When Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was abrogated and the state split into two Union Territories (UTs) — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, comprising twin districts of Leh and Kargil — many in Leh celebrated it as a fulfilment of their long-standing demand. For many decades, people in Leh had demanded their separation from J&K and UT status for Ladakh, accusing the political leadership of Kashmir of political and financial discrimination. They wanted the concentration of power with the people of Ladakh rather than Srinagar or Jammu.As the political crisis in Ladakh continues to deepen following the police firing on September 24 and the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, the face of the protests, on Friday, there are two key bodies behind the articulation of the demands for statehood and autonomy. They are the Apex Body, Leh, and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). Wangchuk is a member of the Apex Body.AdvertisementThe political interests of the Buddhist-majority Leh and the Muslim-majority Kargil have often not aligned with each other. While Leh always harboured mistrust about the political leadership in the Valley, Kargil begrudged Leh’s hold on regional power, accusing it of political and developmental discrimination. However, with the ramifications of abrogation of Article 370 soon becoming apparent to the people of Leh and Kargil — demographic changes, loss of land and jobs, etc — the Apex Body and the KDA have united in the face of “common existential issues”.What is the Apex Body, Leh?It is an alliance of various religious, social and political organisations of Leh. It includes the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) that spearheaded the struggle for UT status for many decades. The other constituents of the Apex Body include the Anjuman-e-Moin-ul-Islam and the Christian Association. While the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party were also part of the body, its co-chairman Chering Dorje Lakruk said they had been “kept out” for some time now.What is KDA?The people of Kargil formed the KDA in 2020 to lead the struggle for the region’s rights and empowerment. It is an amalgamation of religious and social organisations in Kargil district, including the influential Jamiat-e-Ulama Isna Asharia and the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust. The other major constituents include the Kargil Buddhist Association and the Anjuman Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat.AdvertisementWhy have they come together?Ladakh is an eco-sensitive region with an area of 59,146 sq km, almost four times the size of the Kashmir Valley. The region, however, has a sparse population and comprises almost entirely of tribal communities. As per the 2011 Census, Ladakh’s total population is 2,74,289. The people here fear demographic change and a big industrial push and have been demanding certain legal safeguards for land and jobs.Together, the Apex Body, Leh and the KDA have formed a joint core committee, sending three members each to the panel. The KDA members are Asgar Karbalai, Qamar Ali Akhoon, and Sajad Kargali, while the LAB members are Thupstan Chhewang, Lakruk, and Ashraf Ali.Who are Ladakh’s representatives?Thupstan Chhewang: The 78-year-old Buddhist leader is the chairman of Apex Body, Leh. He joined politics in 1972 and spearheaded the campaign for Ladakh’s UT status for many decades.In 1995, when the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh came into existence, he was its first Chief Executive Councillor. He was elected as the president of the LBA in 1998. Two years later, Chhewang founded the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF). He won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Ladakh as a LUTF candidate and returned to Parliament in 2014, but on a BJP ticket. Chhewang resigned from the BJP in 2018 over differences with the party leadership.Chering Dorje Lakruk: Lakruk is the Apex Body’s co-chairman and the current LBA president. He started his political career as a Congress leader in Leh in 1983. In 1988, he joined the LBA and became its vice president. In 1995, the 77-year-old Lakruk was elected a councillor to the first LAHDC Leh. A year later, he was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on a Congress ticket. He joined the LUTF in 2002 and three years later, became the LAHDC Leh’s Chief Executive Councillor in 2005. In 2013, he joined the BJP and became its Leh president.Two years later, Lakruk was elected to the J&K Legislative Council and was made a minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government. But he resigned from the BJP in 2020. At the time, he was the party’s Ladakh president.Ashraf Ali: Ali has been the president of the Anjuman Imamia Leh, a Shia religious organisation, for the last 17 years. He was also elected as a councillor to the first LAHDC Leh and later became an executive councillor.Asgar Ali Karbalai: Karbali is the KDA’s co-chairman. An influential member of the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust that holds sway in the Shia-dominated district, he was elected to the J&K Assembly on a Congress ticket from Kargil in 2014. Karbalai has been the Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Kargil for two terms.Qamar Ali Akhoon: A prominent National Conference leader, Akhoon has twice represented Kargil in the Assembly of the erstwhile state of J&K. The 68-year-old Shia leader was also the first Chief Executive Councillor of LAHDC Kargil. He was a Minister of State (MoS) in the Farooq Abdullah government from 1996 to 2002. In 2008, when Omar Abdullah took charge, Akhoon was made the minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) and Transport.most readSajad Hussain: The spotlight first fell on Hussain in 2019 when he contested the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate in Kargil. He narrowly lost to the BJP’s Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, but his sudden rise earned him goodwill and popularity. Hussain holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and worked as a freelance journalist before joining politics.What are their demands?This core group of six is part of the High-Powered Committee that the government had set up to look into the demands of the people of Ladakh. Led by Union MoS for Home Nityanand Rai, apart from the representatives of Ladakh, it also has the Ladakh Chief Secretary and the Intelligence Bureau Director..The core committee, which flew to Delhi for talks on Thursday, has put forth four major demands: statehood for Ladakh, protection under the Sixth Schedule (that provides for administration of tribal areas through autonomous hill councils, among other guarantees), a separate Public Service Commission, and a parliamentary seat each for Kargil and Leh. At present, Ladakh has a single parliamentary seat.