SRINAGAR: Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) joined Apex Body Leh (ABL) in withdrawing from talks with the Centre, demanding a judicial probe into the Sept 24 firing by security forces in Leh that killed four protesters and wounded more than 80.Talks with the Union home ministry’s high-powered committee had been scheduled for Oct 6. Both ABL and KDA stressed Tuesday they remain open to dialogue, but only after their conditions are met.KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai said in New Delhi no talks would be possible unless a retired Supreme Court judge is appointed to investigate the firing, those arrested are freed, and charges against climate activist Sonam Wangchuk are withdrawn. “Our demands are genuine and legitimate. Dialogue cannot happen at gunpoint,” he said.The KDA team was already in New Delhi, while an ABL delegation was to travel to the national capital Tuesday after the cremations of the victims, whose rites were conducted under tight security, barring people from attending.“The way our martyrs were treated and people were not allowed to participate in their rites, we have decided to pull out of talks like Apex Body Leh,” Karbalai said, flanked by Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa Jan, KDA’s Sajjad Kargili and LAHDC-Kargil chairman Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon.Kargili called the withdrawal conditional. “If the Centre does not respond to our demands, we will be forced to launch an agitation,” he said.Akhoon urged Delhi to “have a compassionate view of the situation rather than leaving everything to the Ladakh UT administration”. He said those who ordered the firing must be held accountable. “Our demands should not be taken lightly. I know how the bureaucracy treats Ladakhis,” he said.Jan said the killings could have been avoided. “A narrative is being created to portray Ladakh’s patriotic people as anti-national. It has deeply saddened the people of Ladakh,” the MP said.The standoff follows months of protests led by Wangchuk, who staged a hunger strike for two weeks from Sept 9 demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to safeguard land and resources. The Magsaysay Award winner was arrested after the firing, with authorities accusing him of being “anti-national” and allegedly linked to Pakistan — claims his supporters reject as false and baseless.Curfew in Kargil and Leh entered its seventh day, with internet services suspended until Oct 3 and roads sealed to prevent gatherings.