By Mehak Fayaz and Naveed Ahmad

Ladakh today stands at the meeting point of India’s most complex challenges.

The region faces melting glaciers, declining livelihoods, and rising political pressure at a time when China and Pakistan are tightening their strategic grip nearby.

Ladakh’s internal tensions now carry national consequences. Any misstep risks unsettling India’s security calculus in the northern frontier.

Much of this tension took shape after August 2019, when Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and placed under direct central administration.

The decision promised faster development and better governance. It also raised concerns about land ownership, demographic change, and the future of Ladakh’s cultural and ecological identity. These concerns grew into public

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