New Ladakh district map unmasks Delhi’s plot to divide region: leaders
Srinagar: The controversial decision by the BJP-led Indian government to create five new districts in Ladakh has evoked sharp criticism, with leaders warning that the move is less about administrative reform and more a calculated attempt to fragment the unified movement for political rights of the people of Ladakh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena earlier this week approved the notification for the creation of five new districts, increasing the total number from two to seven in the region carved out of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
Reacting to the development, Kargil-based political leader Sajjad Kargili said the move “appears less an administrative reform and more a calculated attempt to fragment the unified democratic and political rights movement of the people of Ladakh.”
In a post on X, Kargili said that while regions such as Drass and Zanskar in Kargil have long demanded district status and their inclusion is welcome, the overall approach raises “serious concerns.” He said that the process had ignored “regional sensitivities, demographic realities, and principles of equitable representation.”
Citing the 2011 Census, he said Ladakh has a population of 2,74,289, with approximately 46.40 per cent Muslims and 39.65 per cent Buddhists.
“However, the current reorganisation results in five Buddhist-majority districts and only two Muslim-majority districts,” he said, terming the distribution “skewed” and warning that it could deepen divisions.
Kargili also reiterated the demand for granting district status to Sankoo-Suru and Shakar Chiktan, stating that these regions have repeatedly submitted memorandums highlighting their case but have been overlooked.
Meanwhile, Ladakh MP Mohmmad Haneefa emphasised that Sankoo–Suru and Shakar–Chiktan–Shargole remain among the most populous and geographically vast areas of Ladakh, making their demand for separate district status both “genuine and urgent.” “Given the large population and far-flung geography of these regions, the creation of a separate district is justified. I hope this demand will be addressed at the earliest,” he said.
Observers said the new district map exposes New Delhi’s divisive agenda in the disputed territory, where demographic engineering and administrative gerrymandering are being used to weaken collective political aspirations of the people following the illegal bifurcation of IIOJK in August 2019.
