Srinagar, Oct. 7 -- The environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk has weathered the political storm with his arrest turning Ladakh tide in his favour.

The 59-year-old Wangchuk's imprisonment under the stringent National Security Act has turned the environmentalist and education innovator into a consensus for leader in both Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-dominated Kargil.

Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) is backing the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and has demanded Wangchuk's release as a precondition for talks with the Centre over the statehood demand and constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule.

Wangchuk's arrest has galvanised his position as he is now being seen as a grassroots leader spearheading the cause of both the regions of Ladakh. H...