Reservation policy review still in limbo as NC govt completes 1 year

As the National Conference (NC) government completes one year in office on Thursday, a key issue in Jammu and Kashmir—the review of the reservation policy—remains unresolved and is once again in the spotlight.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced on Thursday that his cabinet has accepted the report from a cabinet sub-committee tasked with reviewing the policy, and the report will soon be sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for further consideration.

In 2024, the Union Territory administration, under L-G Sinha, approved a 10% reservation for the Pahari community, which increased the overall percentage of reserved seats across various categories. This change sparked protests among students from the general category, who argued that the adjustment had further limited the number of seats available to open merit candidates in government jobs.

Following the protests, the UT government announced the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to address grievances related to the reservation policy. The committee completed its report by its six-month deadline on June 10 but months have passed without a resolution. The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet referred the report to the Law Department for legal opinion, prolonging the delay.

On Wednesday, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti once again raised concerns over the issue. Speaking on X, she said, “Almost a year since we joined Open Merit students in their fight for reservation by staging a protest outside the CM’s residence. During the course of this inordinate painful delay even the sub-committee report to this day remains shrouded in secrecy. To add insult to injury every successive government recruitment has been completely lopsided putting Open Merit students at a staggering disadvantage,” she said on X.

Iltija criticised the government’s delay, stating, “Politicians have the luxury to watch paint dry because their careers span decades. But every day the NC government drags its feet on fulfilling its promises to Open Merit students is a criminal delay, leaving their future in abject darkness.”

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti echoed these sentiments, calling the reservation policy “the biggest issue facing J&K’s youth today.” She added, “The worst hit are Kashmiri students. Their share in government jobs, police, and secretariat positions continues to shrink, yet the NC government remains silent, hiding behind blame games.”

The unresolved issue is now even causing concern within the National Conference itself. Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah recently announced he would not campaign in the upcoming bypoll election in Budgam, also citing limited progress on the reservation matter.

Meanwhile, students continue to wait. “We expected the issue to be resolved within months, but a year has passed, and nothing has been done,” said an open merit student based in Srinagar.