Srinagar, Sep 19: PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Saturday led a protest demanding the submission of a sub-committee report on reservation in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that open merit students, particularly from Kashmir, were being denied opportunities.
The protesters raised slogans demanding that the government present the report and provide “justice” to open merit students.
Addressing the protesters, Mufti said the government had promised to submit the sub-committee’s report within six months, but two years had passed without any findings being made public.
“We appeal to Omar Sahib that what you had said — that you will present the sub-committee report within six months — tell us its findings. What are the findings of the sub-committee that you had constituted?” she said.
Mufti said vacancies were continuing to be filled while open merit candidates were being deprived of opportunities.
“Because since then, two years have passed, and in those two years, whatever vacancies are coming out, they are going to a particular group, while the rest of the people are being deprived of opportunities,” she said.
“Merit should not be an exception, merit should be the rule,” Mufti added.
She alleged that the government was “systematically” penalising Kashmiris and pushing them out of the system.
“And the government here is systematically punishing Kashmiris, removing them from the system. You are excluding them from examinations, excluding them from jobs,” she said.
Mufti also warned against a situation where Kashmiri candidates could become under-represented in the bureaucracy.
“Tomorrow, 10 years from now, God forbid, a day should not come when there are no Kashmiri brothers and sisters in the bureaucracy of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Referring to the National Conference government’s manifesto, Mufti said it had promised to rationalise reservations and constitute a sub-committee.
“You look at your manifesto. In the manifesto, you had said that you would rationalise reservation,” she said. “You would constitute a sub-committee. What happened to that sub-committee even after two years?”
Mufti recalled that the PDP had staged a protest outside Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence in December 2024, following which, she said, the Chief Minister had promised that the report would be submitted within six months.
“Two years have passed, but even after two years, that report has not been presented,” she said.
She said the PDP wanted to remind the government of its commitments and alleged that young people preparing for competitive examinations were being disadvantaged because they belonged to the open merit category.
“That youngster who works day and night, gives his blood and sweat, sits for the exam, sits again and again — four times, five times — and after that, even if he gets good marks, he is told that you will not get this job because you are from the open merit category,” Mufti said.
“Because you are Kashmiri,” she added.
Mufti said the PDP would seek to reverse what she described as discriminatory policies if it returned to power.
“Three years from now, Inshallah, when the PDP government comes, what you are doing wrong today, we will correct,” she said.
The protest also saw demonstrators chanting, “Jab jab NC darti hai, police ko aage karti hai” (Whenever the NC is afraid, it brings the police forward), alongside slogans demanding the sub-committee report and justice for open merit students.
