{"id":199487,"date":"2026-05-03T09:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=199487"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T04:28:09","slug":"kargil-leaders-slam-ladakh-district-restructuring-as-bid-to-divide-region-along-religious-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/05\/03\/kargil-leaders-slam-ladakh-district-restructuring-as-bid-to-divide-region-along-religious-lines.html","title":{"rendered":"Kargil leaders slam Ladakh district restructuring as bid to divide region along religious lines"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kargil: Leaders in Kargil have expressed deep resentment over Ladakh\u2019s recent district restructuring, calling it discriminatory and an attempt to divide the region along religious lines.<\/p>\n

According to Kashmir Media Service, on April 27, Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved five new districts \u2014 Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass \u2014 raising Ladakh\u2019s total from two to seven.<\/p>\n

Kargil leaders noted that out of seven districts, only Kargil and Drass are Muslim-majority while five are Buddhist-majority. They said this ignores Ladakh\u2019s 2011 Census data showing 46.40% Muslims and 39.65% Buddhists, calling the move \u201cdeeply skewed.\u201d<\/p>\n

MP Mohammad Haneefa Jan said a community feels isolated after long-pending demands for district status to Sankoo-Suru and Shakar-Chiktan were ignored. CEC Dr Jaffer Akhone termed the decision \u201cimbalanced and discriminatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said the rejig looks less like reform and more like a \u201ccalculated attempt to fragment Ladakh\u2019s united voice\u201d for 6th Schedule safeguards and statehood. While welcoming Drass and Zanskar\u2019s inclusion, he said ignoring Sankoo-Suru and Shakar-Chiktan defies \u201cregional sensitivities and equitable representation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch actions risk deepening divisions,\u201d Kargili warned, urging district status for the excluded areas. \u201cLadakh\u2019s strength is unity \u2014 any attempt to divide it along communal lines must be resisted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kargil: Leaders in Kargil have expressed deep resentment over Ladakh\u2019s recent district restructuring, calling it discriminatory and an attempt to divide the region along religious lines. According to Kashmir Media Service, on April 27, Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved five new districts \u2014 Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass \u2014 raising Ladakh\u2019s total from …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":199488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ladakh-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t