LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang said dialogue is impossible until normalcy is restored in Ladakh.
Recent shutdown and protests led to four deaths, dozens of injuries, and over 50 arrests, including activist Sonam Wangchuk under NSA.
LAB and KDA, spearheading the statehood demand, had been invited for talks by the Centre after months of delay.
Leh Apex Body Refuses Talks with Centre until Peace Returns to Ladakh
After violent protests over statehood and Sixth Schedule, LAB says it won’t meet Home Ministry panel amid fear and anger in the region.
Summary
The Leh Apex Body declared on Monday that it would not engage in talks with the Home Ministry's High Powered Committee until normalcy is restored in Ladakh.
"We have unanimously agreed that the situation that is prevailing in Ladakh, keeping that in view, as long as peace is not restored in Ladakh, we will not participate in any talks," Chairman of Leh Apex Body Thupstan Chhewang said at a press conference here.
"We will urge the Home Ministry, UT administration, and the administration to take steps to address the atmosphere of fear, grief and anger that is there," he said.
On September 24, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) called for a shutdown to move on with negotiations with the Centre on the demands for statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, which was met with widespread violent protests.
Over 50 people were arrested for alleged rioting involvement, while conflicts between protestors and security forces resulted in four fatalities and several injuries. The leading spokesperson for the agitation, activist Wangchuk, was likewise imprisoned under the strict NSA.
The LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which have been leading the push for statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule to the Union Territory, were invited by the Centre on September 20 after nearly four months of delayed negotiations.
With PTI inputs.
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