Kashmiri leaders have rallied behind the people of Ladakh, which is witnessing violent protests in a battle for statehood and special status, and asked Delhi to speak to the agitators and resolve their issues.

The 2019 scrapping of Article 370 had set the cheering Ladakhi Buddhists in opposition to Kashmiri and Ladakhi Muslims, who objected to the constitutional changes.

But Ladakh’s Muslims and Buddhists have patched up their differences and are fighting in unison for statehood and Sixth Schedule status.

Kashmiri leaders are continuing to demand the restoration of Article 370 — which will reunite Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir — but have issued nuanced statements seeking the resolution of the Ladakh protesters’ demands.

At a news conference on Thursday, National Conference president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah accused Delhi of delaying talks with the agitators and offering them nothing concrete.

“Whatever happened in Ladakh, particularly Leh, the way children came out, the reason is they were on a fast for the past 14 days (fighting peacefully),” he said.

Farooq said the situation worsened when the health of two hunger-strikers deteriorated.

“For five years, they were waging a peaceful battle for Sixth Schedule and statehood. I want to tell the Government of India that this a border state. China is sitting on us there and a lot of our land is with them. Such a thing happening there is dangerous for the country,” he said.

“The more they try to suppress it, use force, agencies, I regret to say that the vessel is exploding.”

Farooq questioned the results of the previous talks.

“What are you willing to give? That is the question. They feel let down, nothing else; Delhi must move faster in solving the problems of Ladakh,” he said.

“Please make efforts to resolve this quickly and take the path of dialogue without delay. Do not wait for another spark to ignite. I do not believe that any outside group is behind this.”

Farooq said there were no jobs left in Ladakh, and that outsiders had filled all the available positions, angering the local people.

“The people feel they have been turned into nothing more than a colony. Because of this, especially among the youth, a spirit has risen which is (that) ‘Even if we lose our lives, we must secure our rights’,” he said.

Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti asked Delhi to undertake “a sincere and thorough appraisal of what has truly changed since 2019”.

“It is imperative that the government move beyond day-to-day crisis management and address the root causes of this discontent urgently and transparently,” she said.

Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said that when “people speak for their rights democratically” and yet those in power “turn a deaf ear”, the circumstances “push those people into a corner where they are left with only one option, and that is a pushback”.

“The situation in Ladakh is an illustration of how the BJP has defeated democracy and democratic values in this country and pushed people into a corner,” he said.