, Anjuman-e-Imamia, Anjuman-e-Moin-ul-Islam, Christian Association, BJP, Congress, and the National Conference. However, the Ladakh Muslim Association was opposed to the demand of U.T. status for Ladakh as well as trifurcation of the State.

In reply to a query, Mr. Pant said representatives of the National Conference also expressed support for the demand of U.T. status for Ladakh.

(According to PTI, the LAHDC chief stressed that the Himalayan region had been violence-free even when the entire State was under the grip of militancy. ``I regret that no one has paid attention to our problem of development which is being damaged because of militancy in Kashmir.'' The Ladakh Buddhist Association said ``the entire region should be separated from Jammu and Kashmir'' so that the pace of development could be increased.)

Asked if any attempt was made from his side informally to contact the Hurriyat Conference leaders, Mr. Pant replied in the negative. ``My objective is to create a right kind of atmosphere for talks which will ultimately lead to the restoration of peace and normality in the State which has suffered a lot during the past decade. I am not here to precipitate matters. The process of dialogue needs a lot of hard work and patience.''

Referring to different shades of opinions being expressed during his meetings with organisations, groups, political parties and individuals, Mr. Pant said: ``Different people are throwing up different ideas. I am eliciting opinion. There are many suggestions and a variety of inputs. When I go back to New Delhi, I will analyse them and see if another round of meetings with certain people or groups would be needed.''

'Window of opportunity'

Describing his peace mission to Kashmir as a ``window of opportunity'', Mr. Pant said such an opportunity would not come again. ``This is a serious effort by the Prime Minister who has lent credibility to it. This is also necessarily an issue which will take time. Anybody working with fixed ideas and a set frame of mind will not be able to work here. The world is changing fast and deep-rooted conflicts such as Kashmir are being attempted to be solved.''

When asked if he would be unveiling an economic package for the State, Mr. Pant, who is also Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, assured there would be no delay from in finalising the plan for Jammu and Kashmir. He said politics and economics could not be separated as these were crucial aspects of development which has a social dimension to it.

Mr. Pant will visit Kargil tomorrow. As the Pant-Shah meeting could not take place, a peeved Mr. G.M. Shah, after waiting for 90 minutes, told reporters that Mr. Pant should have reached in time to keep the appointment. On his part, Mr. Pant said that he got delayed in Leh and would meet Mr. Shah tomorrow.

PTI reports:

Mr. Shah, even while hoping to meet Mr. Pant, said,

``What shall I talk when they have already stated that Kashmir is an integral part of India?'' However, in a written statement, Mr. Shah welcomed the Prime Minister's invitation to Gen. Pervez Musharraf and also appreciated the latter's statement that he would visit Delhi with an open mind.

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