On Saturday, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) organized a protest in Srinagar. The demonstration aimed to pressure the government into making public the report from the cabinet sub-committee regarding Jammu and Kashmir’s reservation policy. This event took place one day before the commencement of the Assembly’s autumn session.
Since then, you have not released that report. Today, the youth here can take any competitive exam only six times. Holding placards and raising slogans, the protesters raised concerns over the existing reservation system, particularly issues related to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and residential criteria. The cabinet sub-committee was constituted to examine grievances surrounding the reservation policy and suggest measures for its rationalisation. Addressing the protesters from atop a vehicle, Iltija Mufti accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of delaying the release of the report, saying the issue is directly linked to the future of students and job aspirants. “Three months after the NC government came to power, we had participated in a protest outside Omar Sahib’s residence. To halt that protest, Omar Sahib had assured ‘open merit’ students that he would bring the committee’s report to light and resolve their issues within six months. We have not seen that report to this day. You are selling jobs; regarding the outsourcing issue, you had promised the youth here that you would abolish temporary jobs and regularize them. Instead, you are selling jobs here. We are here to fight against this. We do not want to see merit undermined. “Across the country, merit is the rule and reservation is the exception; only in Jammu and Kashmir is merit the exception and reservation the rule. We are not against any community. The protest comes amid an ongoing debate over the quota structure for government recruitment and admissions to professional courses in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mufti further said, “We have come here to remind Omar sahab that prior to the 2024 elections, you had stated you would make the findings of this report public. Continuing her criticism of the government’s reservation and recruitment policies, Mufti said, “During the Omar government’s tenure, the age limit was reduced from 38 to 32, and a cap was placed on the number of attempts allowed. Following protests and representations by open-merit candidates, the Omar Abdullah government constituted a cabinet sub-committee in December 2024 to examine the matter.
Furthermore, the jobs being advertised and the recruitment processes currently underway where candidates are being selected and employed do not include anyone from this category at all,” Mufti said. Our point is that you promised these people you would ensure justice regarding open merit, so you must deliver that justice,” she said.
Two years have passed since then.
