Ladakh Lieutenant Governor announces Sankoo as the Union Territory's eighth district

The announcement

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday, October 16, announced the creation of Sankoo district, raising the Union Territory's district count to eight, according to Greater Kashmir. The Free Press Journal reports he made the announcement during a visit to Sankoo and said officials would be posted promptly so the district can become operational. Sankoo is in the Suru Valley, about 42 km from Kargil town, and is being carved out of Kargil district.

Greater Kashmir reports the LG described the decision as the culmination of the area's long-standing aspiration and said it aligns with the Union government's "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" policy. He credited several local figures and groups, including the Kargil council's Chief Executive Councillor (CEC), Ladakh's Member of Parliament and the Anjuman-e-Sahib Zaman. For decades, local representatives, civil society groups and religious organizations had campaigned for district status, citing population, geography, administrative distance and development potential.

Ladakh had only Leh and Kargil as districts when it became a Union Territory in 2019. The Free Press Journal and Rising Kashmir say five more districts, Zanskar, Drass, Sham, Nubra and Changthang, were notified in April 2026.

Tehsils and the hill council

Rising Kashmir reports the LG also approved five new tehsils: Aryan Valley (Sham), Sodh (Kargil), Phey (Zanskar), Thasgam (Drass) and Himya (Changthang). It says 17 tehsils were created in July 2026, taking the territory's total to 37. The Free Press Journal says the new district is expected to include the tehsils of Sankoo, GM Pore, TSG and Taisuru, and that precise boundaries depend on future notifications.

The LG said a Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) will be set up for Sankoo, as in other districts, according to a second Greater Kashmir report. That report says thousands of residents celebrated on Saturday, October 17, and that the LG, the Ladakh MP, the Kargil CEC, the Chief Secretary and the DGP attended.

How the decision was described

The reports frame the decision somewhat differently. Greater Kashmir and the Free Press Journal attribute the announcement to the LG. The Sentinel says the Central government granted district status and notes that Sankoo, described as the region's largest subdivision, was left out when other districts were carved from Kargil.

Kargil council head says he will step down

In a third Greater Kashmir report, Dr Mohd Jaffar Akhoon, CEC of the Kargil hill council, said during the Sankoo celebrations that he plans to step down in the coming days, calling district status a fitting point to end his tenure. The report says he was elected in October 2023 under a National Conference-Congress arrangement under which the post was to rotate after two and a half years. It says the National Conference expelled him from the party in July for anti-party activities and that Congress moved a no-confidence motion against him. The report gives no date for a resignation and says the Kargil council is expected to continue until delimitation is completed for constituencies carved out of it.