AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday, 16 July 2026, called on the Union government to seriously consider the demands raised by Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk, extending cross-party solidarity to a cause that has long sought constitutional safeguards and greater autonomy for the region.

In a post in Hindi, Owaisi stated: 'hum Bharat sarkar se maang karte hain ki Sonam Wangchuk sahab ki maangon par sanjeedgi se gaur kare' — 'We demand that the Government of India seriously consider the demands of Sonam Wangchuk.'

Context

Sonam Wangchuk is a Ladakh-based engineer, innovator and environmental activist internationally recognised for the Ice Stupa project, which creates artificial glaciers to address water scarcity. Beyond environmental work, he has emerged as one of the most prominent civil-society voices demanding that Ladakh be granted Sixth Schedule status under the Constitution and, ultimately, full statehood with a legislative assembly.

Wangchuk has undertaken multiple hunger strikes and public campaigns to press these demands on the Ministry of Home Affairs. His appeals have drawn attention from political leaders across the spectrum, and Owaisi's statement on 16 July 2026 is the latest instance of a national parliamentarian amplifying Ladakh's constitutional grievances.

Policy Backdrop

The roots of the current impasse trace to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of August 2019, which bifurcated the former state and established Ladakh as a Union Territory without a legislature — placing it under direct central administration. Residents of both Leh and Kargil districts have since argued that the change stripped the region of the democratic and constitutional protections it previously enjoyed.

Since 2020, the Ladakh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have submitted successive memoranda to the Centre demanding inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides tribal communities with autonomous district councils and legislative safeguards. Statehood — restoring a locally elected legislature — is a parallel demand. Neither has been acted upon as of the time of Owaisi's statement.

Stakeholders and Impact

The stakes are high for Ladakh's roughly 3 lakh residents, drawn from the Buddhist-majority Leh district and the Muslim-majority Kargil district — a rare alignment of communities that has historically held different political orientations. Their joint advocacy for constitutional protections underscores the cross-communal nature of the demand, making it difficult to frame as a sectarian issue.

Tribal communities in particular stand to gain from Sixth Schedule inclusion, which would give them statutory control over land use, cultural practices and local governance. Environmental activists also argue that without such protections, Ladakh's fragile Himalayan ecosystem faces unchecked developmental pressure from decisions made in New Delhi.

Owaisi's intervention carries political weight because AIMIM, while primarily associated with Muslim minority interests, has periodically aligned itself with broader federalist demands and regional autonomy causes. His statement signals that Wangchuk's campaign has resonance beyond Ladakh's own political networks.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Ministry of Home Affairs schedules a formal meeting with Ladakh delegations, and whether cross-party pressure from parliamentarians like Owaisi accelerates that process. A constitutional amendment to extend the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, or a bill granting it a legislative assembly, would require parliamentary consensus that has so far proved elusive.

With multiple national voices now on record, the Union government faces growing political cost in maintaining silence — making the coming weeks a critical window for Ladakh's long-pending constitutional aspirations.