‘Feared Ladakh would become another Manipur’: Sonam Wangchuk says recent MHA talks signal positive shift but trust deficit remains

NEW DELHI: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday acknowledged a “positive step” between Ladakh representatives and the Centre, though he warned that trust-building in the region remained incomplete amid unresolved protest-related cases from the last year and institutional issues.In an interview with PTI, Wangchuk said optimism had improved after the recent meeting with the Union home ministry sub-committee, but stressed that the government’s intent would ultimately be judged by action on unresolved issues in the coming weeks.He also said tensions in Ladakh had recently escalated to a point where he feared the Union Territory could become “another Manipur”, citing growing unrest and divisions between communities.“Last week was very negative. There was conflict everywhere. I thought Ladakh would become another Manipur; it was heading in that direction,” he said.Wangchuk said the latest meeting had changed his outlook to some extent. “This meeting has made some difference... Otherwise, I was very disappointed,” he said, referring to his detention earlier this year.His remarks came after the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance held talks with the Centre on demands including statehood, constitutional safeguards for land and jobs, and greater democratic powers for Ladakh.The groups later said an “in-principle understanding” had been reached on restoring democracy and exploring constitutional protections similar to those under Article 371.Wangchuk said the release order following his detention had spoken about creating “an environment of trust” and moving towards “meaningful and constructive dialogue”, but claimed the situation on the ground did not reflect those assurances.“People were getting divided — Leh and Kargil, Buddhists fighting Buddhists, Muslims fighting Muslims. We felt trust-building was not happening, and meaningful dialogue seemed unlikely,” he said.He added that trust-building would depend on measures such as withdrawal of cases linked to the September 24 protests, restoration of seized devices and resolution of issues related to the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL).Wangchuk also raised concerns over the continued seizure of his mobile phone, confiscated during protests around eight months ago.“My mobile phone was taken when I was jailed. It has been more than two months since I was released, and I still do not have it back,” he said.“Without it, I cannot book an Ola, an Uber, or even a plane ticket. Digitally, I have become useless in Digital India,” he added.