Mufti, Mirwaiz oppose quota policy, ask CM to find way out

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday described the ongoing reservation issue in the region as a “serious matter” and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take immediate action to resolve the situation.

“This is a very serious issue. From a young age, we tell our children to work hard and succeed in life. But today, merit has become the biggest casualty,” Mufti told reporters. She expressed concern that the current reservation policy was disproportionately affecting open merit students.

Mufti criticised the National Conference (NC) for failing to raise the issue in Parliament “People voted for NC, believing that the party would address this issue in Parliament. It has been a year, and has any NC member spoken about this in Parliament?” she asked. She emphasised that the youth had voted for NC, particularly hoping for a rationalisation of the reservation policy.

She argued that open merit students were being “pushed to the wall.” “We don’t want politics over this, but open merit students are being marginalised. They met the Chief Minister, and he said, ‘give us six months.’ If you have three MPs, including the Ladakh MP, and 50 MLAs, why is six months necessary? They seem to think a court decision will resolve everything,” Mufti said.

Mufti also pointed out that the government could have taken immediate action, citing the 2018 PDP government’s decision to allocate 75 per cent of PG seats to open merit students. “I urge CM Omar not to leave this issue in the hands of the court. You have the power, 50 MLAs and a government. Find a way to ensure that open merit students get their fair share, based on population proportions, without waiting for a court decision,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also voiced his support for the ongoing protests against the reservation policy. In a rare intervention on an administrative issue, Mirwaiz expressed his belief that the policy was “detrimental to the principles of equity.” Traditionally focused on the resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue, the Mirwaiz has now joined the chorus calling for changes to the reservation system.

“This is a very serious issue affecting the future of our youth,” Mirwaiz said. “The current reservation policy reserves 70 per cent of opportunities for specific categories, leaving only 30 per cent for open merit candidates. This shift from a 57-43 per cent split in favor of open merit to a 33 per cent share is detrimental to the principles of equity.”Mirwaiz argued that reservations based on “political motives” rather than socio-economic needs would harm the long-term quality of institutions.

The controversy began in March when the Jammu and Kashmir administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari community. The administration amended the 2005 J&K law, broadening the scope of reservation by including “Pahari ethnic people” under the reservation umbrella, which now covers anyone who speaks the Pahari language.

The amendment has been controversial, as it is believed to have shifted the balance against open merit candidates. To placate the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities, the administration also increased the ST quota from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. — TNS