Srinagar, April 29 -- While hailing the creation of five more districts in the union territory, Ladakh representative bodies have sought a high-powered committee meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah on his Leh visit to push for some 'meaningful dialogue' on their demands of statehood and protections under sixth schedule. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) held a meeting today in Leh to discuss Amit Shah's two-day scheduled visit from April 30, planned sub-committee meeting of May 22 and also the creation of five districts in Ladakh, which was also attended by climate activist and educationist, Sonam Wangchuk. The bodies termed the creation of five new districts-Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass-as a necessary administrative step which was announced long back by the Centre. "The districts were announced long back and when they were announced we had expressed our gratitude from the people of Ladakh during the high-powered committee(HPC) meeting with the home ministry. This is an old thing and repeating the 'thankyou' doesn't seem proper," said co-chairperson of LAB, Chering Dorjay during a press conference after the meeting.Seeking a genuine bridge of trust, Dorjay said that they want home minister Amit Shah to call a meeting during his visit. "The visit was discussed in detail in our today's meeting and all agreed that when the home minister himself is coming to Ladakh then a meaningful dialogue should be held in Leh on our issues with home ministry," said Dorjay, who was also flanked by Wangchuk and KDA representatives. Shah is visiting Ladakh to pay respects to the Holy Relics of the Lord Buddha on Budh Purnima (May 1). It is expected that Shah will also chair a meeting with the Ladakh administration during his trip from April 30 to May 1. "In the past, Shah had himself expressed his desire to chair an HPC meeting in Ladakh and this is the opportune time for us if Shah holds a meeting during his stay in Leh," the LBA representative said. "We are hopeful that he will do it," he said. KDA chairman, Asgar Ali Karbalai said that if they get a negative response , the Ladakh bodies will again sit to discuss future course of action. "We are not going back on our demands of statehood and sixth schedule. We won't accept any (talks) of the territorial council or any council with any name," Karbalai said. The central government has already convened a meeting of the home ministry's sub-committee on Ladakh for a political dialogue with Ladakh bodies on May 22. The Ladakh bodies said that the May 22 meeting was a low profile exercise. "May 22 talks are with a sub-committee which we don't think will be meaningful owing to the smaller number of people and also in which big decisions can't be taken," Dorjay said. Since the September 24 violence in Leh, the two bodies have at-least held two rounds of talks with the union home ministry officials - first on October 22 and then on February 4. Both the rounds had remained inconclusive with the Ladakh bodies insisting on their main demands. Earlier, the talks had been cancelled on October 06 following the killing of four persons on September 24 triggering the region into chaos with the administration imposing curfew and arresting around dozens of persons including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under NSA. Wangchuk was ultimately released on March 14, after nearly six months of his incarceration. "Our demands particularly statehood and six schedule -we have submitted a written draft to the government and now it is their turn to reciprocate with their views and (express) what they are ready to offer. We want Amit Shah ji himself to chair the HPC meeting in Leh," Dorjay said.Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said that the initiative to increase goodwill was with the home ministry."The ball of goodwill is in the hands of the home ministry. If they want to generate trust in Ladakh yet again and move forward, then holding a two-hour meeting is not a big deal. If this meeting is not held, there will be wrong messaging among people that 'they don't have time to address the wounds of Ladakh people'," he said.Wangchuk said that people in Ladakh need healing from the wounds of September 24.The groups are also demanding a confidence building measure in the form of an immediate withdrawal of police cases against some 80 activists for the September 2025 protest. "We expect Shah to withdraw the cases against 80 or so detainees on which serious sections have been imposed, and the allegations on them be revoked so that a message goes to people of Ladakh that what happened on September 24 was illegal," said KDA chairperson, Asgar Ali Karbalai....