Sonam Wangchuk urges Centre to restart Ladakh talks; flags trust deficit

Exactly a month after the revocation of his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday urged the union government to restart the stalled dialogue by announcing a date for the next round of talks.

Amid uncertainty over the next round of talks between the agitation groups of Ladakh and the High-Powered Committee (HPC) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Wangchuk wrote on his social media handle under the title “Hanging Between Trust & Mistrust – Ladakh Awaits Dialogue”.

He also shared a screenshot of the official handout issued by the union government following the revocation of his detention under the NSA.

“Today marks exactly one month since the unconditional revocation of my detention under the NSA, 1980. The revocation order gave us hope that the Centre was willing to correct past mistakes, as it spoke of ‘building mutual trust’ for a ‘constructive and meaningful dialogue’. However, even after 2.5 months since the last dialogue on February 4, not even a date for the next round of talks has been announced,” he wrote on X.

“On the ‘trust’ front, shady entities are using this gap to sow seeds of a Leh–Kargil (Buddhist–Muslim) divide,” he added.

Stating that the people of the sensitive border region of Ladakh are growing disheartened and demoralised, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take timely measures, in the national interest, to resolve the issues at the earliest.

Wangchuk’s NSA revoked on March 14

The Ministry of Home Affairs, on March 14, revoked the detention of Sonam Wangchuk, a day after Vinai Kumar Saxena took the oath as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

Wangchuk had been lodged in Jodhpur jail since September 26, 2025.

While revoking his detention, the ministry stated that the government was committed to creating an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in Ladakh to facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.

“Towards this end, and after due deliberation, the Government has decided to revoke the detention of Sonam Wangchuk with immediate effect, exercising the powers conferred under the National Security Act,” the official statement said.

“The government has been actively engaging with various stakeholders and community leaders in Ladakh with a view to addressing the aspirations and concerns of the people of the region,” it added.

However, the statement noted that the prevailing atmosphere of bandhs and protests had been detrimental to the peace-loving character of society and had adversely affected various sections of the community, including students, job aspirants, businesses, tour operators, tourists, and the overall economy.

The government reiterated its commitment to providing all necessary safeguards for Ladakh and expressed hope that the issues concerning the region would be resolved through constructive engagement and dialogue, including through the mechanism of the High-Powered Committee and other appropriate platforms.

Notably, following unprecedented violence in Leh town on September 24, 2025, Sonam Wangchuk was detained on September 26, 2025, under the provisions of the National Security Act, pursuant to an order issued by the District Magistrate, Leh, with the objective of maintaining public order.

He has already served almost half of his detention period under the Act.