It is absolutely clear that the Centre will not give Ladakh what it has not given to Jammu and Kashmir after the two regions were separated from each other in August 2019. This separation followed the reorganization of the State, through which they had been tied together since the era of the Dogra rulers.

The talks between the Ladakh leadership and the Centre have not reached a fair conclusion, and it does not seem that a mutually acceptable draft will be ready anytime soon. This reality stems from the way negotiations have shaped up in recent months. Attempts to untangle the contentious issues have proved futile so far.It is a given that negotiations of this nature—where local aspirations are weighed against overall national security concerns and strategic objectives—take time. There is no scope for rushing through things when high national stakes are involved.

The International DimensionUsually, Ladakh is viewed as a region cradled between borders with China and Pakistan, alongside the Pakistan-occupied territories of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that acceded to India in October 1947. However, it has other international dimensions that are rarely spoken of. The Pakistani invasion of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947 and the subsequent war that lasted well into 1948 affected Ladakh just as much as Kashmir.

Its international dimensions have surfaced time and again. There are at least two recorded facts in post-independence history that highlight this:The 1999 Kargil War: This conflict demonstrated how Pakistan, after declaring itself a nuclear power in May 1998, mounted intrusions into this........

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