Srinagar, Jan. 10 -- The Government of India in a letter to Ladakh chief secretary have informed that the meeting of High Powered Committee will be held in the last part of January. In a communication to Ladakh chief secretary, Sunil Kumar, Government of India informed that the next meeting of the High Powered Committee would be convened in the last week of January. "The next meeting of HPC would be convened in the last part of January. It's requested to consult the members of HPC for their convenient set of dates and inform this to the ministry," reads the communication. In 2023, the Union home ministry formed a high-powered committee under minister of state for home Nityanand Rai to discuss ways to protect Ladakh's unique culture and language, considering its location and strategic importance. The panel, which included the members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)- a collective of trade unions, tourist bodies, and religious and political groups - deliberated on protections for land and employment, and the empowerment of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil, and other constitutional safeguards. Sajad Kargili, one of the members of KDA, welcomed the announcement. "While the announcement may have come later than expected, it is nonetheless a welcome step. We hope the forthcoming meeting will substantively address the core aspirations of the people of Ladakh-particularly the demand for statehood, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, and serious consideration of the draft proposals submitted to the MHA by the #Leh Apex Body and the #Kargil Democratic Alliance," Kargili wrote on X. He hoped that the HPC will take up humanitarian concerns, including the continued detention of Sonam Wangchuk and others, as well as the issue of compensation for those injured and the families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate events of 24 September. "Let's hope for best." The MHA had formed a panel headed by former Supreme Court judge, BS Chauhan, to conduct a judicial inquiry into the September 24 Leh violence that led to four deaths....