Sonam Angmo
Ladakh forms the third region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, yet the reality reveals a sad truth, where the region of Ladakh has not been given its due. Ever since, the entire region of Ladakh came under Dogra rule in the year 1837, its distinct identity and different requirements have got lost in the dense and complex politics of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The 1947 J&K treaty of accession brought Ladakh formally under the purview of the Indian Government where it became part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In the state discourse Ladakh has been looked upon, over the years, as a strategic vantage point vis a vis India’s border security issues with China and Pakistan. Ladakh has been a close witness to a battlefield war zone right from accession of the Jammu and Kashmir State with India. The 1962 Indo Sino war, also took place in the mountains of Ladakh, while the 1999 Kargil war and its aftermath proved to be an indelible reminder of Ladakh’s tryst with armed forces.
Ladakh, comprising the third region of the state, have its own share of issues and problems ranging from its hard climate and geography. Although the locales of Ladakh are known for their breathtaking beauty and splendour, life in Ladakh coughs a tough existence that its inhabitants have been leading. The statistics and overall index however, also give a heartening notion that inspite of all the difficulties, Ladakhi society has been a self sustaining society where inspite of the high altitude and infertile lands, people there, using their traditional wisdom and knowledge have embraced whatever resources they have, and to a great extent make optimum utilization of them. In the past, the Kingdom of Ladakh, (that was earlier a major province of Tibet) has overseen many hallmarks of trade and exchange where Ladakh served as a trading liason between Kashmir, rest of India and China. The major source of income of Ladakh’s treasury came from its transport of goods between China and India, operating on the famous silk route passage. The old mercantile gentry recall how trade and commerce has been the backbone of Ladakh, serving as a great means in compensating for its difficult landscape and limited resources. Presently, Ladakh’s economy continues to bloom with its modern mercantile class of tourism and hoteliers. People now have access to all the comforts of modern society and many families have benefitted immensely from entering the tourism business. This good buzz however is short lived as for a greater period of the year, Ladakh remains cut off from the rest of the country and people continue to brave ardous living conditions. Also, more importantly, the large influx of tourists and the unprecedented, unchecked pace of the tourism industry in Ladakh paints a dilapidated scenario of Ladakh’s delicate ecology.
Politically, Ladakh has benefitted the least in the state, that has resulted in its isolation from Jammu and Kashmir. Since 1947, till the current period, Ladakh has been the lowest shareholder of every Government policy laid down by different Governments of the State. The discrimination is evident in the name of the State itself. Name is an important assertion of identity and Ladakh remains devoid of this basic status as well. In terms of area, Ladakh is more than the entire regions of Jammu and Kashmir put together and at the same time Leh comprises the largest district in the country. Such statistics, however, prove to lead nowhere as has been evident from successive State Governments’ apathy. Ladakh was nestled under Kashmir’s jurisdiction when it got aligned with the Kashmir province. The political leadership in both Leh and Kargil have made constant, repeated demands to the State and Central Governments to register Ladakh’s mandate and presence in its policies, however to no avail. The political leadership of Ladakh is also divided in their opinions of Ladakh’s developmental milestones; the demarcation and differences have been on regional and religious grounds. A strong chorus of UT status to be accorded to Ladakh has been the broad demand of its leaders, although a substantial breakthrough came in the form of the formation of the Ladakh Hill Development Council in Leh in the year 1995 and Kargil in the year 2000, which allowed autonomous governing of the state by the elected members of the Ladakh Hill Council. However, Ladakh continues to feature on a backward frame, as no real development has been witnessed in the important sectors of health and education. Currently, Ladakh only has a single district hospital in Leh and Kargil, attending to thousands of people, people from a large number of remote villages in Ladakh have no access to proper medical healthcare and often rely on local Amchis and traditional Tibetan medicines. Moreover, the district hospitals often lie overcrowded and in case of extreme trauma cases, the patients have to be airlifted to Jammu or Delhi. A tertiary hospital in Ladakh region is the need of the hour which can cater to needy patients from far flung areas of the region. In the education sector, primary and secondary education seem to have progressed with the opening of central, public and private schools. At the same time, middle and secondary level education needs to be strengthened in terms of the quality of education and teacher-pupil ratio. This is being highlighted, as most of the important subjects of the school curriculum remain unattended due to dearth of teachers in remote villages of Ladakh. Higher education in Ladakh is in a decrepit State. Students from Ladakh often have to venture outside to pursue higher studies. Ladakhi parents most often send their children away to Jammu, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Kashmir and other places due to the dearth of educational institutions in the region. Over the years, Ladakhi students often have to deal with adjustment issues owing to constant migration. A silent outcry continues to be registered from the people of Ladakh, whose developmental needs and cries fall on closed ears. The recent case of Jammu’s mandate coming into full swing was displayed in the approval of the medical institution of AIIMS for Jammu. Strong protests marked the demand for an AIIMS in Jammu. Not so long ago, similar protests had erupted due to the backtracking of the Government’s approval to grant a Central University in Jammu. The Central University of Jammu is now in its fourth year of functioning, since its year of foundation in 2011.
The picture is quite clear, and to put it quite plainly: Between Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh invariably gets picked last, the sad plight of Ladakh’s developmental projects continues to bear its presence on the Central and State Government’s catalogue of delayed and shelved schemes. A new and strong demand voiced by a large section of the intellectual and activist brigade of Ladakh, in tandem with the opinions of local political groups, foresee Ladakh working as a separate division, while being a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Working as a division would ensure the fast tracking of various developmental plans and would also to a decent degree, facilitate Ladakh’s progress in all fields. The UT resolution on the other hand, has not yielded any definite results and embodies a utopian dream State. A strong wakeup call is in order to the people and political leadership of Ladakh, to argue and debate for a greater and stronger representation in the State Assembly and Parliament. A separate division as asserted above, most likely could suffice the developmental and administrative position of Ladakh. In reality, separate political aspirations of the people of the region would always be linked to the Kashmir issue. It’s high time, Ladakh asserts itself in the affairs of the state, where it can foresee a definite change from its current snail paced developmental praxis.
(The writer is a research scholar of English, at Central University of Jammu)
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